Connected
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this documentary explores the different ways that people connect around the world -- and the impact that these connections have on a global scale. It taps into issues like waste, the environment, war, and illness. The death of a parent and a difficult pregnancy are also major themes. Archival footage and Web images include references to political leaders, pop culture icons, and other recognizable people, as well as brief images of things like guns, cannons, and animated nudity. While the content overall isn't too iffy, chances are the subject matter and content won't be of interest to younger kids. References are made to being transgendered.
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
Autobiographical documentary CONNECTED delves into what it means to be connected in the 21st century. Writer/director Tiffany Shlain, founder of the Webby Awards, looks at how humans and technology continually change the way we connect on a global scale while also sharing the journey of her father's (Dr. Leonard Shlain) battle with brain cancer. Shlain looks at the links between human behavior, technology, and social issues to better understand how we tap into the connected culture to both create and destroy the best and worst parts of our world.
Is It Any Good?
Shlain's effort to pay tribute to her late father while simultaneously showing us how we should think about the non-linear nature of connectivity is interesting. But there are times when it's hard to figure out some of the individual points she's trying to make thanks to the film's fractured presentation of visual images and personal life events. Others may not agree with the cause-and-effect relationships between events established here. But the movie's overall message is very clear: We need to take responsibility for what we do in the world, because everything we do will eventually impact someone (or something) else.
Narrated by Shlain and actor Peter Coyote, the film offers a historical exploration of connectivity while showcasing a collage of home movies, animation, archival video footage, and Web imagery to underscore the different ways that humans connect. It also highlights the intentional and unexpected consequences of these connections on the world. Many of these arguments are extensions of ideas introduced in the late Dr. Shlain's controversial books.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the movie has to say about technology. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Both? How does it impact personal relationships?
How do you think technology will continue to increase (or decrease) the impact that small life decisions have on a larger community?
Movie Details
- In theaters: September 16, 2011
- On DVD or streaming: March 12, 2013
- Cast: Leonard Shlain, Peter Coyote, Tiffany Shlain
- Director: Tiffany Shlain
- Studio: Paladin
- Genre: Documentary
- Run time: 80 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: thematic material including images of nudity, drug use, war and smoking
- Last updated: June 2, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
-
An Inconvenient Truth
Moving, earnest documentary on global warming.
-
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
Spike Lee's masterful and disturbing Katrina docu.
-
Waste Land
Inspiring documentary portrays the dignity of the poor.
For kids who love true stories
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate