Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Intense mental health drama has drug use, attempted suicide.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Continue
What's the Story?
CONTINUE follows Dean (Nadine Crocker), who's suffering from her past, which includes childhood trauma. Her mental health deteriorates to the point that she attempts to kill herself. But after she recovers and is placed in a mental care facility, Dean decides to take control of her life, especially so she won't follow the same path as her father. Along the way, she makes friends with fellow patients Bria (Lio Tipton) and Taryn (Annapurna Sriram), and finds love with Trenton (Shiloh Fernandez).
Is It Any Good?
This intense drama can be a hard watch because of its subject matter: depression and suicide. But Continue is one of those films that can also be considered a necessary watch when it comes to understanding the toll that mental health symptoms can have on a person and their entire family. When someone decides to take their own life, it's a decision that's made to stop emotional pain, and, as Dean discovers firsthand, it's also a decision that many survivors instantly regret, at least partially because that choice also affects someone's friends and family members, too, leaving them with unanswered questions, guilt, shame, anger, and sadness.
Continue shows how challenging it can be for many with mental health symptoms to get relief and help. Regaining control of your life and choosing to find joy and happiness can be a hard road, especially as you battle personal traumas. Dean's journey is full of ups and downs, and viewers will root for her along the way. Even though the film sometimes feels a little slow in the middle, Dean's story is raw and empathetic, and viewers will likely come away from Continue with more sympathy for people like Dean (and Crocker herself, who based the film on her own experiences) who want to live happily but feel like they don't know how.
If you or someone you know is in danger, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Dean's mental health. How does Dean describe her mental health in Continue? What affected it?
How does Dean start coming to terms with her past? How does that help her move forward? Can you think of other movies with similar themes?
How do Janet and Trenton help Dean? Which characters do you consider role models? Which character strengths do they demonstrate?
What message do you think Nadine Crocker wants viewers to take away from watching the film?
When is it important to talk about mental health, especially if you're worried about a friend or family member? If you or someone you know is in danger, call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 6, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : September 6, 2024
- Cast : Nadine Crocker , Shiloh Fernandez , Lio Tipton , Emily Deschanel
- Director : Nadine Crocker
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Multiracial Movie Actor(s) , Non-Binary Movie Actor(s) , Queer Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Arts , Dystopia , Family Stories , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : suicide/bloody images, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and brief drug use
- Last updated : September 6, 2025
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