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Parents' Guide to

Firelight

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Sensitive girls-in-prison movie showcases redemption.

Movie NR 2012 94 minutes
Firelight Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 14+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 13+

Great movie for teens

This was a really good movie and my 13 year old daughter loved it. Encourages understanding and compassion for those whose lives take a wrong turn; contains inspiring messages about being responsible for yourself and getting second chances; tells some cautionary tales about how stupid mistakes can derail your life.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
age 14+

A Good Teaching Moment

It is a goodmovie. Sometimes a small error in judgement can cost plenty. Think before you act. Positive role models in the Detention System as well as very negative one displayed by gang members.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Firelight could have gone wrong in so many ways, turning nasty/sexy like Sucker Punch or preachy like Lean on Me; instead, it's deeply moving. It's grim at times without being overly scary, and, ultimately, it's uplifting.

FIRELIGHT hearkens back to the days when networks competed with each other to unleash big movie events. Since then, made-for-TV movies have sunk to the Sharktopus level. This is something else again. Every single character in Firelight is granted dignity, even the villains, and the main characters mess up, then try, then mess up again, and try again. It's all so triumphant that you might hear the Rocky theme playing in your head when Caroline drops her bad attitude and picks up a firehose instead.

Movie Details

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