Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Golden Door

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Punishing but eye-opening immigrant tale.

Movie PG-13 2007 120 minutes
Golden Door Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

GOLDEN DOOR, an Italian film with English subtitles, follows Salvatore Mancuso (Vincenzo Amato), a widowed Sicilian who dreams of joining his twin in America. With sons Angelo (Francesco Casisa) and Pietro (Filippo Pucillo), his superstitious mother (Aurora Quattrocchi), and two young women from his village, Salvatore boards a ship headed to the great unknown. Onboard, Salvatore meets Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an Englishwoman who needs a man to gain entry into America. But their quiet romance takes a back seat to the realities of immigration. Subjected to an endless list of indignities – horrid living quarters, turbulent seas, interrogations and tests by Ellis Island officials – the immigrants are brave, indeed. But the promise of the good life and better opportunities beckons, and most are willing to take a chance.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Movies about the immigrant experience almost always ground the narrative in the new world, often with much success -- but wisely, director Emanuel Crialese doesn't trifle with any of that. For him, the old world -- and the journey from it -- holds much more drama. And he's right.

At first, Salvatore's flights of fancy (visions of money falling from trees like overripe fruit, for example) seem misplaced in a movie that's so straightforward about history. But these moments add levity to the merciless voyage itself. If only the movie could have offered even a glimpse of America. When the men climb a window to peer at the "bell towers" rising high with wooden boxes that transport people to their homes in the sky, can't viewers see what all the fuss is about, too? After all that pain and suffering and heartache, we want the payoff.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how movies and other media usually depict the immigrant experience. Why is the actual journey from the old world to the new so often glossed over? If immigrants had to sacrifice so much, why did they decide to leave their country to start over somewhere else? What did America represent for them? And how did these preconceived notions about the country form? What did you know about the immigrant experience before watching the movie? What did you learn during the film?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

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.

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