Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Dark Danish thriller has sex, nudity, and violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Loving Adults
What's the Story?
LOVING ADULTS is the story of the breakdown of Christian (Dar Salim) and Leonora's (Sonja Richter) marriage that begins with Leonora's suspicion that Christian is having an affair. Christian is indeed having an affair with an up-and-coming employee, Xenia (Sus Wilkins). Xenia is in turn pressuring Christian to choose between the two women in his life once and for all. His decision leads him to make the biggest mistake of his life, and it's one that only gets worse no matter how he tries to fix it, ignore it, or just move past it.
Is It Any Good?
Please note that the adults in this tense, solid Danish thriller are anything but loving. They commit crimes, lie, and deceive, mostly for selfish reasons. Fans who enjoy thrillers will appreciate the tension, the dark atmospheres, and the twists, turns, and surprises along the way as the story unfolds. It's too bad Loving Adults relies so much on the overused trope in so many thrillers where it's the woman who becomes unhinged and starts to lose touch with reality. But given that, the acting is solid, plenty (though not all) of the surprises are genuine, and the Danish countryside is beautifully photographed.
The framing device of the investigating police officer telling the story over a meal doesn't seem necessary at all, but it's also not doing a whole lot of harm and maybe gives viewers a chance to take a breather from all the tension and suspense. Teen appeal is limited to the edgy content: There's only one minor teen character who isn't developed enough to relate to, and the main characters are mature adults. But for those who like thrillers and can handle the mature content, there are a lot worse out there than this one.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sex scenes in Loving Adults. Do they seem realistic, or gratuitous? Does that matter? How is seeing sex on a screen different from reading about it?
What about the violence? Is it gratuitous, or does it either keep the story moving or tell you something about the characters? Is there too much of it?
Why are thrillers such a popular genre? When and how is it fun to be scared? How does this one compare with some of your favorites?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : August 26, 2022
- Cast : Dar Salim , Sonja Richter , Sus Wilkins
- Director : Barbara Topsoe-Rothenborg
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 2, 2022
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