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Parents' Guide to

Luce

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Smart, mature drama about race, privilege, and expectations.

Movie R 2019 109 minutes
Luce Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 17+

Based on 3 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 7, 2022
age 16+

Luce attempts to grapple with A LOT of complex issues and succeeds in bringing us into the conversation

A gripping film that is impeccably acted and tone perfect. This film explores complex issues around race, adoption, white savior, expectation, being a "credit to your race", student athletics, teenage sex, passive aggressive manipulations, and child violence. A deep psychological look at when the American Dream comes up against civil war trauma on children. How can you heal? How do you move forward? Can you forget your past? Awards all around! Top marks.
Ken R.
Ken R. Adult
September 18, 2020
age 18+

Luce - Leaves Too Many Questions

Stylishly produced and very well acted, with the makings of ‘some’ good writing – yet somehow Luce trips over its own cleverness. There are so many ‘statements’ on life lessons, history (both modern and past) political correctness, complex relationship issues and just about anything else that could be crammed into its running time. So much so, that it seems writers/producers/director, JC Lee and Julius Onah appeared to have a little difficulty tying it all together, failing to convey a satisfactory understanding of all the issues. The situations in question are all way too serious to gloss over, deserving a far more solid resolution to justify the disturbing end results. Naomi Watts gives her usual sterling performance as Luce’s mother and there’s excellent support from all those around her. The Music score, while interesting, at times tends to come across as overbearing. Some will say they understood all the convoluted characters and their various activities but if questioned, will probably find they missed an important thread or two. It’s also doubtful a teacher would use four-letter words when talking to a parent about their son! Some of the content is interesting, but let down by a somewhat overly open ending - that has obviously left many of its audience unsatisfied. Four Letter words throughout.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In LUCE, Amy (Naomi Watts) and Peter Edgar (Tim Roth) are proud of their adopted son, Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), whom they rescued from war-torn Eritrea when he was a child. An accomplished student, debater, and athlete at his school, Luce nonetheless arouses suspicion in teacher Ms. Wilson (Octavia Spencer). She searches his locker and discovers illegal, deadly fireworks. Luce reacts with intellectual indignation, accusing Ms. Wilson of invading his privacy. Amy and Peter stick by their son, and it becomes clear that Ms. Wilson has a previous track record of investigating students -- and is also dealing with a sister, Rosemary (Marsha Stephanie Blake), who is mentally ill. Luce, meanwhile, is involved with a girl, Stephanie Kim (Andrea Bang), who may have been abused at a party. As the situation comes to a head, the truth becomes increasingly elusive.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Based on a play by J.C. Lee, this drama is (unsurprisingly) talky and static, but it also tackles complex issues of race, privilege, and expectations in a deliberately inconclusive, provocative way. Co-written by Lee and director Julius Onah, Luce has a clean, unexceptional look, full of evenly lit interiors, and it contains a great deal of awkward expositional dialogue that explains the hard road it took for Luce and his parents to arrive where they are. But it gets power from what it doesn't show. The contraband fireworks and drugs become like a sleight-of-hand trick when it's revealed that Luce and his teammates share lockers, and the contents of any locker could belong to any of them.

In another example, Stephanie's ordeal at the party isn't seen, only described, from her own hazy point of view; Luce himself could have been one of her tormentors, or her rescuer, and the true answer is never known. Ms. Wilson is perhaps the most interesting character -- piloted by another masterful Spencer performance -- able to see a little more clearly than some, but not as clearly as others. Ultimately, the movie asks questions about how we view others, what we expect from them, and how we react when those expectations aren't met. Despite its flaws, Luce is a strong, effective, and useful movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Luce depicts sex and sexuality. How graphic is it? Why do you think the filmmakers made those choices? What values are imparted?

  • How are drinking and drug use portrayed? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?

  • Was Ms. Wilson right to breach Luce's privacy? How can you balance the importance of individual privacy against the safety of others?

  • What's the difference between how characters expect Luce to be and how he really is? How do characters react? What does this say about our world today?

  • What is the movie saying about privilege? Do you agree?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: August 2, 2019
  • On DVD or streaming: October 29, 2019
  • Cast: Kelvin Harrison Jr , Naomi Watts , Tim Roth , Octavia Spencer
  • Director: Julius Onah
  • Inclusion Information: Black directors, Black actors
  • Studio: Neon
  • Genre: Drama
  • Run time: 109 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: language throughout, sexual content, nudity and some drug use
  • Last updated: January 29, 2023

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