Metal Lords

Movie makes a point to show that rocking out in bands isn't just something for boys. As the movie goes on, Emily's struggles with mental illness are presented in a thoughtful manner. The biggest fan of the band is a teen boy with a mental disability who is treated with compassion and friendship by Hunter. The high school students are almost all White; the administrator and teacher most often shown in the movie is a Black woman.

A bully knocks Kevin on the ground as he walks past him between classes, and the bully shoves Hunter into the amplifiers and keyboard of a band playing a party they're attending. Days later, Hunter retaliates on the street, resulting in a car chase; his car is then vandalized at school -- tires slashed, windows broken, feces on the hood, and the words "Suck It C--t" spray-painted on the windshield. Bullies grab Hunter in the hallway, duct tape his mouth shut, and shave off the long hair on one side of his head. While at odds with each other, Hunter uses a class project to trigger Emily's mental illness, causing her to scream and lash out at him. When the band starts a mosh pit, Hunter gets shoved back into his stack of amplifiers; they fall on him and break his leg (bone shown poking through pants). A security guard responds to Hunter's aggression by poking him in the crotch with his nightstick, causing him to fall and writhe in pain.

Brief nudity -- skinny dipping (buttocks). Characters lose their virginity. Brief close-up of a heavy metal poster featuring a drawing of a penis pierced with a ring. Minor character tells Kevin how her cousin "f--ked" a named celebrity. After Hunter describes having a cello player instead of a bass player as "completely gay," camera reveals quick shots of the homoerotic imagery of some of the heavy metal posters that adorn their practice space. Reference to how someone once pulled out their testicles in the middle of their set at a high school battle of the bands.

Teens use very strong language throughout. The name of the band Hunter and Kevin are trying to get off the ground is called "Skullf--ker." "F--k" frequently used. "C--t" also used several times. Hunter uses the word "gay" in a negative context, but the scene is ultimately used to show that heavy metal has certainly been and continues to be a form of musical expression for some gay men, even if it's unclear whether or not Hunter finds this to be a teachable moment. Also: "motherf---er," "ass-rape," "c--ks," "f--ktards," "f--kholes," "dips--t," "bulls--t," "s--t," "t-ts," "badasses," "bitch."

Teens drink and smoke weed at a party. Kevin gets drunk and finds he suddenly has the confidence to talk to girls -- before he vomits after breaking up a fight. A teen invites his friends to go into the school parking lot to drink whiskey in his truck.