Common Sense Media Review
By Alistair Lawrence
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Immigrant custody drama has scenes of domestic abuse.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway
What's the Story?
MRS. CHATTERJEE VS. NORWAY tells the story of Debika (Rani Mukerji), an Indian immigrant mother battling to regain her children from the Norwegian state.
Is It Any Good?
This lopsided and overlong drama is based on a real-life legal dispute between an Indian immigrant couple and the Norwegian authorities. But audiences can be forgiven for feeling like Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway raises more questions than it answers. In an energetic but clumsy retelling, director and co-writer Ashima Chibber only gives us surface-level characters, which exist to serve a story that feels like it's been both embellished and simplified for the silver screen.
The allegation the movie makes that Norway takes children into care partly as a cynical, profit-making exercise is just one of the plot points that prompted the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi to issue a rebuttal, while the case of the real-life Mrs. Chatterjee remains a sore point between the two nations. The end of the movie, which features details of the real-life case, also runs contrary to some news reporting about what happened next. An unbiased documentary would've been harder to make -- given the sensitive nature of the subject matter -- but far more interesting than this fictional account. Here, the finale has more in common with a soap opera set in a courthouse, making this a tough watch for all the wrong reasons.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Mrs. Chatterjee vs. Norway being based on a real-life case. Had you heard of this case before? Did it make you want to find out more? What are some of the pros and cons of taking something real and turning it into a film?
The film features some domestic abuse. How did you feel seeing these scenes? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Talk about the different gender roles and cultural differences in the movie. How did these lead to conflict? Who did you sympathize with the most?
Discuss the use of songs in the movie. How are these a characteristic of Indian movies? What did they add to the story?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 17, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : May 11, 2023
- Cast : Rani Mukerji , Anirban Bhattacharya , Jim Sarbh
- Director : Ashima Chibber
- Inclusion Information : Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 133 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : May 30, 2023
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