Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language and mature themes in psychological thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
My Sister's Bones
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In MY SISTER'S BONES, war correspondent Kate (Jenny Seagrove) returns from Iraq to attend her mother's funeral. Her sister, Sally (Anna Friel), resents Kate being away for so long and keeps her distance, but her husband, Paul (Ben Miles), makes himself helpful while Kate stays in their mother's home to get her affairs in order. When she starts to see and hear flashes of a young boy she believes to be in trouble, it brings back unwelcome memories from a recent tragedy at war, as well as a childhood trauma she thought was dead and buried. Therapist Dr. Shaw (Olga Kurylenko) tries to help her work through her troubles, but Kate is convinced this isn't all in her head.
Is It Any Good?
This is a solid adaptation of Nuala Ellwood's popular thriller, which works well with the differences offered up by the movie format, rather than trying to piece together a book on-screen. In My Sister's Bones, the audience is frequently met with visions, yet it becomes increasingly unclear where the flashbacks end and hallucinations begin. What's fact and what's false memory. What's a sign of PTSD and what's a physical presence. This maintains the tension, even though much of the movie sits more comfortably in drama than thrills. The effects of childhood trauma in particular and the tendency for it to move through generations are particularly central here—both sisters dealing with their own experiences in very different ways, yet expending a hell of a lot of energy trying to deny and forget. It's the ending that pulls the film firmly back into thriller territory, flipping the cards on a key player and upping the stakes intensely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of trauma in My Sister's Bones. How did the movie portray the various traumas the characters had gone through and how they affected their daily lives? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
The movie deals with difficult topics, including domestic abuse, child abuse, and implied rape. Do you think it handled them sensitively? Why is it important to take care in how experiences like this are portrayed on-screen? Where might you turn if you or someone you know experienced any of these?
How were drinking, smoking, and drugs portrayed? In what ways did they impact certain characters lives?
Discuss the strong language used in the movie. Did it seem necessary, or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
Have you read the original novel that the movie is adapted from? If so, how do the two compare? If not, does watching the film encourage you to read the book? How does this thriller compare to others adapted from novels?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 30, 2026
- Cast : Jenny Seagrove , Anna Friel , Ben Miles
- Director : Heidi Greensmith
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Quiver Distribution
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Book Characters , Family Stories ( Moms , Siblings )
- Run time : 81 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : January 26, 2026
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
Suggest an 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