River's Edge
Gratuitous sex and violence in Japanese teen drama.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
River's Edge
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 suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that River's Edge is a 2018 Japanese drama about disaffected teens in a Tokyo suburb in the 1990s (and based on a cult 1994 manga). It has extremely graphic depictions of sex, including an extended scene in which two teens engage in various sexual positions, with one penetrating the other with a spray can, and later tying her up and choking her. The scene concludes with a brief shot of ejaculate spraying. There are also graphic depictions of oral sex. A teen is shown on the verge of having oral sex with an adult, and another teen has sex with an older married character. When one of the lead characters thinks she may be pregnant, she makes a long list of all the people she's slept with and whether or not she practiced safe sex with them. There's also graphic violence between teens. A teen girl is punched repeatedly and choked nearly to death by a teen boy she has sex with. A teen is horrifically bullied, including a scene in which he's found tied up and gagged wearing only his underwear in a locker inside an abandoned school building slated for demolition. This character is almost always shown with bruises and bandages on his face. One of the characters dies via suicide by setting herself on fire and jumping off the ledge of a tall building. A teen girl shows her friend a plastic bag filled with dead kittens -- it's not seen on camera, but earlier scenes show two of the characters bonding with and taking care of the kittens. A character stabs her sister repeatedly in the chest, almost killing her. A teen girl who's a model struggles with bulimia; she's shown eating in a school bathroom stall and then heard choking and vomiting. Teens use cocaine and smoke cigarettes. Adults of any kind are almost entirely nonexistent as all of this happens. Profanity includes "f--k."
Community Reviews
There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In RIVER'S EDGE, Yamada is a secretly gay teenage boy living in a Tokyo suburb in the 1990s. He hides his sexual orientation by casually dating Tajima, a lovestruck younger girl. He's also the frequent target of bullies like Kannonzaki, who dates Haruni while having sex with her promiscuous friend Rumi on the side. Haruni is intrigued by Yamada's mysterious aura, and befriends him. Yamada begins to reveal his secrets -- not only that he's gay, but that he knows where there's a decaying corpse in the reeds by the river. Meanwhile, Kannonzaki's violent impulses and sexual obsessions begin to grow even darker, and Rumi fears that she may be pregnant. Meanwhile, a younger model in the school where they all attend struggles with bulimia and begins to have stronger feelings for Haruni after they are introduced by Yamada. These characters try to make sense of their lives while struggling with very difficult problems.
Is It Any Good?
As a "period piece" based on a '90s manga, this makes '90s teen movies that explored similar themes such as Gummo and Kids look like Barney & Friends. Whether or not one thinks that's a good thing ultimately determines how much one will enjoy this movie. Nonetheless, what might work in a graphic (in both senses of the word) novel can easily appear gratuitous, excessive, and self-indulgent if adapted into movie form, and herein lies the problem. There are moments when River's Edge is all three of these things, and by this point, whatever shock value that drove similar tales of "lost teen innocence" in the 1980s and 1990s now seem like belabored points.
The almost nonexistent adult presence makes the whole thing come off like a kind of nihilistic Peanuts, replacing humor via existential angst with tragedy via emo anguish, and the pulling of the football at the last minute with bullying, bulimia, drug use, ad nauseum. Perhaps it's a faithful replication of the manga, but there are so many times when the movie feels forced and overdone at the expense of a coherent narrative. There are characters in the movie who seem to be there only to personify an issue of concern that the creators wish to call attention to. All of this overwhelms the incredible acting and filmmaking. It's a form of anti-nostalgia -- Japan in the 1990s had its fair share of problems -- but when River's Edge is taken at its face value (which is what, presumably, most American audiences will do), the whole thing comes off as an exercise in excess in many forms.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about sex and violence in movies. How much is too much?
What are some other examples of movies in which teens engage in questionable behaviors? What consequences, if any, are shown?
How does River's Edge depict topics such as bullying, eating disorders, teen sex, suicide, and coming out as gay?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 16, 2018
- On DVD or streaming: March 1, 2019
- Cast: Fumi Nikaido, Ryo Yoshizawa, Aoi Morikawa
- Director: Isao Yukisada
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Book Characters
- Run time: 118 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
Our Editors Recommend
-
The Ice Storm
Drug use and sexual content in Ang Lee masterpiece.
-
American Teen
Riveting documentary is bound to get kids talking.
-
From Nowhere
Timely, gritty drama follows undocumented NYC teens.
For kids who love coming-of-age tales
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