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Parents' Guide to

The Dark Divide

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Touching wilderness story has too many distractions.

Movie NR 2020 107 minutes
The Dark Divide Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • The Dark Divide Movie: Robert M. Pyle at the end of the trail
  • The Dark Divide Movie: Robert M. Pyle begins his expedition
  • The Dark Divide Movie: Thea

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

philshibano
philshibano Adult
September 22, 2020
age 12+

Wonderful outdoor adventure with positive messages

My son is 12 and loves the outdoors. He and I really enjoyed the film even though it deals with some adult issues and has a couple of bare bottoms. It reminded me of Never Cry Wolf from when I was a kid. A great escape into the outdoors for both of us during the pandemic and a nice way for us to talk about the importance of nature and standing up for what you believe in. I think it had one swear word(?) and some cartoonish violence, otherwise good.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In THE DARK DIVIDE, butterfly expert Dr. Robert Pyle (David Cross) is struggling with his new book while caring for his wife, Thea (Debra Messing), who's dying of ovarian cancer. Pyle has often dreamed of a trip to Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington State to search for new butterflies, but he's never actually made plans to do it. When Thea dies, she leaves a surprise behind: She applied for a Guggenheim grant to fund his trip. So he heads out, with little idea of how to get by in an area that's said to encompass some 2,000 square miles of wilderness. And little does he know that he'll encounter evidence of a species that most people don't even believe exists.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

A good-looking wilderness trek that's likable enough for a few stretches, this biopic is, unfortunately, frequently stretched too thin, and Pyle's inexperience is often frustrating. Written and directed by Tom Putnam (of the unfortunate The Hottie and the Nottie) and based on Pyle's own book, The Dark Divide does a good job of balancing Thea's death and getting Pyle into the woods, but once he's there, it flounders. Pyle's amateur mistakes are played with a blurry sense of both slapstick humor and pathos, and it's difficult to know what to feel other than exasperation. When Pyle's pack tilts over and tumbles down a hill, your response may well be "how could you let that happen?"

Pyle's journey is also marked with several little montages (showing, for example, how he improves in crossing rivers and creeks), flashbacks, and far too many pop songs. Moreover, the movie is peppered with the expected encounters with several offbeat supporting characters (played by David Koechner, Gary Farmer, Kimberly Guerrero, Cameron Esposito, and others), but many of these scenes don't really connect. The Dark Divide works best when Cross is alone, making little discoveries and deepening his sense of self. (Cross is usually known for his acerbic screen persona, but here, he's quite touching.) It's too bad the movie as a whole couldn't have tapped further into these small moments of beauty.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Dark Divide's violence and peril. When something bad happens to Pyle, what's your reaction? Do you laugh? Are you scared for him? How does the movie evoke these reactions?

  • The movie is based on a true story. Did any parts seem like they might not have been entirely true? Why might filmmakers decide to alter the facts in a movie based on real life?

  • How does Pyle handle conversations with people whose points of view are different from his? Does he listen? Does he argue?

  • How did you feel about the nudity (and semi-nudity) in the movie? Does it send any messages about body image?

Movie Details

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