Parents' Guide to The Hole

Parents need to know that The Hole is a British thriller with strong language, some violence including death, sexual references, and drinking, drugs, and smoking. The story surrounds four students at an elite British private school -- Liz (Thora Birch), Frankie (Keira Knightley), Mike (Desmond Harrington), and Geoff (Laurence Fox) -- who get trapped in a bunker. None of the central characters are positive role models. They are selfish and unkind, lie, and show a lack of compassion for one another. The violence is intermittent and occasionally bloody, as the stakes of the students' isolation in the bunker escalates and they become increasingly desperate to survive. Sex is often discussed and there is some kissing and fondling, including the start of a threesome, which is suddenly interrupted. Though no intercourse is shown, there is brief, topless female nudity and full-frontal male nudity during a scene in some changing rooms. Characters swear frequently, including "f--k," "whore," and "p---y." There is also some homophobia with characters suggesting others are secretly gay. There is much drinking -- enjoyed mostly in moderation but occasionally to excess -- as well as smoking, including pot. Frankie takes diet pills and is later seen being sick. Consumerism is also present, reflecting the characters' privileged lives and access to money. The movie is based on a book by Guy Burt, first published in 1993.

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