Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

The World Before Her

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Riveting docu explores rights of girls, women in India.

Movie NR 2012 90 minutes
The World Before Her Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

The World Before Her is powerful in both its simplicity and its willingness to let the material speak for itself. It will remind its audience of the plight of girls and women in India, a country which prides itself on its modernism and forward-thinking development. For the pageant contestants it's skin-whitening, Botox, training in modeling, diction, makeup, and fashion. Most of the young women see their participation as a way to avoid the second-class citizenry India assigns to their gender. For the girls sent to the camp its an indoctrination based on traditional, pre-Gandhi Hinduism and promoting armed conflict in defense of their religion. The teachings are staunchly anti-Muslim, anti-Christian, anti-career, and anti-modernism. Director Pahuja brought the first crew ever allowed to visit a Durga Vahini camp, a part of the women's wing of the fundamentalist Vishva Hindu Parishad.)

Girls will be able to identify with and find compassion for their Indian counterparts, who are bright, driven, and struggling to emerge as independent women in a repressive environment. It's a remarkable film, a story told with impeccable attention to important details and to emotional understanding, that's highly recommended for older girls, teens, and family viewing.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

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.

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