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Parents' Guide to

The World Without You

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Adult themes, sex, cursing in thoughtful family drama.

Movie NR 2019 95 minutes
The World Without You Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • The World Without You Movie: Scene One
  • The World Without You Movie: Scene Two
  • The World Without You Movie: Scene Three

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What's the Story?

In THE WORLD WITHOUT YOU, the Frankel family has gathered for a memorial to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the untimely passing of their beloved grandson, son, brother, and father Leo. Leo was a reporter in the Middle East who was killed while covering the Iraq War. Upon reuniting in their summer cabin in the Berkshires, simmering tensions and lingering resentments soon resurface. The parents, Marilyn and David, are on the verge of separating, as David is trying to move on from Leo's passing and Marilyn's obsessed with finding out what exactly happened to her son. Clarissa and her husband Nathan are still struggling to conceive a child. Noelle and her husband Amram now live in Israel and practice the Orthodox Jewish faith and fight with each other as much as they fight with Noelle's sister Lily (Radha Mitchell), an atheist and newly single. Thisbe, Leo's widow, struggles to find a way to tell the family that she has met someone new as she tries to start a new life with her young son. As they grieve, bitterness threatens to permanently fracture the extended family.

Is It Any Good?

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

The World Without You is a thoughtful drama exploring a family on the verge of falling apart. Reuniting for what may very well be the last time for a memorial to commemorate a family member killed one year ago while covering the Iraq War as a reporter, the family must confront their many issues. All the marital woes, sibling bitterness, and simmering resentments are constantly bubbling beneath the surface, so much so that the spark that causes the explosion seems like it could happen anywhere at any time. What the movie so beautifully and painfully captures is this this portrait of individuals, couples, and family members no longer able to maintain a facade that's crumbling anyway for all to see. The actors brilliantly convey the many tensions these characters are living with, and how close they are to simply walking away from each other for good.

The movie is based on a novel, and like the family itself, there are moments when it seems as if the numerous conflicts are going to overwhelm the central story, but it maintains a steady focus amidst all this chaos. The complexities of the different characters would be a challenge that many filmmakers wouldn't succeed at when adapting this novel into a story, but the assured direction and the gifted ensemble cast more than rise to the challenge. The movie's slow external pace and very heavy adult themes make this best for mature teens and adults, and should inspire discussion on the many topics and conflicts the characters contend with and how difficulties can strengthen or destroy relationships.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about movies based on novels. What would be the challenges in adapting a novel into a movie?

  • What are some of the topics this movie addresses? How are the conflicts these characters have with each other a reflection of their struggles with these topics?

  • This movie is set in the mid-2000s. What are some of the ways in which the movie tries to evoke that time? What are some of the ways that movies in general that are set in the past try to recreate what it was like in that particular time period?

Movie Details

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