Parents' Guide to Thirteen Lives

Superheroes may dominate kids' entertainment, but director Ron Howard superbly showcases real heroes who pull off an extraordinary feat to save lives. The plight of the Wild Boars boys' soccer team -- trapped deep in a cave with no feasible method of escape -- seems ripped straight from the comics, where only a superpowered caped crusader could save them. There's even a supernatural element: According to folklore, the spirit of the mythical Princess Jao Mae Nang Non guards the cave, her statue marking the entrance, and locals believe she had a hand in the surprise flash flood. Howard's retelling is more grounded than an Avengers movie but no less sensational -- and far more impactful. These heroes are authentically brave, powered by decades of acquired specific knowledge, calculated collaboration, and selflessness.

While the documentary The Rescue, released to critical accolades in 2021, covers the same remarkable events factually and thoroughly, Howard's well-crafted scripted version is a great choice for tweens and teens. He strikes the perfect balance throughout, keeping the musical score light (or sometimes nonexistent) in the tensest situations so as not to manipulate viewers' emotions. The actual events, failures, and disagreements are re-created with honesty and respect for all of the participants. Howard discounts no one: The contributions from the boys' parents, farmers, a Hindu priest, engineers, the Thai province's governor, and even the trapped children themselves are shown to help the rescue effort as much as the divers' efforts. And Howard does an excellent job of establishing cross-cultural understanding and relatability, showing a deep sensitivity for Thai beliefs and values. Thanks to all of that -- and the fact that the rescue subjects range in age from 11 to 16 -- viewers in the same age bracket will be able to connect to this amazing real-life story and will be better for it.