Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Disturbing fantasy-drama; child abuse, drugs, gory images.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Tideland
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In TIDELAND, Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) travels to the countryside with her dad, Noah (Jeff Bridges), after her mother (Jennifer Tilly) overdoses. Sleeping in her grandmother's dilapidated house, she creates fantasy worlds out in the cornfields with her trusty doll heads for company, while her dad becomes increasingly lifeless indoors.
Is It Any Good?
Terry Gilliam's films haven't been without their share of controversy and critical debate over the years. But with Tideland, his 2005 dark fantasy drama, the director seems to be challenging viewers to withstand some particularly unbearable material. That said, there's an argument for the movie being a bold, artistic triumph that toys with the ideas of innocence, imagination, and survival that just needs some open minds (and deep breaths) to get through. From the start, the film mixes bleakness with hope, depravity with innocence, as its central character (an incredibly impressive Ferland) prepares her own father's heroin syringe, then reads Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to him as he goes on a "vacation." When he's out cold, she turns to her creepy collection of doll heads, putting on a fancy accent as her favorite, "Mystique," and making sense of the senseless world around her through some pretty disturbing play. Later scenes and mentions of kissing between adults and children may well lose those who weren't already out the door when the 9-year-old sits on the knee of a decomposing body—it's a rabbit hole not many will be comfortable traveling down. Ethereal fantasy visuals and one particularly bemusing music montage will either further disconcert or pull viewers in. This isn't an easy watch, and the level of unpleasantness certainly isn't for everyone, but there's creativity in the chaos for those who can stomach it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of child neglect and abuse in Tideland. How was the behavior of Jeliza-Rose's parents neglectful/abusive? How did it affect her behavior and what did she do in order to survive? Where would you turn if you or someone you knew was being neglected or abused?
Discuss how drug addiction was portrayed in the movie. How were the characters of Jeliza-Rose's parents portrayed? How did you feel toward them?
Did you find the violence scary? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
How did the movie portray sex and relationships? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
What did the movie say about the importance of imagination? How did Jeliza-Rose use her imagination to escape her difficult reality? How did the visuals of the movie reflect this?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 27, 2006
- On DVD or streaming : July 1, 2007
- Cast : Jeff Bridges , Jennifer Tilly , Jodelle Ferland
- Director : Terry Gilliam
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : THINKFilm
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Book Characters
- Run time : 120 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality, and gruesome situations - all involving a child, and for some language
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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