Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Thoughtful docu about mental health is emotionally intense.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Unconditional (2023)
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
UNCONDITIONAL follows three families over about seven years as they struggle and cope with mental health issues. National news anchor Richard Lui, his mother, and sister learn to navigate taking care of his father as Alzheimer's disease progresses. Luke Bushatz served in Afghanistan and is still haunted by that experience, and we follow him, his wife, and their two young sons as they learn to cope and start to heal. Kate Thomas has given TED talks about mental health and has to learn how to cope in a very personal way when she gets a terminal cancer diagnosis. Her main focus is on staying with her family as long as she can to help her husband and son prepare for what's to come.
Is It Any Good?
This is a quiet, thoughtful documentary that wants to raise awareness of the mental health issues millions of people with disabilities face, as well as those faced by their caregivers. Following both the progression of people with disabilities and how their caregivers cope adds unneeded length, and takes focus away from mental health and puts it instead on how families change over time.
Even though two of the families featured have young children, kid and teen appeal is likely limited. Most of the perspective is from and about adults coping with difficult subjects. But tweens and up who are able to handle the sadness may benefit from feeling less alone and from the examples of the subject families.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of mental health in Unconditional. How do loved ones support family members who are struggling?
Who are some of the strong role models? How do they demonstrate communication, perseverance, empathy, and teamwork
If you've ever struggled with mental health issues, or if you know someone who has, what did you do? Did you get help? How can you find out where to get help, or how to help someone else?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : May 3, 2023
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Documentary
- Character Strengths : Communication , Empathy , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Run time : 87 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : May 8, 2023
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
Suggest an 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