Parents' Guide to

The Truth Below

By Kari Croop, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Deadly avalanche unearths sex and disturbing behavior.

TV MTV Drama 2011
The Truth Below Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

Careful but open
Careful but open Adult
August 30, 2011
age 17+

Claustrophobic, black and no redeeming qualities

4 university-aged children are trapped under an avalanche in a car. They share "truth or dare" type stories in order to get to know each other better as they wonder if they are about to die. This movie is claustrophobic at the bare minimum, and while some might think it a "good dose of reality" about people, it shows people regressing to their worst, rather than best, qualities. The characters ignore each other's most basic needs. They insult each other. Spoiler alert! One character lets another die on purpose by denying him is asthma medicine. I found the blackness of this movie was not compensated by lessons about how people can be harmful in stressful situations, but still come out with a grain of humanity. I think kids today can do better than this movie would leave you believing. And it is INTENSELY claustrophobic.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

On their way back to campus after a spring break ski trip, college friends Jenna (Gillian Zinser), Ethan (Reid Ewing), Dante (Nick Thurston), and Liam (Rick Mabe) have an accident on the ice and find themselves buried alive in their vehicle under a mound of tightly packed snow. As each character begins to reveal shocking secrets, THE TRUTH BELOW the surface proves much more frightening than the group's deadly predicament.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

For a television movie, The Truth Below is surprisingly effective, thanks in large part to disturbing content that keeps you interested … not so much in the sometimes-sickening scenarios that play out, but rather in how much worse they'll actually get. But parents should consider themselves warned: The same content that might morbidly fascinate an adult could also give impressionable teens some seriously warped ideas when it comes to sex and human behavior.

While we don't want to give too much away, we do feel the need to mention that one of the characters' secrets involves him masturbating with a pair of his sister's underwear and, in turn, imagining having sex with her. His confession rightly disturbs his friends, but that's only the beginning of their increasingly deadly game and the "truths" that rise to the surface.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the roles that sex and violence play in these characters' lives, particularly in their darkest secrets. Is there a relationship between the severity of each character's secret and what happens to them in the end? What message does that send about bad behavior and negative consequences?

  • What are the real-life consequences of binge drinking and drug use? Does the movie downplay them to any degree?

  • If you ever found yourself in a smiliar situation, how would you react? What would you have done differently to ensure your survival? Could these characters have made better choices from the start to produce a different outcome?

TV Details

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.

See all recommended tv lists

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