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Murmur of the Heart Review

For Families provided by Common Sense Media

not for kids

Classic French coming-of-age film has nudity, incest.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that even though Murmur of the Heart is a coming-of-age masterpiece and a classic of French cinema, it's definitely not for kids. Themes of sexual awakening run throughout -- prostitution, inappropriate touching from a priest, and incest all come into play. Teens are shown shoplifting, panhandling under false pretenses, and getting drunk on wine. Parents are lax, and other authority figures are hypocritical. The movie takes a generally light approach to subjects that some might feel are too taboo for this treatment -- most obviously, incest. But for mature fans of foreign coming-of-age films like Truffaut's The 400 Blows and Fellini's Amarcord, Murmur of the Heart deserves a spot as one of the best films working within the parameters of this oft-covered film genre.

  • Families can talk about coming-of-age movies. How does Murmur of the Heart compare to other coming-of-age films?
  • What do you think about the way the movie handles sexuality? Does it seem appropriate to the movie's time and place, or exaggerated?
  • What purpose does the background music -- bebop jazz by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie -- serve in terms of setting the movie's mood and spirit?

The good stuff
  • message true0

    Messages: There's a youthful and spirited "living in the moment" dynamic at work here that trumps the repression of government, religion, and family. That said, adolescent delinquency is on full display -- drinking, sexy stuff, disobeying authority, and much more.

  • rolemodels true0

    Role models: Laurent seems remarkably unscarred by the questionable behavior of those around him. His brothers are playful, but they also torture and tease him. His father is distant, his mother too close, and other authority figures are simply inappropriate.

What to watch for
  • violence false1

    Violence: Laurent is taunted and playfully bullied by his older brothers. Fistfights nearly break out at a Bastille Day dance where returning soldiers are intoxicated.

  • sex false4

    Sex: Strong sexual content throughout, including topless female nudity and brief nonsexual frontal male nudity, plus naked male backsides. A shocking incestuous encounter. Two brothers take their younger brother to a prostitute. A priest touches a teenage boy inappropriately on the upper thigh. Three brothers drop their pants to measure their penis sizes (the genitals aren't visible). The mother in the film is having an affair. The main character, a teenage boy, is trying to lose his virginity. A teenage boy is shown in bed with a teenage girl, unclothed but covered by a blanket. Implication of masturbation.

  • language false2

    Language: Characters speak freely (in French with English subtitles) about sex throughout, including using words like "hell," "dick," and "hard-on."

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false4

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Characters drink wine and smoke cigarettes and cigars. Teens are shown drinking wine and acting intoxicated. The mother seems hung over. Soldiers are shown intoxicated.

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