Finding You

image for Finding You

Short takes

Not suitable under 10; parental guidance to 13 (themes, language, fantasy violence)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Finding You
  • a review of Finding You completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 17 May 2021.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 10 Not suitable due to themes, language and fantasy violence.
Children aged 10–13 Parental guidance recommended due to themes, language and fantasy violence.
Children over the age of 13 Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Finding You
Classification: PG
Consumer advice lines: Mild themes, fantasy violence, coarse language
Length: 119 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

After being rejected from the New York music conservatory, Finley Sinclair (Rose Reid) abruptly decides to follow in her dead brother’s footsteps and go on an exchange to Ireland hoping to find some of the magic that he found there and hoping to use the opportunity to improve her playing and audition again. By chance, Finley is seated next to Beckett Rush (Jedidiah Goodacre), a famous movie star who is shooting a film near where she is staying. Unimpressed by his arrogance and the little she knows of him, Finley is more than happy to say good-bye at the end of the trip but, as luck would have it, he is staying in the Inn run by Finley’s host family. After she helps him run lines and improve his performance, Beckett helps Finley win over the bitter and angry Cathleen Sweeny (Vanessa Redgrave), who is the elderly companion that Finley is matched with and who becomes integral to her passing her Irish studies. As Finley and Beckett become friends, stronger feelings begin to emerge but they are hampered by Beckett’s father/manager (Tom Everett Scott) who sees Finley as a dangerous distraction; and by Taylor (Katherine McNamara), Beckett’s leading lady who, as far as the world can tell, is also his girlfriend. While Finley searches for the meaning of a message left by her brother; tries to mend the rift between Catherine and her estranged sister; and attempts to capture the magic of Ireland in her music, Beckett must find the courage to face his father and stand up for what he truly wants and who he truly wishes to be.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Rejection; Death of a family member; Drawbacks of fame; Family dysfunction; The dangers and power of social media; Holding grudges; The hardships of child actors; Town gossip; and on a lesser note, Domestic abuse.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • A man is said to have drunk himself to death.
  • Cathleen tells Finley how her father made a deal and how she married a man in order to save her sister from domestic abuse. She details how he used to hit her.
  • The scenes in the movie Beckett is making largely involve escaping from and battling aggressive, fire-breathing dragons, intent on destroying a castle. There is punching, kicking, sword fighting and men with bows and arrows who try to hold off the dragons who hurl fireballs at walls and people.
  • Finley eventually tells Beckett how her brother was killed helping refugees in the Middle East.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • The film that Beckett is shooting involves vicious dragons that swoop in out of nowhere, causing chaos and terror as they burn and crush a castle. The music is loud and dramatic and the images of the angry dragons attacking people may upset younger viewers.
  • In another scene involving a dragon attack, dead bodies are strewn about the courtyard and Beckett is shown with a bloody gash on the side of his arm.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

  • Cathleen is dying of cancer and Finley rushes to her bedside the day she is meant to return to the States. She is with Cathleen when she dies, as is Cathleen’s sister who arrives just before she passes. The scene is quiet but sad and may be distressing for some young children.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

  • Nothing further of concern.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • Aer Lingus is clearly displayed a couple of times.
  • Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice is shown and excerpts are read. This is also the same with Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Beckett is shown shirtless in a scene for his film.
  • Finley and Beckett share a couple of kisses.
  • Beckett and Taylor share a passionate kiss while filming a scene.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • Photos of Beckett partying are shown in a magazine, with subtle implications that the drinking/partying scene is desirable.
  • A well-respected fiddler is often seen drunk, drinking or incapacitated. Though shown in this light he also turns out to be very wise and a wonderful teacher.
  • People are shown drinking in a pub on a number of occasions.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • Twit
  • Shite
  • Hell of a...
  • You don’t even have the balls ...
  • Wanker.

In a nutshell

Finding You is an innocent, romantic film that focuses not so much on finding love as it does on finding yourself. Based on the novel, There You’ll Find Me, by Jenny B Jones, the film provides an excellent role model for girls, specifically in relation to the lead character who is resilient, responsible and kind, who displays courage in the face of defeat and is not impressed by social standing, fame or money. This is a family film for those with older children and is likely to be enjoyed by adults and teens and tweens alike.

The main messages from this movie are to not be afraid or discouraged by the changes and chances of life for we are never truly alone; and that we should always look deeper, for things are not always as they may at first appear.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Honesty
  • Integrity
  • Compassion
  • Dedication
  • Determination
  • Empathy
  • Love
  • Forgiveness and understanding.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • Putting money and fame before the needs of your child.
  • Spinning lies to a gullible fan base so that they will see you as someone else.
  • Using social media platforms to dictate your success.
  • Being swayed by those who do not have your best interests at heart.
  • Drinking to escape problems.
  • Believing the worst about someone without ever finding our whether or not it is true.
  • Refusing to forgive or speak to someone or even allow them to explain.