Not recommended under 8, PG to 13 (Viol. Distressing scenes)
This topic contains:
Children under 8 | Not recommended due to violence and distressing scenes. |
Children aged 8-13 | Parental guidance recommended. |
Children over the age of 13 | Some children over the age of thirteen may still benefit from parental guidance. |
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: | Nativity Story, The |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild themes and violence |
Length: | 91 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
The film tells the story of the events surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus as portrayed in the Bible. It opens with Herod (Ciaran Hinds), King of Judea under Roman rule, who is afraid that an ancient prophecy about the coming of a Messiah means that he will lose his kingdom. He orders the killing of all male children under two in Bethlehem.
Flashing back to the previous year, we find Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) living with her parents Anna (Hiam Abass) and Joaquim (Shaun Toub) in the poor town of Nazareth. It is a time of oppression and harsh taxation enforced by Herod.
Mary is betrothed to Joseph (Oscar Isaac). She is told by an angel that she has been chosen by God to bear a son who will be a Saviour for his people. Struggling to come to terms with this news, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo) who is also pregnant and gives birth to the son who is to become John the Baptist. When Mary returns to Nazareth, her pregnancy is obvious and she has a difficult confrontation with her parents and Joseph. However, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and confirms Mary’s story. Joseph then vows to stand by Mary, no matter what others may say.
Meanwhile, King Herod is determined to find and kill the Messiah talked about in the prophecy. To meet the requirements of a census decreed by Herod, Mary and Joseph are forced to make the difficult journey to Bethlehem. During this journey we see Joseph’s selfless care and concern for Mary and a growing love and respect between the couple.
In Bethlehem, Jesus is born in a rough stable. Local shepherds come to pay homage. Three Magi following the prophecy and prompted by a convergence of planets into a large ‘star’, travel from Persia in search of the Messiah. They find and honour the new baby lying in a manger but return to Persia without obeying Herod’s request to tell him of what they find. Warned in a dream about the threat to the baby from Herod, Joseph takes Mary and Jesus and flees across the desert towards Egypt and safety.
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.
The Christmas story. Oppressive and violent regimes. Seizing and killing of children
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:
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:
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.
The above-mentioned violent scenes could also scare or disturb children under the age of eight.
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.
Children in this age group may also be disturbed by many of the scenes described above.
Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.
Some children over thirteen may be disturbed by the scenes involving harm and death to children, and some other scenes.
None
Mary’s pregnancy by immaculate conception may raise questions for older children.
None
None
None
The Nativity Story is an epic telling of the Christmas story with both visual and emotional impact. The main messages from this movie are the Christian message of a Saviour, the Son of God, born in a humble situation and the triumph of good over evil.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children the struggles of people living in poverty under oppressive regimes and the consequences of making judgements about people without knowing the full story.
Tip: Leave out the first A, An or The
Selecting an age will provide a list of movies with content suitable for this age group. Children may also enjoy movies selected via a lower age.
Content is age appropriate for children this age
Some content may not be appropriate for children this age. Parental guidance recommended
Content is not age appropriate for children this age
Children and Media Australia (CMA) is a registered business name of the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM).
CMA provides reviews, research and advocacy to help children thrive in a digital world.
ACCM is national, not-for-profit and reliant on community support. You can help.
ABN: 16 005 214 531