Not recommended under 10; parental guidance 10 to 14 (lacks interest for young children, disturbing scenes, themes, coarse language)
This topic contains:
Children under 10 | Not recommended due to disturbing scenes, coarse language and lack of interest |
Children 10 to 14 | Parental guidance recommended due to disturbing scenes and themes |
Viewers 14 and over | OK for this age group |
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: | Victoria and Abdul |
Classification: | PG |
Consumer advice lines: | Mild themes and coarse language |
Length: | 112 minutes |
This review of the movie contains the following information:
The film is based on the book of same name by Shrabani Basu, and on the real-life relationship between Queen Victoria and her Indian servant Abdul Karim.
Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) arrives from India to participate in Queen Victoria's (Judi Dench) golden jubilee. He and a companion, Mohammed, are to present the Queen with a ceremonial coin. The Queen is instantly attracted to the handsome young clerk who, against the rules, makes eye contact with her.
Abdul is ordered to stay in Britain and promoted by the Queen to the role of her ‘munshee’ - advisor about India and language teacher. The two forge an unlikely but devoted friendship, giving Victoria a new zest for life. However, the members of the Royal Household, heir to the throne Prince Albert, the Prime Minister and others in official positions are horrified by what is happening and are determined to end the friendship.
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.
Colonialism and the British Empire; racism; the life of a monarch; ageing; sexually transmitted disease
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.
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.
Children in this age group are also likely to be disturbed by the above-mentioned scenes
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.
Younger children in this age group may also be disturbed by some of the above-mentioned scenes
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.
Children in this age group are unlikely to be disturbed by anything in this film
Nothing of concern
There are some sexual references in this movie, including:
Nothing of concern
There is some use of substances in this movie, including:
There is some coarse language in this movie, including:
Victoria and Abdul is an interesting and moving drama, with some lighter moments, based on a true story. It shows Queen Victoria at the end of her life, still grieving her husband Albert and servant John Brown, and feeling very much a prisoner in her life. She is surrounded by people who criticise her behind her back, but curry favour in her presence. The coming of a handsome, and very different, young man from India and the friendship that develops between them gives her life new meaning.
The film is most likely to be enjoyed by adults. The story is likely to lack interest for children under 10, there are scenes and themes that might confuse or scare younger viewers, and there is coarse language. Parental guidance is recommended for children aged 10 to 14.
The main message from this movie is that true friendship can develop between people of very different ages, race, religion and positions in life.
Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
Parents may also wish to discuss:
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
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