Parents guide

The protagonist is shown being sexually abused in a childhood flashback. Not graphic. No nudity.

Boys peek through a hole where they see topless woman from a dressing room of a theater.

A guard tells a boy in a cell to take off his clothes and his underwear, (we don't see his genitals)

One of the child characters is asked by a guard to take off his underwear, which he does, but no nudity is shown.

A montage occurs as the boys sit in prison; the narrator describes the screams of the boys who are being raped and assaulted in the night.

Though never really seen, it's implied (and also mentioned) that the boys had to endure repeated rapes at the hands of the guards. There are several quick flashback shots, but again nothing is seen.

Extremely graphic rapes through out.

There are several references to sexual abuse throughout the film and scenes where it is obvious that sexual abuse is about to take place

A group of guards take four boys down a storm tunnel, once they take them to a cellar, one of the guards tell these kids to "Face the wall". They then ask for a "blow job". They then hit kid is hit in the back with a baton and he winces in pain, the guards then start to rape and torture them (screams are heard)

A kid who was shown to be beaten from his father is shown lying in the hospital bed.

A man in a flashback is shown to be kicked from a flight of stairs and shot in the legs at a bathtub.

A kid often hears his parents arguing and/or fighting and once sees his father remove his belt and beat his wife with it. She isn't seen,

One little juvenile boy is heard crying after being abused by one of the guards (offscreen but it is explained by the narration).

A man has a flashback about being raped by guards. He is forced to pray while putting his hands on the table by guards and they pull his pants down, they then start to rape and beat him with a baton telling him to pray louder.

In a football match against the guards, we see people get tackled beaten and even the guards get hit by a black kid. After they win the game the guards get mad and throw the kids in solitary cells to rot and we can see rats and a kid's beaten eye while sitting in his solitary cell wanting to die. We later see them recovering in the hospital and they have just been informed that one of their friends were killed by the guards.

R violence type: blood, brutal and graphic.

A drug dealer is seen hanging from a street lamp for selling heroin to kids on the street.

There are a few scenes of domestic abuse (they are mostly heard).

Language is scattered through the whole movie in random sections.

A guard calls a black guard "boy" and later calls a black kid "sambo."

'Shit' is said at least 19 times.

5 slang terms are said for male genitals (the "d" and "p" words),

'Hell' is said at least four times.

'Ass' is said at least three times.

'Crap' is said one time.

'Jesus' is said three times, 'God' said once, and 'Jesus Christ' said once.

'God damn' is said at least twice and "Christ,"

One use each of "Oh my God," "Jesus Christ," and "Swear to God" as exclamations.

There is a lot of smoking throughout the movie. Father Bobby, Nokes, and Michael (as an adult), amoung others, all smoke many times.

Several characters smoke a lot of times.

Several characters are known to suffer from alcoholism and/or drug abuse/addiction. No scenes of illicit drug use.

References to alcohol use, and several scenes of adults drinking at a pub.

While most of the physical and sexual abuse of the children is not shown in graphic detail, the scenes are still incredibly intense. The narrator describing the childrens' inner feelings adds to the feeling of despair and terror. At one point the boys are gang-raped by four guards - even though none of it is shown, the narrator's description still conveys the horror. The child abuse overall is VERY upsetting.

A man attempts to pray in church, but he begins to experience traumatic flashbacks to being raped with a baton in prison, as guards told him to pray and mocked him when he did so. The portrayal of PTSD is intense.

A kid gets beaten by guards may upset some.

Domestic abuse is played on screen and that may upset some

R18+ for Sadistic disturbing content including violence and rape. Language and brief sexuality and some drug use.

The Torture/rape scenes are very scary and disturbing

A kid is forced to eat on the floor while being beaten by a sadistic guard who then tell his friends to eat food on the floor.

A kid is put into a solitary cell and it just gets more depressing there.

Kevin Bacon portrays a sadistic guard who finds pleasure in torturing and raping children.

The scenes at the home for boys are intense, and strong violence and sexual abuse against children play a major role in the plot throughout the film.