Movies
Should kids see violent 'Passion'?

By Stephanie Dunnewind
Seattle Times staff reporter

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Peter van Breda, senior pastor of Bellevue's The Gathering Place, strongly believes kids shouldn't see the violent, R-rated "The Passion of the Christ."

Enough so that he warned one woman bringing three young children to the church's showing of the movie, which was open to the community. She wasn't from his congregation, but he wanted to make sure she realized the film's graphic nature. "I told her, 'If I were you, I'd really think about allowing your kids to see this,' " he said. She chose to stay.

Perhaps more than any recent R-rated movie, "The Passion of the Christ" is attracting questions about its appropriateness for children.

The movie is rated R for "sequences of graphic violence," which means no one under 17 is admitted without an adult. A manager at one theater said "a whole lot of kids, even very young kids" came with parents to "The Passion" showings, more than a typical R-rated movie. Other managers, however, hadn't noticed an increase in young viewers but noted that might change over this weekend.

Movie critics and church representatives uniformly agree the movie is not for children and preteens. But opinions vary on whether young teens should view the detailed depiction of Jesus' last 12 hours, which includes brutal beatings and whippings.

The influential conservative Christian group Focus on the Family endorsed the movie and recommends it for ages 13 and older.

"Is it gory? Yes. Is it gruesome? Yes. Is it raw? Yes," said Bob Waliszewski, entertainment specialist for Focus on the Family, which usually condemns violent movies. "But in this particular case, it's worth it."

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the movie a thumbs up but called it "the most violent movie I have ever seen." He thought it should be rated NC-17, which would prohibit minors even with a parent. "If it had been anyone other than Jesus up on that cross, I have a feeling that NC-17 would have been automatic," he wrote in his review.

Likewise, Nell Minow, author of "The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies," stuck with age 17 and up in a Common Sense Media review, noting "this movie is violent in an intense, graphic, personal, even intimate manner — much more powerful than other R-rated movies with cartoon-style explosions and shoot-outs."

Local churches are taking teen youth groups to the movie, with some restrictions. The high-school group at Redmond's Overlake Christian Church plans to attend a March showing but requires students be at least 15 and have a permission slip from parents, said Children's Pastor Norv Brown.
 
The Gathering Place's teen youth group — the youngest age 14 — saw the film and then discussed it the following night. Van Breda said they didn't seem bothered by the violence per se but were emotional and crying because "they really understood the Gospel's account of Jesus' sacrifice for the first time," he said.

After previewing the movie, parents can consider watching it with teens or allowing them to go with a youth group, said Sharon Barham, children's director at Redmond's Antioch Bible Church.

"Both of these contexts allow for responsible adults to monitor and guide a young person's understanding," Barham noted. "This is a good rule of thumb for families wanting to educate their youth to any world truth: war, the Holocaust, slavery, etc.

"Sure, we want to educate and challenge our young people to know and develop accurate world views of these events, and we want to prepare them to take responsible positions on those truths," Barham said. "But we also have to make a judgment call about each child's maturity level to view the nakedness of the whole truth and their ability to make critical, healthy responses to the viewing without being harmed by it."

Cynthia Bosshart, director of faith formation at Renton's St. Stephen the Martyr Catholic Church, advised parents to follow the R-rating. "There are other multimedia resources available for children regarding the life and death of Jesus that are educational and age-appropriate," she said.

At Gradingthemovies.com, which says it "helps families find entertainment with values," reviewer Rod Gustafson said he felt a powerful connection with the movie but still would not want his pre-teen children to see the film.

"Just as I could understand the horrors of war prior to seeing 'Saving Private Ryan,' it's not necessary to subject yourself to one man's visual interpretation of the Bible in order to fully appreciate or be worthy of Christ's sacrifice," he wrote. "Your children's personal relationship with Jesus Christ is not dependent on their viewing of this or any other film. And for all the positive potential this movie holds, it may have the opposite effect on a young mind not yet ready for its visual intensity."

Focus on the Family's Waliszewski had never allowed his 13-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter to see an R-rated movie before "The Passion."

"This is not 'Kill Bill'-'Texas Chainsaw'-'Scream'-type violence, gratuitous violence to titillate," he explained. "This is as close as we get to video footage of the one historic figure who stands above all. This leaves an indelible mark on one's spiritual dimension. I want that for my children, and it's why I recommend it for other teens."

Stephanie Dunnewind: sdunnewind@seattletimes.com

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