Duncan, Sarah (our 15 year old daughter) and I went to see a preview showing of this movie.
About the Movie:
Based on a true story, Gimme Shelter centers on pregnant teenager Agnes “Apple” Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens) who flees her drug-ridden mother (Rosario Dawson) in search of a better life of her own. Turned away by her Wall Street father (Brendan Fraser), Apple is forced into the streets on a desperate journey of survival.
Cast:
Vanessa Hudgens, Rosario Dawson, Brendan Fraser and James Earl Jones
This movie opens up with the scene of a young teen running away from her drug-addict mother and going to track down her father, she has never met. She is an angry, bitter, but street-wise young lady. Quickly it becomes apparent she is pregnant. After several skirmishes with her father’s wife and her refusal to have an abortion, she leaves to go live in the streets.
This movie is quite dark in nature. There are scenes of her eating food from dumpsters, breaking into cars for places to sleep, and shows her obvious desperation to exist, even while trying to maintain a pregnancy for which she is ill-prepared. Through many turns of events, she ends up in a shelter for unwed pregnant and new mothers. There she learns some basic coping skills and begins to learn to trust people for the first time in her life.
For families- this movie was pretty dark for younger viewers. While it is rated PG-13, in my conservative family, I would say no younger than 15 or 16-year olds should see it, and even then, those that are very sensitive may not want to see it. There are elements of drug use, violence, views of prostitutes (clothed), abortion is discussed, and arguing families. The ending, while positive is not a fairy tale ending. It is clear that she will still have a long, difficult road ahead of her, but she has learned how to trust and how to function on a basic level with her new support group/family she found in the shelter.
Release Date:
1/24/2014
Rating:
PG-13
Running Time:
100 minutes
Website:
http://www.gimmeshelterthemovie.com
