How old to see Selma?

Anonymous
What's the youngest child you'd take to see this movie?
Anonymous
I don't think it is for kids.
Anonymous
Movie mom (who I usually trust) says middle school, but notes it has some brutal violence including beatings by law enforcement.

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/moviemom/2014/12/selma.html
Anonymous
I don't think many kids would be interested in the film until around 5th-6th grade. That's the youngest age kids I know who seem mildly interested in possibly seeing it.

As long as it's not rated R I don't censor by age, I will watch anything with the kids as long as they're interested and we will stop watching or leave the theater when they are no longer interested or seem to no longer be comfortable with the film.

We don't go to many movies in theater. We tend to wait for them to be released on DVD or Netflix or whatever -- the cost makes more sense, and it gives us way more control over how we watch movies.
Anonymous
My son really wants to see it. Mature 11 year old. We plan to see it with him and go to dinner and discuss. It's not a see the movie and go to bed kind of film.
Anonymous
OP here. Thank you for the feedback. My son is 10 and in 5th grade, and I'm really on the fence whether he should see this. (He wants to). I think these types of films are important for kids to see, although of course the age varies. I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD and I can see it first.
Anonymous
I think it depends on what your kid knows about the civil rights movement. Most think it was just a bus boycott and march on Washington. My 13 year old wants to see it and I have spent some time saying look people made choices and it is their act of sacrifice that makes a difference, be prepared.
Anonymous
My 5th and 9th grader saw it and thought it was brilliant. 5th graders in MOCO studying Ciivl Rights movement so seems right for 5th grade and up
Anonymous
Maybe while we debate who is "too young" we shoud consider that many AA children much younger than 8,9 or 10 have had to face these issues without the luxury of a parent filter.

Anonymous
I've heard it's a terrible movie, and glaringly historically inaccurate. Avoid.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I've heard it's a terrible movie, and glaringly historically inaccurate. Avoid.


sold out 1st night it opened at the Avalon in CC, so I sincerely doubt that its " terrible" as that's not a simple crowd by any means.

I saw it with my tween yesterday. I thought the tension between King and Johnson was likely pretty realistic and a good lesson for my 6th grader. Politicians rarely get it on first go around and in our history usually lots of people have to die first. Johnson didn't "get it" on Vietnam eiher, remember…. he chose to not seek the nomination because he couldn't solve that problem of competing tensions. I could def see him saying to King " you're just gonna have to wait, the war on poverty is first, I dont have the votes"

King was a good strategist. Non-violence needed strategy and the move shared more on that than other films I had seen on the topic before.

I think the negotiating between the two and the tension within the movement itslef was very fairly represented and educational for young people.
Anonymous
Like most things that involve "when would you let your kids ...?" I think it has to do with maturity. I have a seventh grader who shouldn't see it and a fifth grader who wants to.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I've heard it's a terrible movie, and glaringly historically inaccurate. Avoid.


http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2015/01/10/376081786/selma-backlash-misses-the-point
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I've heard it's a terrible movie, and glaringly historically inaccurate. Avoid.


Heard it where? At least cite your source.
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