Docu about power of music has language, intense war footage.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
War and newsreel footage includes scenes of bombings, air strikes, gun and tank shootings, fires, destruction, terror, chaos, and kids holding guns. References to "ethnic cleansing," "concentration camps," "kill," "murder," "genocide." Images of blood, amputation, children being bound, death, dead bodies, bodies being burned.
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Language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "bulls--t," "crap," "freaking," "bloody," "balls," "idiot," "piss off," "dumb," "fool," "hate," "oh my God," and "God" (as an exclamation).
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Sexual innuendo includes the phrases "dressed as a condom," "more balls than most," and feeling "impotent." Multiple references to the band Sex Pistols. Kissing. Scenes of women wearing bathing suits during a beauty pageant.
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Encourages positive power of music to transcend war and tragedy, ultimately provoking world change for peace. Focuses on Sarajevo's peaceful protest through the act of cultural defiance, using music, art, and resilience to show courage.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Interviewees including Sarajevo natives, documentary screenwriters, and U2 band members are all portrayed as authentic, caring, proud people who used compelling storytelling to incite the power of music as a weapon of defiance and promoter of peace. Characters demonstrate compassion, resilience in the face of war, and perseverance.
Diverse Representations
some
Main focus is on Sarajevo natives, who represent a diverse European city within Bosnia. Sarajevo is described as a cultural hub of diversity in religion, ethnicity, art, and music. Many interviewees are from diverse backgrounds within Sarajevo and throughout the world—including Muslims and people of Italian, American, and Irish descent. Men and women have equal agency and representation. Multiple body types are represented.
Parents need to know that Kiss the Future is a documentary produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck about the power of music and the impact of the band U2 during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. It has positive messages of resilience, resistance, and peaceful protest during war through the act of cultural defiance. This story follows the almost four-year attack on Sarajevo during the Bosnian War, leading up to the liberation of the city. It balances compelling interviews (including with U2 star Bono) and concert clips with horrific war scenes to ultimately promote hope and healing and offer a timely reminder of the importance of peace. Bloody, violent war scenes show bombings, air strikes, shootings, fires, destruction, terror, chaos, dead bodies, and more. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "oh my God," etc., as well as mild sexual terms like "sex," "balls," and "condom." People smoke, drink, and kiss—as well as demonstrate perseverance, peaceful resistance, compassion, and resilience during tragedy. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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What's the Story?
KISS THE FUTURE is a documentary produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck that tells the story of cultural resistance during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s Bosnian War—the longest siege in modern European history. The film focuses on the city's peaceful act of defiance, using the power of music to transcend the horrors of war and create change. Connecting with one of the world's biggest bands helped the city's citizens raise awareness about the devastation of the conflict—ultimately leading to U2 upholding their promise to perform a postwar concert and sparking a collective healing moment in history.
This moving, powerful war documentary is a 1990s European history lesson wrapped in a U2 biopic. Told in a provocative and compelling way, Kiss the Future reminds viewers that the saying "music can change the world" may be clichéd but is still true—and relevant. Depictions of a horrific, war-torn city are balanced with scenes of a vibrant underground movement of cultural defiance through music and art. In demonstrating its citizens' resilience and determination to live a normal life despite tragedy, Sarajevo becomes the main character in the story, connecting with U2 and ultimately shining a global light on the Bosnian conflict. Through interviews, storytelling, and U2 concert clips, director Nenad Cicin-Sain creates a dynamic narrative that inspires hope while also serving as a haunting reminder of how history tends to repeat itself.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the power of music in Kiss the Future. Is the movie successful in conveying the message of how music can change the world despite hardship, tragedy, and war?
Why was it important for the people of Sarajevo to live a "normal life" during the siege? How did culture, art, and music affect their resilience and resistance to the conflict?
What role did U2 have in Sarajevo's liberation? Why was the postwar concert a pivotal moment in Sarajevo's history?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Christie Cronan
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
