Full-frontal male nudity. Two topless women are shown; one woman's bare bottom is shown. Fairly graphic sex scene. Couple lying in bed, no clothes on. Kissing. Main character has another lover before falling in love with the female lead. Brief sex talk. Spoken story about fathering children with other women, one a prostitute.
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Brief guns and shooting. Minor characters are shot/killed; others are beaten with guns. Nightmare featuring dead bodies. Character shown beaten and bloodied. Spoken dialogue about Nazis' plans for exterminating Jews. Nazi symbols shown. Shouting/sudden outbursts.
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Main character drinks/is drunk in more than one scene. Wakes up with bottle next to bed. Characters share a bottle of Schnapps. Frequent cigarette smoking.
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Argues that it may be imperative to disobey orders in order to do the right thing -- even though doing so might be very difficult, with huge consequences.
Positive Role Models
a little
The main character has a dark history and is prone to breaking the rules and lying, but he's also brave and eventually stands up against great odds to do what he feels is right.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Exception is a romantic WWII drama/thriller. While fictional, it has historical elements, focusing on the romance between a disgraced German soldier and a Dutch-Jewish maid. The sexual content is notably mature; there's full-frontal male nudity, topless women, a naked bottom, graphic sex, scenes of men and women lying in bed together, sex talk, and more. There's also some violence: Guns and shooting are shown, and there are images of dead bodies and one beaten, bloodied character. Viewers will also see Nazi imagery and hear dialogue about the Nazi agenda. Swearing is infrequent but includes more than one use of "f--k." Characters are shown drinking and/or drunk in some scenes, with no consequences; there's also a lot of cigarette smoking. While it's not exactly a deep story, it's also not as dry as it could have been, and it may be an introduction to a part of history for some older teens. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
A pretty great little war thriller/drama but not one for the kids
This is a pretty great, taut film boasting some excellent performances from a stacked cast. Plummer is a particular highlight. The production design is on point too, overall it's very well done but it is very adult. There are a few swear words scattered throughout ranging from the F word to a few religious slurs. Various characters smoke and drink too which isn't a great impression for younger audiences. The most glaring issue this film has that makes it 100% adult is the unusually sexual and erotic relationship at the core of the plot. Jai and Lily's characters have a very strange connection, one that is not an ideal model for kids to learn. This connection is built off multiple awkward scenes featuring graphic nudity. The male nudity involves full frontal and rear while the female nudity consists of two different women appearing topless and one woman's bare bottom which is shown twice. If this level of sexual content is ok for you then by all means give this film a watch but definitely have a think before showing it to anyone younger than 16 as the relationships displayed here aren't all that healthy.
What's the Story?
In THE EXCEPTION, a disgraced German soldier, Capt. Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney), is assigned to the palace of former German ruler Kaiser Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer), who's still considered a powerful figurehead. It's the early days of WWII, and headquarters seems to think that a British spy is nearby. No sooner does Brandt arrive than he starts an illicit love affair with a Dutch maid, Mieke de Jong (Lily James), which is against the rules of the house. When they're caught, Wilhelm's wife (Janet McTeer) wants them punished, but Wilhelm gives them a pass, citing his own rowdy youth. Things take a turn when Mieke admits to Brandt that she's actually Jewish, and then Heinrich Himmler (Eddie Marsan) pays a visit, hinting at a terrifying new Nazi agenda. Can Brandt continue to protect both Wilhelm and the woman he loves?
This quasi-biographical drama could have been a dry-as-a-bone history lesson, filled with exposition and explanation, but instead it turns into a glossy romance. In truth, Simon Burke's screenplay -- based on a novel by Alan Judd -- doesn't even explain directly who Kaiser Wilhelm II was. Rather, his position and history are slowly, wisely inferred through behavior and dialogue. The same goes for sinister Nazi Heinrich Himmler; if viewers go into The Exception not knowing this chapter in history, they'll soon figure it out for themselves.
It's up to Courtney and James to carry the weight of the story, and they're up to the task. Courtney has often played sneering thugs, but here he softens up nicely, sharing a strong chemistry with James. Director David Leveaux -- a Tony-nominated theater director making his feature filmmaking debut -- keeps things appealing, classical, and straightforward, although he's not afraid to shy away from human sexuality or human fallibility. Even so, the movie's highlight is clearly Plummer, who plays Wilhelm with a delightful twinkle in his eye.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about The Exception's depiction of sex. Is it gratuitous? Is it appropriate? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.
How much violence is shown? How does the onscreen violence compare to the spoken descriptions of the Holocaust? Which impacted you more? Why do you think that is?
How much did you learn about historical figures like Kaiser Wilhelm II or Heinrich Himmler from the movie? How much do you suppose was true, and how much was made up for this story? Why might filmmakers decide to alter the facts?
MPAA explanation:
sexuality, graphic nudity, language and brief violence
Last updated:
August 24, 2024
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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 Jeffrey M. Anderson
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