Head in the Clouds

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +2

Content: -4

Before World War II, an almost desperate need for pleasure spread through the western world. Guy (Stuart Townsend), an Irish social activist and scholarship student at Cambridge University in England, seems out of place amidst his heavily drinking, womanizing classmates. When gorgeous hedonist Gilda (Charlize Theron) barges into his room one night after a fight with her boyfriend, Guy enters the decadent lifestyle of wealthy socialites. He and Gilda begin a torrid love affair that continues for more than a decade. Gilda moves to Paris and becomes a successful photographer while Guy completes his studies. On a visit to Paris, Guy discovers Gilda has a variety of lovers, including one of her models, the lovely Mia (Penelope Cruz). The three become best friends, living together for more than a year before Mia and Guy both feel compelled to join Spains fight against fascism.

Guys blind devotion to the promiscuous Gilda makes him look weak and wimpish. He demeans himself as he accepts her bisexuality, immorality and lack of social consciousness. Graphic sex scenes include two couples cavorting in a bed, Gilda and Mia kissing passionately and fondling each other in public, and several passionate sex scenes with Guy and Gilda. When Mia is physically abused by a sadistic lover, Gilda entices him into a sexual encounter and proceeds to brutally whip and beat him in a sadomasochistic scene. Gildas lack of self-esteem becomes a valuable tool as she prostitutes herself to save Guys life when he is targeted by the Germans. Battlefield violence, Gilda beating Mias lover, and explosions are moderately graphic, but one scene of Gilda being forced to kiss the bloody corpse of a German soldier is particularly graphic, horrific and offensive. A few obscenities and a scene of moderate nudity add to Previews strong disapproval of Head in the Clouds.

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Sony Classics]

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Several times moderate (woman referred to as whore)

Obscene Language: Few times strong (f-word , s-word)

Profanity: Once moderate (thank G)

Violence: Several times moderate (battlefield killings, explosions, truck ambushed); strong (woman whips man tied to bedpost, woman killed when head held under water, woman splattered by blood and forced to kiss bloody corpse)

Sex: Many times mild (implied twice with couple under covers on floor and couple in bed together, group sex implied by two couples in bed); moderate (sounds of sex, couple on floor with graphic motions, woman has encounters with numerous lovers, man shown to have sexual encounters with two different women, sadomasochism); strong (unconventional sex without nudity, bathtub scene with breast nudity)

Nudity: Few times moderate (full female breast nudity in sex scene, photos of bare breasts, mans buttocks in sex scene)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Few times moderate (reference to mans arousal, crude remarks about womans promiscuity)

Drugs: Few times mild (frequent social drinking); moderate (students get drunk, woman in drunken stupor)

Other: Decadent lifestyle glamorized, woman uses sex to collect information from enemy, woman seeks revenge for friends abuse, womans heroism misunderstood, a crude episode of urination

Running Time: 140 minutes
Intended Audience: Adults

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