Time Still Turns the Pages

There are distressing scenes of physical and emotional abuse in which a young boy is repeatedly struck, berated and degraded by his parents. In another scene the boy witnesses his father striking and aggressively shouting at his mother. Scenes set at a high school show a teenager being beaten up by a gang of bullies.

There is infrequent use of strong language (‘f**k’), and also of milder terms (e.g. ‘bastard’, ‘bullshit’).

We hear brief sounds of off-screen sexual moaning as a couple watch an extract from a pornographic video. The couple are then shown having sex, in a moderate sequence featuring light thrusting detail and no visible nudity.

A teenager who is hard of hearing is bullied and mocked by his peers, who address him by the discriminatory nickname ‘Van Gogh’. In another scene an unsympathetic character refers to people who visit psychiatrists as ‘nutcases’. The film clearly criticises such attitudes and behaviour.

References to self-harm include brief sight of faded scars on a teenager’s arm.

There are references throughout the film to child suicide and suicidal ideation. A scene initially appears to show a young child taking their own life, but no acts of suicide or self-harm actually occur on screen. The film ultimately emphasises the importance of seeking help and support in times of distress.