Him

What’s it about?

Rising football quarterback Cam is invited to a week-long training camp by star player Isaiah. As the gruelling training pushes Cam to his limits, he soon realises that his invitation has a more sinister purpose.

The facts

• Directed by Justin Tipping
• Stars Tyriq Withers, Marlon Wayans, Julia Fox
• Produced by Jordan Peele
• English language
• Runtime: 96 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Bloody violence

The film contains violence with blood, injury detail and death. The strongest moments include:

• A character is thrown against a glass wall, leaving a bloody stain from the impact of their head, and bleeds to death.
• A character is beheaded off-camera, and their severed head is displayed on a plinth.
• A character’s head is bashed in with both fists and a football helmet. Blood spray is shown as a result.
• A character’s arm is twisted until the bone breaks, which is emphasised by sound effects.
• A character kills multiple people by striking them with an axe, stabbing them in the neck, driving a sword through a torso, spearing through the temple, and beheading. All are shown with lots of blood detail.

Cruelty and content that may disturb

Characters are forced to engage in violence to achieve success in American football. This includes harming themselves and others.

Characters are injected in several scenes, with flashes of his bones and organs reacting. In one instance, needles are shown piercing and being pulled from a man’s flesh, and he winces in pain while crawling and injecting himself. He also undergoes blood transfusions, sits in ice baths, vomits goo, and is seen tanning a hide with animal skulls around him.

Offensive language

This film contains frequent use of offensive language including “f**k”, “motherf**er”, “motherf**king”, “sh*t”, “p*ssy”, “balls”, “b*tch”, “damn”, and “ass.” It is mostly used aggressively as insults and to threaten. The N-word is used casually between characters.

Suicide themes

A character stabs themselves in the neck before they can be killed by someone else. This is brief and, while it does not depict suicidal ideation, it may shock some viewers.

Sexual themes

There is some sexual humour including gestures and sounds mimicking fellatio, plus visual and verbal references to masturbation. Vibrators are shown and characters make jokes about their use.

Youth Advisory Panel comments

A member of our Youth Advisory Panel co-viewed Him with office staff. They thought that violence was the most impactful element and noted a consistent feeling of threat and a high level of offensive language throughout the film. They added that the film’s association with Jordan Peele could attract audiences and thought it more suitable for viewers aged 16 and over

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?