Profile

Parents need to know that Profile is a fact-based thriller about a journalist named Amy (Valene Kane) who goes undercover as a potential bride for a radicalized terrorist. The whole film takes place on what appears to be Amy's computer; she uses Facebook, Skype, YouTube, and Google for her online communication and research, including learning more about Muslim culture. One of the film's main messages is that everyone is just a few clicks away from danger online. Clips of violent, ISIS propaganda-like videos are shown throughout the movie, with glimpses of hostages about to be beheaded, as well as heavy artillery, warfare, and children talking to the camera who appear to be hit in an explosion. The images create anxiety, but nothing bloody or gory happens on camera. Giant guns are toted, fired, and swung around like a fashion accessory. Amy's target/contact is attractive and charismatic, and their relationship seems to build authentically: It's meant to show how easily it could be to be sucked into radicalized communities, so make sure to talk with teens about which behaviors were actually recruitment techniques. Expect to see images of women in lingerie and hear/read discussions about "purity." Strong language includes "bulls--t" and "f--k," and Amy both smokes and drinks.