What age is Cabrini appropriate for?

Cabrini is rated PG-13 and PopcornCheck recommends it for ages 12+, based on reading the actual screenplay. The film includes intense and disturbing content such as the discovery of a dead frozen boy in an alley, a pump station explosion that kills workers including Enzo, a police officer striking Mother Cabrini during a festival raid, and repeated use of ethnic slurs like 'Dago,' 'Guinea,' 'Kike,' 'Mick,' and 'Polack.'

Does Cabrini have swearing or bad language?

Cabrini has Moderate language. Ethnic slurs are used repeatedly, including 'Dago' (x5), 'Dagos' (x3), 'Guinea' (x2), 'Guinea Pig' (x1), 'Kike' (x2), 'Mick' (x1), 'Polack' (x2), and 'monkeys' (x1), reflecting the discrimination immigrants faced.

Cabrini has Extreme violence. Paolo fires a gun at pimp Geno to protect Vittoria; the shot misses and Geno escapes unharmed.

Is Cabrini scary for children?

Cabrini has Extreme scary scenes. A night scene in Five Points warns children not to go outside at that hour or they could be killed, establishing a genuinely dangerous atmosphere.

Is Cabrini OK for Kids?

Name: Cabrini
Director: Alejandro Monteverde
Genre: History, Drama
Released: 2024
Duration: 142 min
Cast: Cristiana Dell'Anna, David Morse, Giancarlo Giannini, John Lithgow, Romana Maggiora Vergano

HistoryDrama

12+

PG-13⭐ IMDb 7.3 / 102024 · 2h 22m

Alejandro Monteverde● Script verified

See all movies for 12-year-olds

Where to Watch

United States

Stream

Rent

Search on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, PopcornCheck earns from qualifying purchases. Search results may include other editions; confirm the title, year and availability on Amazon.

Streaming data by JustWatch

What's In It

Based on the actual screenplay

🗡️Violence

Extreme▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Cartoon / Comedic

Action & Peril

Injuries & Death Shown

Graphic & Disturbing

Paolo fires a gun at pimp Geno to protect Vittoria; the shot misses and Geno escapes unharmed.
Geno strikes Vittoria across the face, leaving blood on her hands afterward.
A pump station explosion kills multiple workers, including Enzo, in a chaotic and intense sequence.
A police officer strikes Mother Cabrini during her arrest at the Italian festival raid.
An arson fire is deliberately set at the hospital construction site, endangering lives.
Backstory reveals Paolo's father died by suicide (gun referenced) and his mother died of typhus in a wheelbarrow — described but not graphically shown on screen.
A dead frozen boy is found in an alley covered only in newspapers, a somber and disturbing discovery rather than an action scene.
Overall tone is dramatic and consequence-driven rather than gratuitous; violence reflects real hardships of poverty and prejudice rather than stylized action.

💬Language

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mild Words

(damn, hell)

Moderate

(ass, b**ch)

Strong

(sh*t)

Extreme

(f**k)

Ethnic slurs are used repeatedly, including 'Dago' (x5), 'Dagos' (x3), 'Guinea' (x2), 'Guinea Pig' (x1), 'Kike' (x2), 'Mick' (x1), 'Polack' (x2), and 'monkeys' (x1), reflecting the discrimination immigrants faced.
Other language includes 'hell' (x4), 'da**' (x2 strong-context, x1 moderate-context), 'son of a b**ch' (x2), 'wh**e' (x1), and 'filthy' (x3).
No f-words or c-words are used; profanity is largely historical slurs and mild-to-moderate exclamations rather than modern crude language.
The slurs are presented in a critical context, showing the bigotry the characters endure rather than glorifying the language.

👻Scary Scenes

Extreme▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mildly Tense

Startling Moments

Genuinely Scary

Deeply Disturbing

A night scene in Five Points warns children not to go outside at that hour or they could be killed, establishing a genuinely dangerous atmosphere.
The pimp Geno threatens violence at the convent door while nuns barricade themselves inside, a tense standoff.
The discovery of a dead girl in the sewers is described as more disturbing than a dead frozen boy found earlier, with the line that rats have better living conditions than the children.
The pump station explosion is a chaotic, intense sequence with trapped and injured workers.
A police raid at the Italian festival leads to mass arrests and is depicted as frightening and chaotic.
Scary and tense moments are generally resolved through Mother Cabrini's intervention or community action rather than left unresolved.

💕Romance

Very Mild▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Crushes & Holding Hands

Kissing & Dating

Suggestive

Sexual Content

Dr. Murphy shows professional care and subtle mutual respect toward Mother Cabrini, described only as a 'crush' level of romantic undertone.
There is no kissing, dating, or physical romance depicted.
No sexual content or innuendo is present in the extracted material.

🍺Substances

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Mentioned in Passing

Shown Casually

Featured Prominently

Glorified or Abused

Whiskey is mentioned in passing as part of the Archbishop's backstory about his father.
Morphine and chloroform are requested as medical supplies following the explosion, shown in a medical, non-recreational context.
Typhus is mentioned as a cause of death (Paolo's mother), not a substance but a disease reference.
Mother Cabrini's tuberculosis and post-tubercular symptoms are a prominent throughline, with doctors predicting she has only 2-3 years to live; this is treated seriously and not glamorized.

⚡Stimulation

Moderate▼

Moments in the script, mildest → most intense

Gently Engaging

Exciting

Intense

Overwhelming

The pump station explosion sequence is chaotic and intense, with workers trapped and injured.
The police raid and mass arrests at the Italian festival are depicted as an intense, high-energy sequence.
Mother Cabrini's confrontation with the Mayor and her impassioned Senate speech (delivered despite being told to leave) are exciting, high-stakes sequences.
Sensory-sensitive children may find the explosion and raid sequences overwhelming due to their intensity and chaos.

Parents also checked

Cabrini — Heads Up for Parents

Despite being a faith-based biographical drama, parents should be aware of the frequent use of real historical ethnic slurs ('Dago,' 'Guinea,' 'Kike,' 'Mick,' 'Polack') and disturbing discoveries like the dead frozen boy in the alley and a dead girl found in the sewers, which are more unsettling than the film's overall inspirational tone might suggest.

About Cabrini

Cabrini is a biographical drama about Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, an Italian nun who travels to 1889 New York to help impoverished and discriminated-against Italian immigrant children in the slums of Five Points. The film follows her fight against poverty, prejudice, illness, and political resistance to build orphanages and a hospital, culminating in her becoming the first American saint. Its tone is dramatic and inspirational, but it depicts real hardship including violence, disease, and ethnic discrimination.

👨‍👧

Best watched together

Preteens and younger teens (roughly ages 10-13) will benefit from a parent present to help process the ethnic slurs, the pump station explosion deaths, and the backstory involving Paolo's father's suicide and his mother's death from typhus, all of which carry weight beyond typical family-film content.

Family Takeaways from Cabrini

What it gets right

✓The film honestly portrays the discrimination Italian immigrants faced through slurs and hostile treatment, while showing characters like Mother Cabrini actively working to dismantle it, as in her appeal to the Mayor based on shared immigrant experience.
✓It shows redemption and dignity for marginalized characters, such as Mother Cabrini's embrace of Vittoria and Vittoria's later choice to help find lost girls.

Cabrini Cultural & Values Guide

Cultural & Values Guide

Faith & Religion

●Christian themes

The film centers on Mother Cabrini's Catholic faith and divine mission, including a Vatican audience where the Pope grants permission for her overseas mission, and concludes with her canonization as the first American saint.

Cast:Cristiana Dell'AnnaDavid MorseGiancarlo GianniniJohn LithgowRomana Maggiora Vergano