Not Approved

20 Weeks

A couple must decide on how to move forward when their baby is diagnosed with a serious health condition at the 20-week scan.
13
Negative Rating
12345
SexLanguageViolenceDrugsNudityOther
3
Positive Rating
12345
FaithIntegrity

Dove Review

Maya Closson (Anna Margaret Hollyman) is in love with Ronan Baines (Amir Arison), but when she learns she is pregnant, they soon face serious obstacles and decisions to be made that may be too much for their relationship. Through the story, the couple flips in their desires. At first, Maya considers terminating the pregnancy, while Ronan wants her to have the child. Ronan is brave and provides strength for Maya through his genuine commitment. Later, Maya has a change of heart and wants to keep the baby no matter what. But when the couple learns there is a potential birth defect, Ronan wants her to have an abortion. Maya sees the baby in the ultrasound and feels the unborn boy kick within her, and she becomes frustrated when she sees Ronan’s depressed attitude and fear. Their disagreements and arguments make for a difficult time and causes a fracture in the relationship.

Alas, we see Ronan lose his nerve; he goes from being brave to being a complete coward. In a sometimes baffling process, the film jumps back and forth amidst the couple’s journey from doctors’ offices to romantic moments to heated arguments.

20 Weeks is a slow, pondering look at evolving love. The performances and filmmaking are strong, but the story leaves us shaking our heads. In the best of ways, however, we witness the miraculous process of how pregnancy is not only a baby growing in a woman’s womb, but a woman’s (and hopefully her husband’s) great maturing inside her own heart.

In the first 30 seconds of the film, we see the couple having sex, and because of this, plus a bit of language, we aren’t able to award the Dove Approval. But the film makes perhaps the most important point of all—that few things in life are more powerful than the love between a woman and her child.

Dove Rating Details

0
Faith

None.

3
Integrity

None

4
Sex

An unwed couple have sex; passionate kissing is seen and heavy breathing is heard; man and woman remove shirt and blouse; woman, clothed, straddles man on couch; kissing several times; woman becomes pregnant; couple eventually weds.

3
Language

G/OMG-5; A**hole-2; A**-1; Sh*t/Holy Sh*t-3; Da*n-1; H*ll-1; S*rew you-1; Crap-2; Crappy-1; Sucks-2

0
Violence

None

2
Drugs

Drinking and smoking a cigarette in a few scenes; in one scene, a pregnant woman's mother encourages her to have a drink, saying a little wine or tequila would be fine and that people used to worry about drinking and smoking during pregnancy but she doesn't think it causes any harm.

2
Nudity

Shirtless man; woman seen in bra; woman seen in swimwear; cleavage; man seen in shorts

2
Other

Strong tension between a man and woman and they argue several times; a woman is heard vomiting; a discussion about the woman having an abortion, calling it "terminating" the pregnancy; the baby is diagnosed to have a birth defect and the couple deals with the pain of that.

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