Parents' Guide to

Frybread Face and Me

By Jose Solis, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Gentle coming-of-age drama highlights Navajo culture.

Movie NR 2023 83 minutes
Frybread Face and Me Film Poster: 2 Indigenous children look in opposite directions

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Frybread Face and Me scene 1: Indigenous woman and child sit on steps
  • Frybread Face and Me scene 1: Indigenous girls stand outside
  • Frybread Face and Me scene 3: Indigenous kids play on swings

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Ninasmomma
Ninasmomma Parent
April 6, 2024
age 10+

Unexpected gem of a movie 4.5 stars

An endearing movie that kids with a bit better attention span and interest in storytelling / relationships may enjoy. My husband and I really loved it. Really like 4.5 stars. Agree with the other reviewer that privileged kids should see more movies about lives of people who are more representative of the US and global population. My husband didn’t plan to watch with us but went from standing to sitting to visibly tearing up by the end. 10yo loved it too.
TheGables
TheGables Parent of 11 and 13-year-old
January 19, 2024
age 10+

The common sense reviewer missed some things!

Most of the family was pleased by this movie. While I think it was OK content-wise for the 10- year-olds I know, our 11yo wasn't into it because the style is a little slow, focusing on the drama in the family of characters. My family thought there was more the reviewer should have noted in this post. Under "language" they could have said that s--- is repeated around 5 times, and there's one use of a homophobic slur. Under violence/ scariness, the "family quarrel" that was mentioned includes an adult grabbing a child pretty roughly and one character jabbing a spoon into another painfully. In another scene an animal is shown after apparently being hit by a vehicle. It's inaccurate to say there is no nudity. The rating given by Netflix is TV-MA *for nudity*. It's only a split- second shot of a page in a magazine showing a nude model. But it's there! Some families may want to know that there is a little talk about sex, for example characters referring to "tubes being tied." Mom and dad loved this, 13yo was interested and asked lots of questions about the 90s references (that's when it takes place) but our 11yo, at least tonight, wanted something more exciting.
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What's the Story?

In FRYBREAD FACE AND ME, Benny's (Keir Tallman) summer is ruined when he's told he won't be going to the Fleetwood Mac concert he's been dying to attend. Instead, he'll have to spend time with his grandmother (Sarah H. Natani) at the Navajo reservation in Arizona where she lives. Leaving the excitement of San Diego for the quiet of his ancestors' land leaves Benny hopeless until his cousin Frybread Face (Charley Hogan) arrives to shake up his worldview.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (1 ):

A city kid being forced to spend time in the quiet of the country, where they learn invaluable lessons, is a tale as old as stories themselves. But what director Billy Luther does in Frybread Face and Me goes beyond the apparent "city mouse" tropes to turn into something fresh and quietly moving. Set in a Navajo reservation, the film, inspired by the director's upbringing, shows rather than showcases a culture that hasn't been represented enough in the movies.

When Benny is sent away from San Diego to the reservation in Arizona where his grandmother lives, we are immersed into a world where exoticization can't happen, because there are no gazes that can impose their values. Instead, we get to share intimate moments in which we see Navajo women raise each other up and where masculinity is approached more gently. The film might defy the patience of younger viewers accustomed to quicker-paced storytelling, but each scene in Frybread Face and Me feels intimate, and very much like a blessing to witness.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Benny's reluctance to connect with the culture of his Navajo ancestors. What are some traditions your family practices that you think are old-fashioned? What makes you feel this way?

  • How does the film portray women? How does it depict Navajo culture?

  • Benny is upset because he misses a concert he wanted to attend, but by the end of the film he has learned things that change his way of seeing the world. What are some of the lessons he learns?

  • What character strengths does Grandma Lorraine embody?

Movie Details

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