Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

Name: Seven Years in Tibet
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Released: 1997-09-12
Duration: 2 h 16 min
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jamyang Jamtsho Wangchuk, David Thewlis, BD Wong, Mako

Film · 2h 16m · Rated PG-13

Adventure, Drama

An arrogant mountaineer escapes a prisoner-of-war camp, finding unexpected transformation through a young Dalai Lama.

Epic and earnest. A comfort watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy. Based on a book.

Streaming on Netflix.

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Seven Years in Tibet parents guide

No surprises for a PG-13: no sex or nudity and mild language.

Rated PG-13, but by what is on screen our estimate is fine from about 7.

Scare: Not scary
Jump scares: None noted
Gore: No gore
Violence: Some violence; Some fighting or peril.
Sex and nudity: None noted
Language: Mild; Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

What is Seven Years in Tibet about?

Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Lhasa, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.