True Detective: Night Country, season 4, episode 1

What’s it about?

The fourth season of HBO’s anthology show that follows a pair of detectives in Alaska, played by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, trying to solve a mysterious disappearance on the ice.

The facts

• Director/writer Issa López
• English language
• Runtime 60 minutes
• Stars Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, John Hawkes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was self-rated by Neon. You can find out more about self-rating by streaming providers here.

Content that may disturb

The series centres around a murder mystery, with clues being revealed as the series progresses. In the first episode we see a close-up of severed tongue, crime scene photos and discussion about a dead body that had suffered a violent assault.

The first episode also features a few disturbing scenes with animals: we see a herd of caribou running to their deaths by jumping off a cliff, and we see a dead animal hung up and being gutted by a hunter.

There is discussion about a young woman being in serious trouble because she made a sex video with her underage girlfriend. The video isn’t shown.

A shaken and upset driver stumbles out of a crashed car and it is clear they were drunk driving.

Horror

The elements of surprise and mystery in the first episode appear to introduce spiritual or ghost-like elements. A character sees a figure in the snow, she follows him without speaking. We later find out that it was a person already dead.

In a flashback we see a soldier up close who has had half their head blown off. This detail is graphic but fleeting.

Sex

We see a couple make out and then we see the woman reaching into his pants. No close-ups are shown but it’s clear she’s stimulating him. They are interrupted by a phone call.

In another scene we see a man and woman clearly having sex. We see her riding him and there’s confusing power dynamics between them as she brings him to orgasm. The scene is dimly lit and although the sex is obvious we don’t see a lot of graphic detail.

Offensive language

There is really strong language throughout the episode as swearing is used in casual conversation, as insults and as even stronger verbal abuse. Words such as “f*cker”, “ars*hole” “f*cking” “f*cking b*tch p*g”, “sh*t”, “m*therf*cker” and “b*tch”

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?