Brave the Dark
Seen it?2025 | 110 min | Drama
Saturday Specialearly ratingWhy it’s a Saturday Special
Audiences rate it highly (8.0 out of 10) and it made about 23 times its budget, despite little lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who loves a strong drama. If you loved Lean On Me or Beautiful Boy, start here.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 50 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG-13. Probably too much for younger kids.
When Mr. Deen discovers one of his students has been living out of his car and thrown into jail, he decides to bail him out. Determined to curb Nate’s self-destructive behavior, Deen quickly discovers a host of dark secrets slowly tearing Nate apart. What began as a good deed becomes a desperate fight to save Nate from his own demons. As Nate spirals deeper into despair, Deen must decide how far he’s willing to go to save a kid on the brink of losing everything—even himself.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsSolid
74% on Rotten Tomatoes, 56 on Metacritic
- AudiencesStrong
8.0 out of 10 from opening-week audiences
- AwardsBelow par
2 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$5 million worldwide on a $200K budget
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 91K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
Lean On Me Saturday SpecialAnother true-story drama, and a Saturday Special.
Beautiful Boy Saturday SpecialAnother true-story drama, and a Saturday Special.
Freedom Writers Saturday SpecialAnother true-story drama, and a Saturday Special.
I'm Not Ashamed
Weeknight WatchAnother true-story drama, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Saturday SpecialAnother drama, and a Saturday Special.
Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks
Cast & crew
Directed by Damian Harris
- Jared HarrisStan Deen
- Nicholas HamiltonNathan Williams
- Jamie HarrisBarney
- Sasha BhasinTina Baxter
- Will PriceJohnny Alecco
- Kimberly S. FairbanksDeborah May
- Tobias SegalNate's Father
- Martin JarvisHenry V (voice)
- Brandon MilesBarnaby
- Johnathan DavisOfficer Smits