There is one sex scene that includes upper female frontal nudity; other less explicit scenes of teenage sexual activity; implied (but not clearly shown) incest and lesbianism; teenage pregnancy and talk of abortion; and a young female character's first menstruation with blood and bloodied clothing. A married character is maritally unfaithful and a sexual threesome is implied.

The father character is prone to acts of abuse and brutality, including physical abuse, implied incest and the firing of a rifle (including an accidental shooting which is treated in a darkly comic way). A character falls in what may be a suicide attempt, and the plot implies (but does not depict) infanticide.

There is a moderate amount of rough language (s*** & f***).

One alcoholic character is never shown sober; another character is frequently drinking to excess; other teenage characters are shown taking LSD and smoking marijuana; and several characters (adults and teenagers) smoke cigarettes throughout the film.

The scenes of paternal abuse are somewhat intense, as are the claustrophobic scenes which take place in an underground bomb shelter.