Please Don't Feed the Children

After a viral outbreak wipes out most adults, a small group of orphans heads south hoping to carve out a safer life. They travel with limited food and fragile trust, led by a few kids who try to keep order while fear and hunger gnaw at them. Their plans derail when they encounter Clara, a woman who seems willing to help but who keeps secrets and exerts strict control. As the children test what rules they will follow, alliances shift and everyday survival decisions become moral tests. The film keeps the tension close to the characters, focusing on interpersonal fear and the hazards of misplaced dependence, while avoiding spoilers about how those tensions resolve.

Please Don't Feed the Children was released in 2025, directed by Destry Allyn Spielberg and created by Paul Bertino. Michelle Dockery stars as Clara, joined by Zoe Colletti, Regan Aliyah, Andrew Liner, and Dean Scott Vazquez in key roles.

The film has not amassed major industry awards or high-profile nominations so far. Reception at smaller genre festivals and horror circuits has been more visible than recognition from mainstream prize bodies, leaving its awards footprint modest at present.

Its unsettling title and premise generated online conversation about adult absence and the ethics of care when children run things. Clips and stills highlighting tense domestic control circulated on social media, and some viewers have used the movie as a talking point about power, vulnerability, and responsibility in post-collapse settings.

Critical response is mixed, reflected in a 6.489/10 average from 44 votes, with many critics and viewers praising strong performances and a menacing atmosphere while noting occasional pacing problems and uneven plotting. The movie leans into themes of survival ethics, leadership among young people, and how isolation can warp trust and authority, leaving audiences to argue over characters' choices long after the credits roll.