Nordling here.
It was bound to happen, considering the film's subject matter, but the MPAA has ruled on the matter - Steve McQueen's explicit sexual dysfunction drama SHAME, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan has been rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America. Because we here in the United States can't seem to take a penis seriously - I personally point and giggle at mine every time I go to the bathroom, doesn't everyone? - this rating means that many theater exhibitors will flat out refuse to show the film, and many newspapers will not advertise it, which in this day and age may not be much of a detriment to SHAME anyway.
Personally, I think it's time we took back the NC-17 from the religious zealots who think that anything rated that must be filthy and pornographic. Sex is a major part of our lives (at least many of us) and it's just as much a valid topic of discussion and thematic material for a film as anything else. I love a good violent film as much as anyone else, but violence has been so hyperstylized at this point that it's practically pornography itself, and most films never get called on it.
Surprisingly, Fox Searchlight is not running from the rating - they are going with it. It's not the first time Fox Searchlight has done this, either - they released Bernardo Bertolucci's THE DREAMERS with an NC-17 rating. I don't know the relation of Fox Searchlight in regards to the rest of the News Corp organization, but it's a brave thing they are doing with this film. Says Steve Gilula, one of the presidents of Fox Searchlight to Hollywood Reporter, "I think NC-17 is a badge of honor, not a scarlet letter. We believe it is time for the rating to become usable in a serious manner. The sheer talent of the actors and the vision of the filmmaker are extraordinary. It’s not a film that everyone will take easily, but it certainly breaks through the clutter and is distinctive and original."
Bravo for Fox Searchlight in doing this, and hopefully we'll get a decent release for SHAME in cinemas here in the States. At least let us grownups decide what subject matter is suitable for seeing for ourselves, instead of making it near impossible for us to find it. Notice I didn't say "banning" as SHAME isn't banned in any way, shape, or form. But it would be nice to make the film more easily available for those of us with the desire to see it and decide for ourselves.
Nordling, out.
