The US ratings system works against mature films, such as Atom Egoyan's Where The Truth Lies
The US ratings system works against mature films, such as Atom Egoyan's Where The Truth Lies
It says something about the chronic infantilism of American culture that it has no idea how to deal with 'adult' cinema. By 'adult' I don't mean 'pornographic'. I mean 'adult' in the sense of 'grown-up'; i.e. aimed at people who do not have to check their school timetable to see if they can catch a new movie at the mall.
Take the case of Where The Truth Lies, a noir-ish erotic thriller from Canadian wunderkind Atom Egoyan, who previously gave us such dark gems as Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter.
Despite being Egoyan's most mainstream movie to date, Where The Truth Lies 'underperformed' at the US box-office after being slapped with a restrictive NC-17 rating which forbids access to minors. In the UK, where the film is rated 18, this is not a problem, since cinemas, audiences and (crucially) the press understand that it is perfectly right and proper for certain movies to be deemed 'adults only' fare. Yet in America, the NC-17 certificate carries with it the stench of smut, meaning that several leading newspapers, cinema chains, and ultimately video stores refuse to endorse or promote material bearing the brand.
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