It has been a decade since the release of “Blue Is the Warmest Colour,” and unfortunately, the film industry still holds a queerphobic bias. Director Ira Sachs’ new film, “Passages,” also faces the stigma of an NC-17 rating due to its sex scenes. Sachs has spoken out against this problem, refusing to alter his movie to conform to Motion Picture Association guidelines. Despite this, “Passages” will be released unrated on August 4th. Sachs prioritizes the integrity of his film, emphasizing that the sex scenes are essential to the narrative and not merely for shock value.
The MPA’s reaction to the sex scenes in “Passages” is just the latest example of its attempts to limit the portrayal of queer experiences on screen. Sachs, who is queer himself, expressed his frustration with this form of censorship and its impact on normalizing queer sexuality. This practice of attaching an NC-17 rating to queer films is not new. Previous films such as “Blue Is the Warmest Colour,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” and “Bad Education” also faced this issue.
Hollywood’s puritanism when it comes to adult content in film is well-documented, but it is especially devastating for independent and international films like “Passages” that already face marketing challenges and struggle to find an audience. The paradox of media celebrating queer culture while simultaneously limiting its portrayal in film is evident.
Films have been given NC-17 ratings for scenes depicting female pleasure, queer relationships, and basic adult human behavior, while heteronormative films with similar content have managed to secure R ratings by making edits. The vague reasoning behind these ratings raises questions about the consistency and fairness of the system.
Thirty years after director Pedro Almodóvar criticized American culture for its rigid and prudish standards, little has changed. The movie rating system remains ambiguous and in need of reform. We are still left in the dark about the criteria used to assign ratings, as shown by the fact that even the documentary “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” received an NC-17 rating.
In conclusion, the overarching issue of the film industry’s queerphobic rating practices persists, hindering the progress of queer representation on screen. It is time for Hollywood to truly live up to its progressive image and embrace diverse narratives without stigmatizing them with restrictive ratings.
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