I am an avid filmgoer, seeing almost every mainstream film released and I am open-minded to artistic licence in films. I have seen shocking scenes in films with 18 certificates, that have not appealed to me, but I accept they are classified as adult films, so I am not overly sensitive.
Having spent most of my life watching films from the age of 3 or 4, I have over 50 years experience of watching films and consistently, over time, I have noticed that more and more inappropriate adult content has been allowed into, not only 15 rated films but also12a rated films, which coincides with the pornification and sexualisation of children, increased violence in children, mysogynist attitudes towards girls and the use of foul language aimed at humiliating and degrading girls.
When parents take their children to see films they do so with the understanding that the film rating has been given with considerable consideration for the impact on the mental and sexual well-being of their children. Equally when older children go to see a 15 rated film, their parents should not need to be concerned about the content or indeed if they accompany their children should not be made to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by the content. Going to the cinema is a legitimate pursuit that young people don't have to hide from their parents, so the messages they get from these films are viewed as legitimate and acceptable by them. If they are subjected to continued repetition of mysogynist attitudes, graphic violence, explicit sex references, torture, explicit nudity and swearwords then it all becomes normal and acceptable.
The film which has triggered my action is the current Danny Boyle film, Trance (15) which oversteps the boundary of suitability for a 15 rated film in a number of ways, but specifically in the brazen use of full frontal nudity of a type usually found in pornographic films. I believe that this is a test case to attempt by the BBFC and film Directors to introduce much harder adult sexual content into a 15 rated film and if it goes by unchallenged will open the floodgates to much stronger pornography and sexual violence allowed to be shown to children. The fact that Danny Boyle is the Director means that most people will feel intimidated in challenging the rating, much as people were intimidated into not challenging Jimmy Saville.
Both scenes are of a sexual nature and meant to excite. Usually such explicit shots would be used in pornographic films and magazines, both requiring the viewer to be 18 or over. With all of my film-going experience I cannot recall any 15 certificate film which has this level of explicit nudity in close-up and my instinct tells me that this is the start of the BBFC allowing more of the same. I can safely predict that if this goes unchalllenged nearly every 15 certificate film thereafter will contain gratuitous full frontal nudity of the same type.
I have carried out my own thorough research into public opinion on the nude scene in Trance and have read hundreds of film reviews from around the world, read all interviews with the Director of the film and the leading actress and actor and without exception they are of the opinion that this is a "very adult" film. In Ireland Trance is rated 16. In USA, Australia and New Zealand is is rated R17 which means no-one 17 or under can be admitted without a guardian/adult.
I urge anyone concerned with the welfare of children and young people to contact their MP as I have done, regarding the classification of this film at 15 and asking for an investigation into how this could be allowed.
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Close-up shaven vagina in film Trance rated 15
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visceralview · 16/04/2013 21:06
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