nan | 楠木

This is a funny documentary on the MPAA ratings system in the US film industry. Essentially, the film is a series of arguments against the current system, and it does a good job of deconstructing the case for MPAA. However, it doesn’t provide any alternatives, and as a debating fan I would have liked to see more constructive arguments.

Anyhow, the arguments could be summarized as follows:

• The current system lacks transparency, i.e. the identity of the raters are kept secret, and the appeals process is also very shadowy
• The MPAA is basically a mechanism serving the interests of the big studios, and independent filmmakers get biased treatment
• The MPAA claims to be protecting children from harmful material, yet they do not have any child experts on their ratings board
• The MPAA finds sex to be more offensive than violence, and homosexual sex more offensive than heterosexual sex (and for that matter, female masturbation is more taboo than male masturbation, positions other than missionary more offensive etc.). In essence, the MPAA is imposing a set of morals and values on to the filmmakers

The documentary is funny in the sense that the director Kirby Dick actually hires private investigators to track down the identities of the raters, and a good part of the film is showing this process. He also sends his own film (a version of this documentary) to the MPAA, which of course provides more fodder. Ultimately, though, there isn’t anything especially insightful or original, and I finished it still waiting for answers.

6/10