Joshua Hurtado, 16/04/2007
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) are a strange bird. They have de facto ontrol over what Americans see in theaters in most cases, and the tool they wield to exercise this ability is the ratings board. Unlike the UK, films in America are not required to be rated or overseen by censors before they can be shown in theaters or on home video. The MPAA ratings baord is completely voluntary, however, over the couse of the last 39 years, it has made itself an indespensible force to which filmmakers must bow when attempting to get their films shown in wide release. Kirby Dick's documentary, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, explores some of the intricacies and odd behavior of this mysterious board. The board cloaks itself in anonymity, ostensibly to protect itself from outside influence, in reality, Dick opines, it is to protect itself from criticism and challenge. The board is no required to give pointers or explain exactly what makes their decisions, nor are there any hard and fast guidelines about what actions or visuals make a film rated R or NC-17, or whatever. It is this lack of rules that frustrates many an independent filmmaker. Especially compelling is Dick's side by side comparison of depictions of sexuality of gay themed and straight themed films. It was shocking to me how nearly identical action with genders swapped resulted in more restrictive ratings for films with homosexual themes and characters. Dick takes it upon himself to find out who this seemingly unaccountable team of raters are and whether or not they really represent the majority of Americans in the decisions they make, this search is played out in the background of the film with recurring pieces from Dick's adventured with a pair of private investigators using hidden cameras and binoculars to spy on the raters. Admittedly, this is the least interesting part of the documentary for me, though probably entertaining to most. While this does rank as one of the more interesting and original documentaries on the movie business, simply because it tackles a subject that hasn't really been covered in any great detail before on film, it does not rank with some of Dick's own past work. Those interested in Kirby Dick would do well to watch his masterpiece, Sick: The Life and Death of Supermasochist Bob Flanagan. It is a wonderfully human look at Bob Flanagan, a masochistic performance artist who also happened to be one of the longest living persons ever with Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that usually kills within the first 20 years of the sufferer's life. This Film Is Not Yet Rated is an entertaining look at an interesting subject, though it has more in common with a Micahel Moore styled expose than a hard documentary.
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