This Film Is Not Yet Rated

The documentary investigates the American film ratings system. Who assigns the ratings, by what measure, and why their names are secret. Unable to get answers from the organisation, the director hires a private investigator: the team watches the ratings board's building, follows number plates and identifies the members one by one. The film is not interested in a debate about censorship. It is interested in accountability: if you do not know who decided, there is nobody to appeal to. The pattern it shows is that sexuality is punished far more harshly than violence, and that independent productions get heavier ratings than the major studios. The form is investigative documentary: surveillance footage, film clips, animated diagrams and conversations with directors. John Waters, Kevin Smith, Darren Aronofsky, Mary Harron and Atom Egoyan are among them. Kirby Dick directed. The film's best joke happened to it: the organisation gave the documentary an NC-17, applying to it the very penalty it is about. It screened at Sundance in 2006 and had a limited release in September. Revealing the raters' identities brought a threat of legal action, which came to nothing. Who it is for: viewers curious about how the industry works and arguments about censorship. Who it is not for: anyone expecting impartiality. The film takes a side openly and gives the organisation's defence almost no room.