Film Anarchy

I was raised to appreciate the art of film. My mother is a writer and director, my brother is an independent film maker, and I ended up marrying a cinematographer. The rest of us are critics, discussing film the way some discuss politics. The Oscars are our election day.

So when Jared and I stopped seeing R rated movies over four years ago, you can imagine that it was not a decision we made lightly. Some of the most beautiful cinematography we've ever seen was in R rated films. Invariably, the most thoughtful, moving, and sober scripts are penned as R. Almost every movie nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards is rated R. 

But we couldn't deny that there was always a reason for the rating. We were tired of the swearing and the scenes that made us uncomfortable or nauseated. We were weary of watching a film, loving it, and then not being able to wholeheartedly recommend it to others. We hated the fact that Hollywood discounted our complaints as prudish, self--righteous and old fashioned. They just saw the money we willingly forked out for a ticket, and continued to produce the same. Our actions spoke louder than words.

So we boycotted R rated films.

For a brief time, we rented edited movies from various rental sources before the studios sued them out of business. {They allow content to be edited out for television and airlines, why not families? This still perplexes me.} J even worked for one such company for a short time. Though I appreciated the service he rendered for the benefit of others, I hated knowing he was watching the worst parts of a movie over and over... It was a relief when he quit {not to mention the pay was terrible.}

Now there's ClearPlay. We haven't tried it yet, but it sounds like the perfect have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too device. Unfortunately, using it means renting R rated movies again {and lesser ratings that we wouldn't see in theaters due to filthy content}.  Which gives money to the studios. Which tells them that we approve of what they're doing. Which we don't. 

So I'm torn.

We have a friend who goes to the movies every weekend. He buys a ticket for a movie he considers worthy of his financial support, and continues to buy it week after week, no matter which film he actually sees. He refuses to spend money on a film until it has his seal of approval. He calls it Film Anarchy.  

If only we could all be Film Anarchists. Maybe then Hollywood would get the message.

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