Angry in the Great White North

The review of the movie "Nothing is Private", being shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, is quite brutal:

The worst and most offensive movie I’ve seen in a while has just had three screenings at the kooky Toronto Film Festival.

"Nothing Is Private" is written and directed by Alan Ball, the man behind "Six Feet Under" and "American Beauty." But it’s caused outrage here for its graphic depiction of sexual, mental and physical child abuse that verges quite literally on kiddie porn.

The movie — so odious that many people have simply walked out during the screenings — shows actor Aaron Eckhart having sex with a 13-year-old girl played by a now 19-year-old actress, Summer Bishil. The actress only turned 19 recently, however, which means that she was just on the cusp of 18 when she made the movie last year.

Eckhart, best known for roles in "Erin Brockovich" and "Thank You for Smoking" inexplicably agreed to this part. His character initially takes the girl’s virginity by fondling her, in a very graphic scene that leaves nothing to the imagination.

Later, he sodomizes her. In between, his pedophilia is played in such a way that the first and only thought is that we’re watching kiddie porn.

I think that's enough detail.

Did you know that the Film Festival organizers had to add a showing? It was shown this past Sunday at the Art Gallery of Ontario. With the previously scheduled screening next Saturday at Ryerson, that'll be four screenings altogether.

• sexual perversion
• post 9-11 hysteria about Arabs
• soldiers are bad people

I'm figuring there are some digs against George W Bush in there too.

The importation of child pornography is, of course, illegal. A man was convicted in Edmonton for importing Japanese comic books that depicted underaged sex:

In what is believed to be a first in Canadian courts, an Edmonton man has been convicted of importing Japanese magazines containing cartoon child pornography.

Presumably no young people were harmed in the drawing of the cartoons. What Summer Bishil went through in making this movie seems to be ignored, unless it is to be praised by the Film Festival:

Young newcomer Bishil gives a courageous and disturbingly sexy central performance.

Why would you depict an act as courageous unless it entailed risk or even danger of some sort?

So Alan Ball gets kudos for his film that if found in some poor shlub's suitcase, would land him in court facing the sorts of charges that can ruin a person's life, even if the charges turn out to be groundless.

But what I find amusing is that while a double standard is being applied on this -- on the one hand, a man with cartoons is convicted, while another who causes these acts out to be portrayed explicitly on film is praised for his art -- the government is warning the Film Festival not to let its guard down against the greater evil: smoking!

The Toronto International Film Festival hopes visiting stars will butt out this year as it attempts to crack down on smoking for the September 6-15 edition.

Festival organizers are looking to avoid a repeat of last year when Sean Penn flouted Ontario's anti-smoking laws by puffing on a cigarette at a festival press conference promoting "All the King's Men" in full view of clicking photographers.

Ahead of this year's festival -- where Penn is returning to promote his latest movie, "Into the Wild" -- Ontario's Ministry of Health Promotion has sent a letter to Toronto organizers warning that no one, movie stars or otherwise, can light up.

"The SFOA (Smoke-Free Ontario Act) requires proprietors and employers to ensure the public is aware of the prohibition on smoking, post appropriate signage as prescribed by the legislation, and ensure no person smokes in prohibited areas," the letter to festival organizers read. "Noncompliance with these obligations could result in charges being laid."

Oh God! Smoking! Will someone save us from the sight of someone smoking! Perhaps if I hide out in the theatre during a showing of "Nothing is Private", I'll be safe from evil influences.

I can only assume no one smokes on camera in Alan Ball's movie. If they did, you can bet people would be upset that Summer Bishil was exposed to something bad.