The important thing is that he wasn't smoking
Funny how priorities are set nowadays. On the one hand, a film with explicit depictions of child sex and rape is praised as art, with an extra showing scheduled by the Toronto International Film Festival. This despite the fact that people have been arrested for having cartoon depictions of underage sex in their possession. But while a lot of latitude is given to the depiction of child sex, Ontario will not tolerate the sight of anyone smoking.
I mean really, we have draw the line somewhere.
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.
"Nothing is Private" counts as art because it covers all the bases:- 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.
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Comments
I think Alan Ball is a closet pedophile. It seems his latest movie is just the "next step" from American Beauty.
Shades of Roman Polanski anyone?
The funny thing to me is that the people who praise this as "art" are people who would describe themselves as "progressive" and use the word "conservative" as a prejorative.
Posted by: Reid at September 11, 2007 02:45 PM
I read this last night and could not respond. I am having the same problem today. How can anyone 'create' a 'movie' like this, or 'act' in a 'movie' like this and live with themselves?
We constantly read and hear how movies and video games are making our kids act in a violent manner, and yet applaud a movie like this that portrays violence and abuse to a child. And the 'elite' attending this 'film festival' demand more airings of said 'movie'.
The angst of our politicians regarding possible smoking at the festival is laughable. Child rape good, smoking bad? Makes one ask where the morals and ethics of our politicians are.
I do not believe in censorship, but this film is clearly promoting an act that is against the law, even in Canada. Where are the law makers on this issue? I guess they only cared if the pedophile smoked after sex with a child?
Another example of politicians and the elite having different values than Canadians? Or another attempt to make pedophelia an accepted action in Canada?
Posted by: George at September 12, 2007 06:18 AM
...like the bumper-stickers read..."Welcome to Ontario, where you can MARRY a fag, but you can't SMOKE one"....
Posted by: Feldwebel Wolfenstool at September 12, 2007 08:13 AM
Don't take that review from FOX seriously: Roger Friedman never even saw the film, he made up the review based on second-hand descriptions of outlines or something. The facts? His review refers to incidents which never occured (sodomy) and characterizes people incorrectly - for just one example, he refers to the main character's father as "Iraqi" when he's actually Lebanese - and in fact, it's mentioned numerous times and central to one of the subplots that he is NOT Iraqi.
Maybe Friedman saw it but was half-asleep during it. He might have noticed the tremendous performances, particularly that of the lead, Summer Bishil, who's likely going to be the one to beat this Oscar season. The film itself has some flaws (I see some acting nominations but no Best Picture) - it gets a bit movie-of-the-week-y towards the end. But exploitative? Only someone with a knee-jerk reaction to anything which regards human sexuality would think so.
But Friedman's the sort to pan a movie without seeing it just because he finds the subject matter uncomfortable. It's like giving a bad review to "Deep Impact" because you're opposed to comets hitting the earth.
"A movie is not good because it arrives at conclusions you share, or bad because it does not. A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it: about the way it considers its subject matter, and about how its real subject may be quite different from the one it seems to provide." - Roger Ebert
Posted by: sanhedrin at September 12, 2007 11:57 AM
...like the bumper-stickers read..."Welcome to Ontario, where you can MARRY a fag, but you can't SMOKE one"....
Oh MY! (wiping computer screen)
I realize that that's not funny, certainly not politically correct, probably qualifies as hate speech and may even be fattening, but -
HAW HAW HAW HAW SNORT !
I guess on the 6th anniversary of the WTC attacks, coupled with the Toronto film festival (this year's theme: undermining the war effort and vilifying the troops) and being forced to listen to the CBC making the most of both concepts all day- I guess I'll allow myself a moment of non-PC levity.
Posted by: up north at September 12, 2007 12:02 PM
SANHDRIN: There's a huge difference between a comet hitting the earth and pornography. The former is devastating but you can't do anything about, the latter is devastaging, disgusting and a matter of choice.
Posted by: Louise at September 12, 2007 06:08 PM
"Welcome to Ontario, where you can MARRY a fag, but you can't SMOKE one"
...note to self - don't read such comments while drinking liquids.
Posted by: tomax7 at September 12, 2007 06:30 PM
"A movie is not good because it arrives at conclusions you share, or bad because it does not. A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it: about the way it considers its subject matter, and about how its real subject may be quite different from the one it seems to provide."
Are you sure that wasn't written by the same guy who said "No, a proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof, and when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven" ?
Regardless, the ArtsyFartsy set likes to "push the envelope" no matter what reprehensible useless rubbish is found therein.
Posted by: Gabby in QC at September 12, 2007 07:57 PM
TOMAX....Feld don't drink. That stuff is the shit poison your caring, concerned "government" sells to the idiots to fuck up on,just to help grease the taxman's wheels, and keep the paycheques flowing to the hospitals and criminal justice system. Go look at the picture of a baby's brain with FETAL ALCOHOL/BRIAN MULDOON SYNDROME....it's a very sad statement reflecting on HEALTH/WEATH CANADA to severely understate this #1 cause of people like you.....
Posted by: Feldwebel Wolfenstool at September 13, 2007 09:53 AM
What's really scary is that they can look at an individual's face, with F.A.S. and tell with 90% reliability the extent of the child's brainrot.
Posted by: Feldwebel Wolfenstool at September 13, 2007 09:55 AM
Abstract paintings
Angel painting
animal paintings
ballet paintings
beach painting
Boat painting
building painting
Children painting
Christ painting
church painting
City painting
Cottage painting
Dancer painting
field painting
Floral paintings
Garden painting
Hunting paintings
impressionist painting
Knight painting
Lady painting
Landscape painting
Lighthouse paintings
Music painting
Nude painting
Oriental paintings
Piano painting
Seascapes paintings
Still Life paintings
street painting
sunset painting
Tropical paintings
Venice paintings
Village painting
wine painting
Posted by: aswkin at July 17, 2008 03:08 AM
 
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