David Schwimmer has lost a bid to soften the rating for his latest directing effort, Trust. The film chronicles a 14-year old girl’s encounter with an online sexual predator and its aftermath for her and her family. The MPAA rated the film “R” for “disturbing material involving the rape of a teen, language, sexual content, and some violence.”
An appeal filed by distributor Millennium Entertainment fell on deaf ears at the Motion Picture Association of America's Classification and Rating Appeals Board, which on Wednesday upheld the original rating. Executive producer Avi Lerner had said in a statement that it was important for the film be seen by teenagers, especially as a cautionary tale. Schwimmer had said that he would not modify the film in order to receive a lesser rating. The film stars Clive Owen and Catherine Keener.
Schwimmer has commented:
"There is no nudity, no overt sexuality other that what needed to be implied for a scene in the hotel room where we learn that a rape took place…I think the scene was tastefully handled. The idea that Clive’s character should respond by shouting ‘Fiddlesticks’ is just not real…Let’s face it, kids have heard and seen it all. What I find frustrating is there are plenty of films that get PG-13 that are the so violent. There is a double standard. You can’t show nudity or hear the F-word, but you can show people being blown to bits and chopped up. Maybe a public forum will show that the ratings system needs to be updated to reflect the times. It is quite old."
Trust is scheduled for release on April 1, 2011.
