"This Film is Not Yet Rated"

I was shocked when I watched Kirby Dick's documentary on the American film certificate system. You can see what he was trying to do with this film, to show people outside the film business how unfair and broken the system is. It's ironic then that it was this system in the end that stopped his film being seen by a wide audience.

I think what annoyed me the most was how these nameless people on the panel are somehow deemed to be the moral line for a nation of millions of people. I also think its ridiculous to have people with no specific professional training judging films on what effect they may have on an audience. Dick made a good point by suggesting that surely we should be listening to a child psychologist when it comes to deciding how a child could be effected by what they see on screen. He's is not saying anything against the panel, it is just their job, but if they are unable to give specific reasons for their decisions then they shouldn't be making the decisions in the first place.