Sundance breakout film “Passages” has received a Nc-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association, which writer-director Ira Sachs has called a form of “cultural censorship” in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Distributor Mubi has confirmed to IndieWire that it will release the film unrated in NY and LA theaters on August 4 as intended, with a wider rollout to follow.The Times first reported that “Passages” obtained the rare MPA classification, which could limit how many theaters “Passages” can play in.The film follows queer director Tomas (Franz Rogowski), who begins a love affair with a young schoolteacher, Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos) outside of his marriage to Martin (Ben Whishaw).
The film has numerous sex scenes, including a frank extended sequence involving Tomas and Martin filmed in one take.Sachs said he never considered editing the film to obtain an R rating, and that the decision to reject the Nc-17 was unanimous with Mubi.
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