Shame Stamped With NC-17 Rating

Steve McQueen’s upcoming erotic drama Shame has generated a lot of attention due to its edgy content and sexually explicit scenes. Now the Motion Picture Association of America has slapped the film with an NC-17 rating, virtually ensuring that the already limited release will be even more limited.

Most films would appeal the rating or make edits to appease the MPAA, but McQueen and Fox Searchlight with do neither, which means that no one under the age of 17 will see the film.

“I think NC-17 is a badge of honor, not a scarlet letter. We believe it is time for the rating to become usable in a serious manner,” Searchlight president Steve Gilula told The Hollywood Reportor.

For those not familiar with the film, it stars Michael Fassbender as a man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex urges. Carey Mulligan plays his younger sister who moves in with him, which causes Fassbender’s life to spiral out of control.

Shame will receive a limited release on Dec. 2.

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