Sex film edict 'flawed'

The French sex and violence movie Baise-Moi was so objectionable a censorship review board was not acting within the law rating it R18, a High Court judge has been told.

In Wellington yesterday, the lawyer for the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards said the film broke new ground for frequently mixing graphic violence and sex.

Peter McKenzie, QC, said that as an R18 move, restricted to people aged 18 and over, it also broke new ground. It showed real sex acts and ended in an orgy of killing in a sex club.

A particularly vicious rape with an explicit scene of penetration was especially controversial, he said.

The society is appealing the R18 ruling the Film and Literature Board of Review board gave it. The hearing is expected to continue tomorrow.

The board gave a less stringent ruling than the Censor's Office, which would have restricted it to those 18 and over seeing it as part of legitimate film studies, or to film festival audiences.

Baise-Moi was to have screened at Beck's Incredible Film Fest in Wellington early last month, but was pulled from the festival by High Court order pending the appeal hearing.

Mr McKenzie said the board had to apply the law and decide whether the film was objectionable because it was likely to be injurious to the public good.

The board made a strong finding that Baise-Moi was objectionable, based on its sex, crime, cruelty and violence.

But, he said, instead of considering a remedy to that finding - such as banning it outright, ordering scenes cut, or imposing a higher age restriction - the board seemed to pass directly to the unconditional R18 ruling.

Mr McKenzie said the board's decision-making process was flawed.

The hearing continues.

- NZPA