Films

Who’s ultimately responsible for kids watching adult films, the parents or the cinemas?

LAST MARCH, INDONESIANS WERE EXCITED TO WELCOME HOME THE internationally acclaimed film “Serbuan Maut” (more widely known as “The Raid”). The film has garnered plenty of positive reviews from world-renowned film critics since it was first screened at the Toronto Film Festival last year and tells the tale of an Indonesian SWAT team trapped in an apartment by ruthless mafia types and merciless thugs. The film is packed full of brutally breathtaking martial arts scenes and has been rated R (adults only) by the Indonesian board of censorship.

As well as proving a surprise international hit, the film has also received plenty of positive feedback from the Indonesian public, judging by the money that the film earned at the country’s cinemas during its opening weekend. Despite the film’s adult content, however, many parents have insisted on bringing their kids with them to see “The Raid”. And although some decided to leave the theatre after only 15 minutes, many remained watching with their offspring until the end. What a shame.

Since the 1960s, plenty of studies have found that aggressive or violent movie scenes are not suitable for kids. The US-based Kaiser Family Foundation, for instance, undertook a study back in 2003 that revealed that nearly half of the parents surveyed stated that their children mimicked violent behaviour, similar to that portrayed on television or in popular films. Such aggressive acting out inevitably finds its way into the schoolyard, but who should ultimately be held responsible for this phenomenon?

We are not really sure whether Indonesian parents are unfamiliar with this movie or if they are simply ignorant. Without doubt though it is the parents who have the primary obligation to filter what their kids should or shouldn’t be watching, and in this hi-tech era in which smartphones rule the world, doing a quick bit of research about a given movie is just a few keystrokes away.

What about the cinemas? Are managements responsible for filtering their audiences? Well, some of them do do this in fact, or at least attempt to. When a crack JJK team was queuing for tickets for “The Raid” last month, we witnessed a member of staff warning a family with kids who were about to see the film. However, the reaction from the family was shocking. They simply ignored the warning and told said member of staff that it was their right to bring their kids to watch whatever film that they deemed fit. In their mind perhaps lies the notion that an adult film is one that involves nudity. Certainly violent films are seen as family entertainment in this country whereas the merest whiff of flesh can cause people to faint or explode with righteous indignation. In the final analysis though, business is business. Money comes first and studios will still let family groups watch films that are not really appropriate for children.

And so it all comes back to us parents. We should aim to be wiser when choosing films for our kids to enjoy, as nowadays even superhero films are punctuated by cruel and sadistic scenes. Don’t be fooled by colourful or amusing looking promotional posters and do your research before you head out for an afternoon at the cinema. Childhood is a precious thing after all.

Upcoming films you may wrongly think are kid friendly