Red Sparrow has been revealed as the most complained-about film of 2018.
As the Independent reports, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence’s movie received a total of 64 complaints last year, from people who claimed it was too violent for its 15 rating.
The movie follows Lawrence’s ballerina Dominika Egorova, who is forced to enrol at a Russian intelligence service ‘Sparrow School’ after suffering an injury, learning to use her body to gather information during the height of the cold war.
Despite the complaints, the BBFC revealed that they had urged the filmmakers to cut one scene featuring “strong sadistic and sexual violence,” and they had done so before the release of the film.
The second most complained-about film of the year was perhaps more surprising, being children's animation Peter Rabbit, which received a total of 50 complaints. Some viewers raised issues with one particular scene, in which the rabbits throw blackberries at farmer Tom McGregor, who they know is allergic to them. He is then forced to use his EpiPen after one lands in his mouth.
The BBFC released a report denying the scene advocated bullying, saying: “The scene in question … [is] part of an ongoing battle between the rabbits and the owner of a vegetable garden.
“The pelting with fruit is simply one of the ploys the rabbits use in order to overcome their nemesis in response to his attempts to trap them, electrocute them, drown them and blow them up.”
The BBFC also rejected complaints about the PG-certificate trailer for gay romance Love, Simon, after some viewers claimed the “depiction of gay relationships to be inappropriate at the PG level”. The BBFC stated that it applies guidelines “regardless of [the] sexual orientation” depicted in films.
