The Irish Film Classification Office (IFCO) received complaints last month about the portrayal of Irish people as “moronic” in the Oscar-nominated Banshees of Inisherin, which was described as “extremely offensive” by one correspondent.
There was also criticism about the accuracy of the accents portrayed by the inhabitants of the fictional island that features in the movie, as well as a claim that its reflection of Ireland in the 1920s was ‘wrong’.
One complainant questioned whether it was made clear from the outset that the film was a work of fiction rather than “a real outlook on the peoples of the islands off the cost (sic) of Ireland…?”
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In response to the complaint, acting director of IFCO George Sinclair noted that the grievances raised were not classification issues. However, he pointed out that the end credits of the film contained a statement confirming that its characters and events were fictitious.
“I found this film extremely offensive to the suffering of Irish victims of the Irish Civil War, and it portrayed Irish people on the island of Inisherin as moronic and uncaring about the Civil War at this time,” one cinemagoer wrote.
Meanwhile, IFCO also received as many as six complaints last month in relation to the new Tom Hanks blockbuster, A Man Called Otto, which was released in Ireland on January 6.
All of these referred to the detailed depiction of suicide attempts in a film that IFCO has rated 12A, meaning it is deemed suitable for children over 12 but can also be seen by younger children accompanied by an adult.
One complainant who had watched the movie with their 12-year-old and 13-year-old sons described four scenes relating to suicide as “very unacceptable”, and said the film would be “a big no” even for a 15-year-old.
“They are at a vulnerable age and have hormones everywhere and if they are having a hard time, this movie gives them lots of ideas,” they wrote.
Another correspondent said they found those scenes “particularly upsetting” because of their own experience of suicide in their family, but stated that they were writing in their professional capacity as a psychotherapist.
“I have concern about the scenes that show some methods of suicide in quite a lot of detail, which might provide risk for anybody who is vulnerable or having suicidal thoughts,” they wrote.
In response to a complaint regarding A Man Called Otto, Mr Sinclair noted that the film’s rating on the IFCO website mentioned mature themes including suicidal ideation as well as scenes of attempted suicide.
“Consideration was given to those scenes depicting the attempted suicide attempts of the main character but consideration was also given to the overall context of the character’s story through the film,” he said.
This included “many upbeat moments” as he dealt with his grief, Mr Sinclair added. He said he believed the film had been rated consistently with IFCO’s guidelines, but said he would take the complainant’s comments on board when making future classifications.
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