The first film to be banned by the new Irish film censor, Mr John Kelleher, has been passed without cuts by the Film Appeals Board. The film, Spun, follows disparate characters over three days of sex and drug-taking in Los Angeles, writes Michael Dwyer, Film Correspondent.
The cast features the young US actors Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo, Brittany Murphy, Mena Suvari and Patrick Fugit, along with veterans Mickey Rourke, Eric Roberts and Deborah Harry, the lead singer with Blondie.
The director of Spun is Jonas Akerlund, the Swedish filmmaker who made his mark with music videos featuring Madonna and Moby.
Mr Kelleher, who took up his appointment in April, confirmed yesterday he had rejected the film and that it had been passed without cuts and with an 18 certificate on the unanimous decision of the appeals board. He declined to comment on his reasons for banning the film.
Mr Ian George, managing director of the film's London-based distributors, Pathe Distribution, said yesterday: "We were told by the censor that he could not pass it originally because of the overall tone of the piece - sex and drugs - and not because of one or two particular scenes that we may have been able to trim with the approval of the filmmaker.
"We are thrilled by the appeals board's decision and plan to release the film on 20 prints in Ireland on November 21st."
When the film was released in the US in March, the New York Times film critic, Stephen Holden, said: "\ blends an attitude of titillated revulsion with a hip gallows humour.
"It invites you to regard the spectacular squalor of its characters' lives with a smirking condescension."
Spun was released in the US without a rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. For its US video release, it was given an R (restricted) rating for its "pervasive drug content, strong sexuality, language and some violence".