Dennis Hood, a Family First MP from South Australia said that he believes the Hollywood film, which was written and directed by Vincent Gallo and co-stars Chloe Sevigny, to be X-rated.
The scene to which Hood objects shows Sevigny performing oral sex on Gallo. Unlike other Hollywood films that may allude to a sex act, “Brown Bunny” is noted for depicting the actual act.
“If that's not pornography, then what is?” Hood asked. “Any depiction of actual sex is clearly X-rated.”
At present, the film, which did not get a theatrical release in Australia, has an R-rating. Popular video chains such as Blockbuster and Video Ezy in South Australia carry the movie.
According to Katie Hull, a spokeswoman for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, which distributes the movie in Australia, the DVD has “done quite well as a rental title.”
While South Australia has the power to ban a movie, Hood stopped short of asking Attorney General Michael Atkinson to do so, opting instead for a review to determine reclassification.
In response to Hood’s request, Atkinson merely said that it was too late to review the classification of the film.
“This film was released in 2003 and was classified by the Classification Board last year and it is now not possible for its classification to be reviewed by the Classification Review Board,” Atkinson said.
