The British Board of Film Classification have stunned the horror community by demanding cuts be made in order to pass British-made supernatural romance 'Soulmate' with an 18 certificate.
The feature debut of writer-director Axelle Carolyn (wife of popular British director Neil Marshall), 'Soulmate' stars Anna Walton as a grieving widow who seeks solace in a remote country cottage - but finds it occupied by a ghost (Tom Wisdom), with whom she gradually builds a friendship.
Having seen the film myself at last November's Abertoir Horror Festival in Aberystwyth, I can confirm that 'Soulmate' is every bit as inoffensive as it sounds. So it is absolutely bewildering to hear that the BBFC are demanding cuts be made.
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The source of the trouble, it seems, is the film's opening scene, in which Walton's distraught character attempts suicide by slitting her wrists in the bath; a fairly distressing sight, for sure, but hardly without precedent (for instance, I recall Bridget Fonda performing a similar scene in art film 'Aria,' passed uncut since 1987).
However, under BBFC guidelines this sequence has been deemed to constitute 'imitable behaviour' with the potential to cause harm - and subsequently they are demanding the sequence be re-edited before they will grant 'Soulmate' a certificate.
What makes this particularly shocking is, aside from a few moments of moderate violence, there is literally nothing else in the film to warrant the most restrictive UK rating: no sexual content, no drug use, and very little in the way of strong language.
Simply put, 'Soulmate' is a quiet, character-based drama set in the picturesque Welsh countryside which I'd have no qualms about sitting down to watch with my grandmother. For it to be effectively banned due to one brief and not especially graphic scene seems staggeringly illogical.
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Unsurprisingly, the writer-director is not best pleased about the BBFC's actions, having voiced her anger on Twitter:
BBFC has required 4 long sets of cuts for SOULMATE. Otherwise it's banned. Take that, splat pack: I made a video nasty without even trying.
- Axelle Carolyn (@AxelleCarolyn) June 4, 2014
- Axelle Carolyn (@AxelleCarolyn) June 4, 2014
The BBFC says, 'Imitable behavior, potential harm.' Basically my opening scene could cause a wave of suicides in the UK. #wtf
- Axelle Carolyn (@AxelleCarolyn) June 4, 2014
If SOULMATE was in any way the kind of film that seeks that kind of attention, I'd be flattered. But it's not. At all. #BBFC
- Axelle Carolyn (@AxelleCarolyn) June 4, 2014
Some perspective: none of Neil's horror/action movies ever had to get any cut. Yet my Gothic romance has. And this is to avoid being banned!
- Axelle Carolyn (@AxelleCarolyn) June 8, 2014
Still marveling at the fact that @eliroth's HOSTEL movies were passed uncut, yet my gothic romance needs 4 cuts to get an 18 in the UK.
When I saw 'Soulmate,' not for a moment did I think it would ever warrant being mentioned in the same breath as the likes of 'A Serbian Film' or 'The Human Centipede: Full Sequence.' Axelle Carolyn's film is by no means one of the great shockers of our time. It's milder than 'Twilight,' for crying out loud.
I might add that it is particularly saddening to see the British Board of Film Classification appearing to be unduly harsh on a British-made independent film. It should be emphasised that distributors must pay for the film to be certified, and will now have to pay again for a second assessment; and these are expenses which invariably take their toll on smaller labels.
Soda Pictures has 'Soulmate' lined up for DVD release on 21 July 2014. We can but hope the situation is resolved by then - preferably with the classifiers seeing sense.
What do you make of the BBFC's decision regarding 'Soulmate?' Let us know in the comments section below.
Ben Bussey is a freelance writer and comic book movie/horror/sci-fi fantasy enthusiast.
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