*This article contains spoilers*
A NEW WARNING has been added to prints for A Star Is Born in New Zealand following recommendations from mental health organisations.
According to The Guardian, David Shanks, who is the head of the New Zealand film classification board, has called for an updated version of the prints after complaints were filed by viewers and the Mental Health Foundation over the scene depicting Jackson Maine’s suicide.
While Shanks and the Mental Health Foundation have praised the film’s handling of the topic, Shanks is cognisant of the impact the subject of suicide has on the general public in New Zealand, as it has the highest youth suicide rate in the developed world.
Commenting on the introduction of the additional warning, Shanks said:
Many people in New Zealand have been impacted by suicide. For those who have lost someone close to them, a warning gives them a chance to make an informed choice about watching.
The Office of Film & Literature Classification had not rated the film for its New Zealand release, so it automatically received the same rating as Australia which was ‘M’.
An ‘M’ rating declares that the film is ‘unrestricted, suitable for 16 years and over’ and makes reference to ‘sex scenes, offensive language and drug use’.
However, following the aforementioned complaints, the words ‘and suicide’ have been added to the descriptor.
