Good Lifestyle

While it definitely happens, it's pretty unusual to hear about a major star appearing in a movie with a rating above an R. But Knives OutaktorAna de Armas'turn as Marilyn Monroein the upcoming Netflix film Pirangwill be a strictly adults-only affair. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) slapped Pirangwith an NC-17 rating, making it the first Netflix original film to have that distinction. Fans won't find out exactly why the Monroe biopic earned the rating until Pirangis released later this year. (Netflix hasn't announced an exact premiere date just yet.) But, in a new interview, the film's director Andrew Dominikhinted at what he thinks the reason might be—and promised that his movie will "offend everyone." Read on to find out what else he said.

Baca ini selanjutnya:Marilyn Monroe Doc Has "Irrefutable Evidence" of This Secret, Director Says.

Ana de Armas wasn't the first star to be considered for the lead role in Pirang. It was first announced in 2010 thatNaomi Watts would play Monroe; later, it was reported that the part belonged to Jessica Chastain. De Armas was cast in 2019.

"It was the most intense work I've ever done as an actress," de Armas told Hiburan mingguan. "It took me a year to prepare for that—research and accent and everything you can imagine." She added, however, that the work was worth it. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever done," she said. "Can't wait for it to come out. It's a very special film, and Andrew's a genius. He's one of the best filmmakers I've ever worked with."

Pirangis an adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oatesnovel of the same name and is a fictionalized retelling of Monroe's life.

PerThe Hollywood Reporter, Pirangwas labeled with an NC-17 rating in late March. The MPAA decision didn't go into detail, only noting that the rating was necessary due to "some sexual content."

In a February 2022 interview with Screen Daily, director Dominik was anticipating the adults-only rating. He called the decision "a bunch of [expletive]" and said it was the result of "the ratings board being political" over Monroe as the subject. "If I look at an episode of [HBO drama]Euphoria, it's far more graphic than anything going on in Pirang," dia menambahkan.

In the same Screen Daily interview, the director laughed off rumors that Netflix objected to one graphic and unprecedented sex scene, calling the claim "hilarious." He did confirm, however, that Pirangdoes include a rape scene that's also in the novel—and that he had to negotiate with Netflix about how far it could go.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"It's controversial, there's a bit for them to swallow," Dominik said. "It's a demanding movie—it is what it is, it says what it says. And if the audience doesn't like it, that's the [expletive] audience's problem. It's not running for public office."

Speaking to Vulture this month, Dominik said he hadn't set out to make an NC-17 movie. "I thought we'd colored inside the lines," he said of the rating. "But I think if you've got a bunch of men and women in a boardroom talking about sexual behavior, maybe the men are going to be worried about what the women think. It's just a weird time. It's not like depictions of happy sexuality. It's depictions of situations that are ambiguous. And Americans are really strange when it comes to sexual behavior, don't you think? I don't know why."

But he has no regrets about the way the film tells Monroe's story. "On the one hand, I think if I'm given the choice, I'd rather go and see the NC-17 version of the Marilyn Monroe story," he added. "Because we know that her life was on the edge, clearly, from the way it ended. Do you want to see the warts-and-all version or do you want to see that sanitized version?"

For more movie news sent right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

By all accounts so far, Pirangisn't a movie meant to make an audience feel comfortable. In an April interview with Collider, in fact, Dominik described it as "a tragedy" and "a nightmare."

"Pirang is a movie for all the unloved children of the world," the director said. "It's like Citizen Kane danRaging Bull had a baby daughter."

Dalam percakapannya dengan Vulture, Dominik mencatat bahwa filmnya mungkin telah diterima secara berbeda jika ditayangkan sekitar munculnya gerakan #MeToo.

"Kami sedang dalam waktu sekarang, saya pikir, di mana orang benar -benar tidak yakin tentang di mana garis apa pun," katanya. "Ini adalah film yang pasti memiliki moralitas tentang hal itu. Tapi itu berenang di perairan yang sangat ambigu karena saya tidak berpikir itu akan sepotong dan kering seperti orang ingin melihatnya. Ada sesuatu di dalamnya untuk menyinggung semua orang."

Baca ini selanjutnya: Perselisihan paling dramatis dalam sejarah Hollywood .