Iza Calzado: X-rated ‘Bliss’ not meant to arouse viewers

Iza Calzado in Bliss. SCREENGRAB FROM CALZADO’S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT

Actress Iza Calzado and the people behind the psychological thriller “Bliss” would appeal the “X” rating given by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to their film for elements of nudity and violence.

The film, which premiered at the 2017 Osaka Asian Film Festival, gave Calzado the prestigious Yakushi Pearl Award for her performance earlier this month.

READ: Iza Calzado Gets Best Actress Nod at Osaka Asian Film Festival

In a statement released on Wednesday, the film producers said: “We understand and respect the decision of the MTRCB reviewing committee regarding the film Bliss. We are currently going through the process of submitting an appeal for a second review and hope for a more favorable result.”

“Bliss” was directed by Jerrold Tarog, who also behind the successful independent historical film “Heneral Luna.” In a post on social media, Tarrog shared a video of Calzado in a press conference, questioning why their film was given an “X” rating while a foreign movie with a very sexual theme was allowed to be shown in the country.

READ: Paghuhubo’t hubad ni Iza Calzado sa pelikula pinag-usapan sa Japan

“There is nudity, there is violence, there is blood, there is cursing, there’s all of that. It does have that. However, I also have a few questions. How come a foreign film is allowed to be shown here with perhaps not the exact same components—Fifty Shades of Grey? Why was it shown here? It tackles only love and SNM. Our film, I believe, tackles more than that. It tackles abuse in the society. It is supposed to wake you up in the cycle of abuse that people go through in their lives,” Calzado said.

“These images that we will show you, they are not intended to arouse you. They are intended to disturb you, and then question things. It’s supposed to make you think. Does it not even merit an R-18? I’m clearly open to dialogue and discussion. Perhaps we can meet in the middle, somewhere there,” she added. YG/IDL