Faith-based film handed R-rating because of religious message?

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Faith-based film hit with R-rating

Director Jarod O'Flaherty sounds off

The filmmakers behind the faith-based flick “My Son” were shocked when their low-budget movie was handed an R-rating from the Motion Pictures Association of America. Now, the church behind the movie is charging that the MPAA handed out the strict rating because of the film’s religious message.

“First of all there’s no [bad] language in the film at all,” Jarod O’Flaherty, the movie’s director, told Fox News. “But when you compare the content that is this film to even the mildest PG-13 action movies that are out there, the content of our film comes in as much less graphic… So it raises some questions about what was it in this film that got us the R-rating?”

O’Flaherty said he’s convinced the rating had to do with the religious message the movie promotes.

“I don’t know that they set out to do something bad towards our little movie. I think it’s more of a reflection of how Hollywood views Jesus in general… I mean the evidence speaks for itself.”

He added that the church’s conversations with the MPAA about getting the rating changed have been unsuccessful.

“We had many talks with them about what we could change in the film,” he said. But a low budget has stopped the production team from making any major moves to appeal to the MPAA.

“My Son” is about a couple that loses custody of their child and ends up in a life-or-death situation trying to get him back.

The MPAA told Fox News the movie was handed the R-rating for "some violence and drug use."

“The rating board is comprised of parents who work to give films the rating they believe a majority of American parents would give.  Each rating is accompanied by a descriptor that offers parents more detail about why a film received a rating – in the case of 'My Son,' the R rating is for some violence and drug use. The rating is simply intended to inform parents of a film’s content so that they can make their own viewing decisions on behalf of their kids; it is never an indication of the quality of a film.”