The Jamaican Cinematic Experience: When PG-13 becomes T-16 or 'Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet Bway'.

The element in the Jamaican cinema where a PG-13 film becomes upgraded to T-16 just reinforces my belief that the Palace Amusement Co. is a highly moral enterprise. Highly moral while it’s crumbling materially.  This is even more shocking because the Palace Amusement Co. is not responsible for the production of these films which come primarily from the US, Europe and to a smaller extent, Asia and Africa. For the most part most of the films released globally are financed by American film companies. So let’s say these films are largely an American product. The American rating system developed by  the MPAA classifies these films accordingly and a PG-13 rating suggests, generally, that a film is very suggestive with some of its issues. It does not necessarily showcase, entirely,  certain materials which are considered more adult in nature but it is suggested because of the compromising element. So it is obvious that a man’s back is broken but it won’t be shown or that a character is cursing but does not say f***which would be the case in an R-Rated film. Instead of f*** the character says damn (in Jamaica damn is still considered a major bad/offensive word in a lot of quarters). Two characters are fighting but there is not much blood. In reality blood would probably be spewing or the situation is such that certain elements that should cause serious bodily harm to an individual do not do so because of evasive or defensive action or the serious bodily harm that does occur is off screen.    R stands for reality (although the MPAA says restricted) or showing things as they are with little compromise and most R-rated films are  no holds barred in terms of violence or as a reflection of day to day interactions among adults or even young people. I won’t be discussing the X 21 rating in Jamaica which is primarily for pornographic material  and which literally goes to the other Xtreme of a G rating. In America the equivalent is NC-17 or 17 and over. Jamaica raises this to 21 as if this is still 1950.

The PG-13 rating represents a middling ground (See my two posts on the subject Are we in the PG-13/middle of the road age for blockbusters? and  Follow up to PG-13 discussion with a particular look at Demolition Man (1993)) and most of the commercially successful films of recent years have been rated as such in order to reach most of the market. A significant portion of the market for these blockbusters is comprised of teenagers. I am focusing on the upgrade of the PG-13 element in the Jamaican cinema because it must eat into their earnings at a core level especially if you remove the 2 for 1 measure or that people have no choice when it comes to watching films  either in 3D or 2D. In Jamaica once a film has a 3D element the Palace Amusement Co. will not give you a choice and you have to watch the film in 3D. Another element that works in favour of Palace Amusement Co. is a major film release like Furious 7 or films by Marvel which are so popular that people will be  willing to pay to make up for the reduced market share that comes with the T-16 rating.

In any case the T-16 element is a highly moral element that is a distinct feature of the Jamaican cinematic experience. As a 13 or 14 year old you watch the trailers of The Avengers: Age of Ultron and you get excited because it’s rated PG-13 but when you go to the cinema on May 1 (this is assuming that it’s not sold out) and are told you’re too young because it’s T -16 it can be very disheartening. There is no explanation but the standard has been automatically raised because you are being protected from violence or elements that are no worse than what you see in an ordinary comic book. You are instead invited to watch some Pixar or DreamWorks animated film.  If this were a less popular film then Palace Amusement suffers because they cannot fill the seats especially when there is no 2 for 1. The T-16 rating is one of the elements that represent general stagnation in the Jamaican cinema and discourages, to some extent,  movie going for the youthful teenagers who deserve to be a part of major film events. Instead these events are reserved for young adults and up. The emphasis is on adult here and the T-16 rating corresponds to our high school system when most (or a fair amount) of the teens 16 and up are, or expected to be, in the 6^th form of high school and are considered on the transition path to adulthood. This theory of mine also helps to explain why R-rated films which are designated in America for 17 and up is pushed to 18 and up in the Jamaican cinema. 6^th form lasts two years or 3 in some cases. It is my theory for the rating system or why a film designated to be PG -13 is increased by 3 rating points in Jamaica yet there is not much of a gap between T-16 and A-18. It also helps when you understand that the age of consent for sexual relations in Jamaica is 16 years and this still fits into the concept of the young adult. This is just a theory but there is no official explanation provided by the Palace Amusement Co. about the reason for the rating. When you’re in the cinema and the time comes for the trailers in the coming attractions section the PG-13 rating is visible in some cases. When I say visible it follows the structure of trailer presentations in the US where the PG-13 rating appears at the end of the actual trailer feature in some cases. The presentation of the trailer having been approved by the MPAA is also visible which will suggest that there is some acceptance of the MPAA rating system.  Palace Amusement uses this same structure in many cases but does  bypass it in some cases but this would indicate some level of agreement with the rating of the MPAA. When the same  film arrives in at the Jamaican cinema then there is a T-16 rating with no explanation as to why. We are not even aware of the standard used by Palace Amusement and this is a sign of poor customer relations.

It seems like a highly moral measure because the rating system does not allow for much flexibility and this is clearly exemplified in the jump from PG-13 to T-16. The American system allows for flexibility and places the burden on the parent hence why parental guidance is required. If that is the case then the same should apply to Palace Amusement’s rating and the burden should be placed on the parent. The parent should decide if they feel that it’s acceptable for their children to consume a particular film. Palace Amusement has no description of their ratings on their website but they have taken it unto themselves to judge who is capable of being admitted. They have assumed the parental role in such an instance. If I take my son to a film and he is 13 along with his accompanying friends then I should be able to make the decision that I believe they can go and watch Furious 7 or The Avengers: Age of Ultron. So unless I am able to interview one of the top executives of Palace Amusement I must formulate my own theories. In reality, however, that should not have to be the case. The reason for the ratings must be clearly understood. It is too arbitrary and too often highly expectant teenagers are turned away because they are told they don’t fit the criteria. For instance why did Furious 7 receive a T-16 rating? There is no clear reason. It just appears on the ticket.

This rating element is a reflection of the wider Jamaican society where the high principles or ideals of Jamaicans make progression difficult for the youth. There seems to be an unspoken and unwritten policy in Jamaica to place a heavy burden on success. These high ideals or principles isolate more than they encourage growth. These high ideals and principles are more a reflection of great poverty and destitution. In Jamaica the older you are the more success you’re guaranteed. An up and coming youth is always told ‘Yuh nuh ready fi dis yet bway’ or ‘You’re not ready for this boy’. The burden of success is so high in Jamaica that if you’re not connected to a successful traditional enterprise you must possess almost miraculous talents, like Usain Bolt,  to truly succeed and become a professional in your field or become tied into some illegal enterprise. The material elements always undermine the high ideals or principles of Jamaicans because it isolates more than it encourages. If idealism was an indicator of economic prosperity then Jamaica would be one of the richest countries in the world. In reality however this idealism is more a reflection of dire poverty and a stubborn desire to stick to old colonial traditions. The days when imported movies were the exclusive property of the various cinema houses is now a fantasy. Illegal DVD sellers which are well supported and the internet have put to shame some of the policies Palace Amusement uses to maintain some level of dignity and a lofty moral standard. A lofty moral standard that follows a staple Jamaican business practice of buy cheap and sell dear across the board. A business practice that is encouraged as the economy is dominated by the wholesale and retail trade. Anyways, it is difficult to convince 13-15 year olds that they cannot watch some films at the cinema because they are not 16. Those with cable will be able to watch the same film  at the designated PG-13 rating. It’s like telling a 13-15 year old from a harsh neighborhood who has seen and heard all manner of things that a designated PG-13 film is too mature for him or her.

I am not saying that there should not be standards but it should be up to the parent, hence the term parental guidance. When the standards are too high, PG-13 becomes T-16, then a large portion of the market is removed from the Palace Amusement Co that stays afloat through desperate measures such as 2 for 1 which is a sign of a perennial crisis. A perennial crisis because Palace Amusement only imports a select amount of films  and so the 2 for 1 works on a limited basis with little to choose from at some of its cinemas, particularly if there is not much hype behind some of the select films (More on this in my next commentary).  If the rating agency in the US designated this film to be PG-13 then why should it be challenged so vigorously especially when the reasons for using this alternative are not made clear? The PG-13 rating means that a film has reached a middle ground and so it allows for some flexibility for those teenagers aged 13-16 to view a particular film with the consent of their parents and so allow the film companies to increase market share by selling more tickets.

I just hope that Palace Amusement provides some justification for their ratings structure especially as they will definitely continue this arbitrary policy in the future. I welcome any suggestions regarding the rate hike.