NOW IS GOOD

NOW IS GOOD is a drama about a teenager coming to terms with her terminal illness and completing a list of achievements before she dies. The film was classified '12A' for strong language, drug use, sex references and a terminal illness theme.

The film contains two clear uses of strong language, spoken as expressions of frustration as the dying girl and her boyfriend discuss their feelings about her death. Neither use is aggressive or directed at another person. The BBFC's Guidelines at '12A'/'12' state 'The use of strong language (for example, 'fuck') must be infrequent'.

The film also contains one scene in which the after effects of drug use are shown. The central character and her best friend have taken magic mushrooms, although the preparation and ingestion of the mushrooms is not shown. The girls are then seen to move around in a dream-like state as they contemplate the altered sense of the world that the drugs have given them. The central character's responsible boyfriend takes the pair to an empty woodland so that they can recover from the experience without doing themselves any harm. The drug taking is not directly criticized but nor is drug taking specifically condoned. It is portrayed as simply another item on the dying girl's list to be ticked off before she passes away. This is the only instance of drug use in the film and accords with the terms of the Guidelines at '12A'/'12' which state 'Any misuse of drugs must be infrequent and should not be glamorised or give instructional detail'.

NOW IS GOOD also contains some moderate visual and verbal sex references, including a mother's warning that when using condoms "the smell of rubber can be off putting" and sight of teenage couples lying under sheets together, implying they have had sex. These visual and verbal references are permissible under the Guidelines at '12A'/'12' which state 'Sex references should not go beyond what is suitable for young teenagers. Frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable'.

There are also frequent scenes in which the central character's terminal illness is discussed or portrayed. In one scene she gets a heavy nose bleed, causing blood to seep between her fingers and soak into her clothes and towels. The steps that she will go through before dying are also discussed, without any graphic detail, and we see the distress of her family as they try to come to terms with her condition and as they say goodbye to her in her final moments. The terminal illness theme is handled with sensitivity and while the final scenes are emotionally charged, they are not deliberately distressing or graphic. The treatment of the theme is allowable at '12A'/'12' where the Guidelines state 'Mature themes are acceptable, but their treatment must be suitable for young teenagers'.

The film also contains some scenes showing teenagers breaking the law by stealing credit cards or shoplifting, all of which result in swift punishment. There are also uses of milder bad language including 'wanker', 'twat', 'piss off', 'shit', 'crap', 'knob' and 'bloody'.

Parents can find additional information about the content of this film if they visit www.pbbfc.co.uk.