THE CEREMONY
sexually abusive behaviour, strong sex references, bloody images, suicide
Director(s)Nagisa Oshima
Production year1971
Genre(s)Drama
Approx. running minutes123m
CastKenzô Kawarasaki, Atsuko Kaku, Atsuo Nakamura
THE CEREMONY
sexually abusive behaviour, strong sex references, bloody images, suicide
The tumultuous story of a Japanese family is told through flashbacks to a series of weddings and funerals in this drama ...
The tumultuous story of a Japanese family is told through flashbacks to a series of weddings and funerals in this drama from 1971.
sex
References to romantic relationships and sexual and romantic feelings between family members run throughout the film. A man is shown kissing his aunt’s lips and bare breasts during a sustained scene portrayed as a consensual sexual encounter. Other scenes contain moderate crude sex references and innuendo, including use of the terms ‘screw’ and ‘come’.
sexual violence and sexual threat
There are scenes of sexually abusive behaviour, as well as occasional references to sexual violence and abuse. The visual and verbal detail is not graphic, however.
suicide and self-harm
The film contains a scene of suicide, without strong visual detail, in addition to bloody images in the aftermath of off-screen suicide.
injury detail
A sword is removed from a dead body, resulting in a sustained spray of blood. In another scene, a blood-streaked naked corpse is discovered face-down on the ground in the aftermath of suicide.
additional issues
There is infrequent use of strong language (‘f**k’); milder terms include ‘whore’ and ‘ass’. There are also potentially upsetting scenes of bereavement, one of which contains a verbal reference to the murder of an infant.
Classified Date:
24/04/1972
Version:
2D
Use:
Cinema
Distributor:
Academy Cinema
sexually abusive behaviour, strong sex references, bloody images, suicide
Classified Date:
25/09/2025
Version:
2D
Use:
Physical media + VOD/Streaming
Distributor:
Radiance Films
sex
References to romantic relationships and sexual and romantic feelings between family members run throughout the film. A man is shown kissing his aunt’s lips and bare breasts during a sustained scene portrayed as a consensual sexual encounter. Other scenes contain moderate crude sex references and innuendo, including use of the terms ‘screw’ and ‘come’.
sexual violence and sexual threat
There are scenes of sexually abusive behaviour, as well as occasional references to sexual violence and abuse. The visual and verbal detail is not graphic, however.
suicide and self-harm
The film contains a scene of suicide, without strong visual detail, in addition to bloody images in the aftermath of off-screen suicide.
injury detail
A sword is removed from a dead body, resulting in a sustained spray of blood. In another scene, a blood-streaked naked corpse is discovered face-down on the ground in the aftermath of suicide.
additional issues
There is infrequent use of strong language (‘f**k’); milder terms include ‘whore’ and ‘ass’. There are also potentially upsetting scenes of bereavement, one of which contains a verbal reference to the murder of an infant.
sex
References to romantic relationships and sexual and romantic feelings between family members run throughout the film. A man is shown kissing his aunt’s lips and bare breasts during a sustained scene portrayed as a consensual sexual encounter. Other scenes contain moderate crude sex references and innuendo, including use of the terms ‘screw’ and ‘come’.
sexual violence and sexual threat
There are scenes of sexually abusive behaviour, as well as occasional references to sexual violence and abuse. The visual and verbal detail is not graphic, however.
suicide and self-harm
The film contains a scene of suicide, without strong visual detail, in addition to bloody images in the aftermath of off-screen suicide.
injury detail
A sword is removed from a dead body, resulting in a sustained spray of blood. In another scene, a blood-streaked naked corpse is discovered face-down on the ground in the aftermath of suicide.
additional issues
There is infrequent use of strong language (‘f**k’); milder terms include ‘whore’ and ‘ass’. There are also potentially upsetting scenes of bereavement, one of which contains a verbal reference to the murder of an infant.
Director(s)Nagisa Oshima
Production year1971
Genre(s)Drama
Approx. running minutes123m
CastKenzô Kawarasaki, Atsuko Kaku, Atsuo Nakamura
Classified Date:
24/04/1972
Version:
2D
Use:
Cinema
Distributor:
Academy Cinema
sexually abusive behaviour, strong sex references, bloody images, suicide
Classified Date:
25/09/2025
Version:
2D
Use:
Physical media + VOD/Streaming
Distributor:
Radiance Films
sex
References to romantic relationships and sexual and romantic feelings between family members run throughout the film. A man is shown kissing his aunt’s lips and bare breasts during a sustained scene portrayed as a consensual sexual encounter. Other scenes contain moderate crude sex references and innuendo, including use of the terms ‘screw’ and ‘come’.
sexual violence and sexual threat
There are scenes of sexually abusive behaviour, as well as occasional references to sexual violence and abuse. The visual and verbal detail is not graphic, however.
suicide and self-harm
The film contains a scene of suicide, without strong visual detail, in addition to bloody images in the aftermath of off-screen suicide.
injury detail
A sword is removed from a dead body, resulting in a sustained spray of blood. In another scene, a blood-streaked naked corpse is discovered face-down on the ground in the aftermath of suicide.
additional issues
There is infrequent use of strong language (‘f**k’); milder terms include ‘whore’ and ‘ass’. There are also potentially upsetting scenes of bereavement, one of which contains a verbal reference to the murder of an infant.
