Hollywood films are a major cultural export to other nations, and studios often bank a lot on a film’s ability to sell tickets all over the world. But when the art of one nation crashes up against the cultural of another, conflict can arise. It’s far from uncommon for Hollywood movies to see significant edits, if not outright bans in the Middle East, but in what appears to be a first. A24’s new horror hit Talk to Me has been banned in Kuwait not because of what it depicts but because of who is in it. And the studio is standing behind star Zoe Terakes.
Talk To Me has become a hit almost all over the world, but the movie was recently banned in Kuwait. The decision was reportedly made not due to any content in the film itself, but entirely due to the fact that the movie stars Zoe Terakes, who identifies as non-binary and trans masculine. In a statement posted to Instagram, she called the decision “dehumanizing, “ saying…
It’s far from uncommon to see moving coming from the West have to deal with cultural conflicts in nations like Kuwait or China. Any movie that deals with LGBTQ+ themes or characters usually needs to be edited in order to be cleared to be shown in these countries. Sometimes studios make these changes, and scenes get cut as in the case of Fantastic Beasts: The Secret of Dumbledore. Other times either because the characters or themes are integral to the plot, or simply because a studio declines to alter a film, changes are not made and the movie never runs. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was never released in Saudi Arabia after Disney declined to make changes to it. Disney did cut a similar moment in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, specifically for Kuwait.
However, as Terakas points, out, that’s not actually what happened here. Talk to Me doesn’t deal with the actor’s nonbinary identity, it's not part of the story being told. They were not cast due to their identity, they are simply a non-binary actor who got cast in a role.
When studios make movies that they know will run afoul of censors in other countries, they at least make that decision knowingly and certainly have a plan for how they want to handle it. However, it seems unlikely that producer Causeway Films or sales agent Bankside Films, was expecting this reaction simply because of who was cast. Still, the two companies released a joint statement (via THR) where they spoke in support of Terakas. The statement read…
We stand in solidarity with Zoe Terakes following the decision by Kuwait to ban the film Talk to Me. Zoe has made their own statement, which we fully support, and we are immensely proud of their involvement in the film.
While the decision to ban the film is certainly concerning, the film’s overall success is already assured. Talk To Me has grossed almost $25 million on a budget of less than $5 million, making it already a massive hit. A Talk To Me prequel has apparently already been shot, and based on the response to the first film, some sort of franchise is certainly possible.
