An Australian film that was digitally altered to change a same-sex couple to a heterosexual one has stirred up controversy among moviegoers in China.
The horror film, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, was released in select Chinese theaters on September 12. Cinemabagoers later realized that some scenes had been modified after screenshots showing the original scenes went viral online.
The film was scheduled for public release on September 19, but has yet to be seen in theaters as of Thursday.
The film’s global distributor, Neon, later condemned the edit, saying they “did not approve of [this] unauthorized edit… and requested that they cease distribution,” reports said.
Supernatural Body Horror Film, written and directed by Australian Michael Shank, follows a couple who move to the countryside and come face to face with a mysterious force that affects their bodies, lives, and relationships.
The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was released in the US and Australia in July, has received mostly positive reviews from critics, earning a 90% freshness score on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes.
But as early screenings began in China this month, viewers noticed that some of the sex and nudity scenes had been modified after screenshots showing scenes from the original version circulated online.
In one scene depicting a male lead taking a shower, they noticed that the Chinese version had added steam to obscure the lead’s naked body.
The majority of complaints, however, were about an image of a gay couple being digitally altered, with the man’s face replaced with a woman’s. Several references to same-sex relationships in the film were also removed.
It’s not uncommon in China—where same-sex marriage is not recognized and LGBT topics remain largely taboo—to censor LGBT content. But this time, what appeared to be an AI-generated change struck a nerve.
“It’s no longer just a matter of cuts – it’s a matter of distortion and distortion,” reads one post on the popular Chinese film criticism platform Douban, where the film is rated 6.9 out of 10.
“Not only did they change the plot, they also disrespected the actor’s sexual orientation. This is disgusting,” another read.
On Wednesday, the film’s global distributor Neon spoke out against the edits, criticizing the film’s Chinese distributor Hisho, which has yet to comment on the matter.
“Neon does not approve of Hishow’s unauthorized editing of the film and has requested that they cease distributing this altered version,” the company said in a statement shared with US news outlets Deadline and The Wrap.
The BBC has contacted Neon.
This isn’t the first time China has used AI to alter sexual content. In the Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, a nude scene featuring Florence Pugh was edited with an AI-generated black dress in Chinese cinemas.
Increasingly, China also seems to be cracking down on same-sex content. At least 30 gay erotic fiction writers have been arrested across the country since February, almost all of them women in their 20s.
