Censor

"You can't edit reality."

2021 1h 24m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 503

HorrorMystery

Synopsis

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A screener at the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), who has earned an unsavory reputation for being the strictest censor of violent films, begins to spiral out of control after viewing a low-budget horror with similarities to the disappearance of her sister.

“You can't edit reality.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Niamh Algar
Enid Baines
Michael Smiley
Doug Smart
Nicholas Burns
Sanderson
Vincent Franklin
Fraser
Sophia La Porta
Alice Lee
Adrian Schiller
Frederick North
Clare Holman
June
Andrew Havill
George

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Prano Bailey-Bond
Writers: Prano Bailey-Bond, Anthony Fletcher
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond, shot by Annika Summerson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Towns shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Niamh Algar and Michael Smiley and Nicholas Burns carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You can't edit reality.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt10329614 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Prano Bailey-Bond directs. Annika Summerson behind the camera. Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch scores. Mark Towns cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 5 years ago.
3Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond, shot by Annika Summerson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Mark Towns shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Niamh Algar and Michael Smiley and Nicholas Burns carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "You can't edit reality.".
8IMDB entry: tt10329614 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "film in film", "anonymous telephone call", "censorship", "woman director".

The technical file

Cinematography: Annika Summerson
Original score: Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
Editing: Mark Towns
Production design: Paulina Rzeszowska
Costume design: Saffron Cullane
Makeup / hair: Ruth Pease
Sound: Jamie Roden
Stunt coordinator: Peter Pedrero
Runtime: 84 min · 1h 24m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $314,785
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Censor (2021)

Awards

Méliès d'Or

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Prano Bailey-Bond

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

larz92021-09-29
★ 1/10
This is another one of those movies where you don't get your time back. There is nothing clever about the plot. It just twaddles on aimlessly, leading up to very cheesy murder scenes that look like the product of a high school student's drama submission and sweet FA payoff in the end. Why this got the support of The National Lottery through The Arts Council of Wales is beyond me. It's simply a colossal waste of everyone's money. Then again, if that is your sort of thing, then more power to you. Each to their own and all that. :)
r96sk2022-03-07
★ 9/10
Very, very good! <em>'Censor'</em> features a great premise and it turns out to be one that is executed excellently. The feel of the film throughout is near perfection, with the tone all right and the 1980s aesthetic seemingly on point. It's paced ideally, with zero moments of drag. Niamh Algar puts in a super performance as lead. I recently watched her also impress in television's <em>'<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deceit_(2021_miniseries)" rel="nofollow">Deceit</a>'</em> - which was broadcast within a week or so of this production's cinema release, there are actually some (minor) similarities between the two; a set of dark roles for Algar, that's for sure! She's the clear standout, though props to the support cast too. Looking at a few other reviews, it seems to come down to how effective the ending is to you. For me? I think it's a great conclusion.
EmmanuelGoldstein2023-08-06
A movie completely removed from reality - which is the point A confusing, convoluted and completely absurd and unrealistic movie. Since this is of course all intentional, I am not entirely sure if that makes the movie better or worse. It's one of those movies that's really hard to rate and almost impossible to compare to any other movie, though it does feel very reminiscent of David Lynch movies. But for those who just feel confused after watching it, let me explain it real fast. Basically the movie is comparing deranged, schizophrenic psychopaths to, well, movies censors :-) Because the schizophrenic psycho killer loses his ability to tell what is real and what's not. Similarly, people engaged in censorship also loose their ability to distinguish reality from fantasy, or at least that's what the movie argues. Because censorship is almost always being justified by saying that without it, whatever is depicted in movies, would become a reality. Of course "normal" people can distinguish between reality and fiction, but schizophrenics can not, so censorship is necessarily to keep the schizophrenics from imitating fiction. But of course by arguing that fiction would become reality, the censors expose themselves as people who seem to have difficulty keeping reality and fiction separate. So then if it was really true that violent movies would make such people violent, then by their own logic, you would have to conclude that such censors themselves would become the most violent monsters ever, as they of course watch the most amount of horribly violent horror movies. But even so, we have never heard of any censor going on a killing spree, except of course in this very movie itself, which would of course itself be categorized as a "video nasty". And that's the point.