China altered Dave Franco's 'Together' to paint gay couple straight
What's the story
The Australian horror film Together, starring Dave Franco and Alison Brie, has sparked outrage among Chinese moviegoers after it was discovered that a gay couple in the film was digitally altered to make them straight. The changes were reportedly made using artificial intelligence (AI) and have been widely criticized as an overreach of censorship. The film's global distributor Neon has condemned the unauthorized edits by Chinese distributor Hishow, and specifically demanded that Hishow cease distribution of the altered version.
Controversy details
The film was altered to remove all sexual content, too
In Together, one of the men in a same-sex relationship had his face digitally replaced with a woman's face. This alteration was first noticed by viewers during advance screenings in China on September 12, who later learned about the edits through social media comparisons. Sexual and nude scenes were modified as well. Hishow has not yet responded to these criticisms or provided an explanation for the changes made to the film's content.
Distributor's response
Neon has condemned the edits made by Hishow
The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was released in the US and Australia in July, has received positive reviews from critics with a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Together was supposed to be publicly released on September 19, but as of Thursday, it has yet to be aired in cinemas. The Michael Shanks directorial tells the story of a couple who unravel in ways physical and emotional upon moving to the countryside.
Censorship history
China's history of censoring LGBTQ+ content
China has a long history of censoring LGBTQ+ content in films and television shows. In 2019, the Chinese version of Bohemian Rhapsody deleted references to Freddie Mercury's sexuality. Warner Bros. also removed two lines about a gay relationship for the Chinese release of its film in 2022. These acts are part of China's increasing crackdown on same-sex content, which has included the arrest of over 30 writers of gay erotic fiction since February.