Film Rating Terms

Alberta Film Classification uses a specialized vocabulary to describe film content without giving away too much of the movie or giving detailed descriptions of specific scenes

We use discrete language so that our information can be shared with any age group

Advisory: an information piece that may be part of the classification of a film; intended to advise on content that may be beyond what is expected in a given category

Brutal Violence: indicates the portrayal of intense violent content, as in scenes of torture or revenge, with a high degree of emotional and/or audiovisual explicitness

Classification Rationale: a summary of the reasons for placing a film in a particular rating category

Coarse Language: may include profanity, cursing, vulgarity, scatological slang, ethno-cultural slurs, and sexual expletives. The intensity of the coarse language determines whether there is a coarse language advisory or whether the film is placed in a higher rating category. If an otherwise PG film contains one instance of the most common sexual expletive, this necessitates a coarse language advisory.

Content Elements: identifiable aural, verbal, or visual material such as language, sexual content, and/or violence

Crude: concerned with toilet humour, scatological references, coarse sexual innuendo, or degrading dialogue or actions

Cursing: language that negatively invokes an afterlife

Depiction: how a film element is visually expressed to the viewer, including how detailed the event is, how long the scene is, what point of view is taken, and whether it is realistic or stylized

Detail: the amount of verbal, visual, or aural information experienced in the representation of a scene or element of a film

Disturbing: likely to invoke a reaction of revulsion, fear, or unease in the viewer

Drug Use: depictions of illegal drugs, evaluated by the tone and duration of use

Elements: visual, aural, or verbal representations that are considered in the classification of films. Usually divided into content elements and thematic elements

Ethno-Cultural Slurs: vulgar expressions that refer to gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or cultural background

Genre: a category of film with expectations of themes, portrayal, and conventions, common to that category; for example, a musical, western, horror film, buddy film, children’s film

Gory Scenes: visual depictions of bloodletting or tissue damage, as in a combat, horror, or surgical context

Impact: the strength of effect on the viewer

Implied: an element that is suggested but not actually shown

Intensity: the aural, visual, thematic, or verbal strength of a film or an element of a film

Mature Theme: indicates the presence of subject matter that may require an adult perspective in order to be fully appreciated, such as death, abortion, divorce, family violence, religious belief, human rights, or discrimination

Mitigating Elements: aspects of the thematic elements that may justify placing a film in a lower rating category than the content elements alone

Nudity: presentations of the human body, including frontal or rear nudity. May be sexual or non-sexual in context, and considered in terms of the clarity and duration of the representation

Offensive: language or audiovisual content that many people would react to with outrage or extreme disgust

Profanity: language that casually invokes Deity

Realistic: the viewer is aware of actions that appear as if they could actually occur, for example, the graphic war violence in a film about World War II

Reference: verbal or visual expression of a film element in passing, rather than depiction in detail

Scatological Slang: words relating to toilet functions and related physical byproducts

Sexual Coercion: the use of threat to force agreement to sexual activity

Sexual Content: pertains to verbal or visual references to or depictions of sexual activity

Sexual Expletives: includes the four-letter words for genitalia and sexual activity, and variations thereof

Sexual Violence: sexual assault or aggression in a sexual context to which the victim does not consent

Sexually Explicit Material: filmed presentation of non-simulated sexual activity

Stylized: the viewer is aware of the unreality of the presentation, for example, musical, comic-book fantasy, science fiction, horror, or other genre films

Substance Abuse: indicates the use of illegal drugs, the excessive use of tobacco, or the use of alcohol resulting in impairment

Suggestive Language: indicates mild sexual dialogue or double entendres that would be tolerated by most individuals

Suggestive Scenes: indicates simulated sexual activities that are not prolonged or detailed in their depiction

Thematic Elements: the attitude, tone, and intention of the film

Tone: the overall feeling of the film or parts of the film, such as light, serious, satirical, dramatic, or instructive

Treatment: the way in which subject matter is handled; may be realistic, in which the goal is to make the movie seem real to the viewer, or stylized, in which the viewer is made aware of the unreality of the movie

Violence: presentation of acts that injure, maim, threaten, or cause death. Also referred to in advisories such as Gory Scenes or Brutal Violence, depending on the context, frequency, intensity, and degree of detail of the violence in the film.

Vulgar Expressions: language that would be considered impolite, including some four-letter words, slang for body parts, insults, racial slurs, derogatory references to identifiable groups, and cursing

Commonly Used Advisories

Not Recommended For Young Children: The film may be inappropriate for young children. For example, the subject matter could include the death of a family pet, a complicated family breakdown, or images considered frightening or disturbing for the very young

Not Recommended For Children: The film may include scenes that reflect a more mature situation, such as drug use/abuse

Frightening Scenes: advises of images that might shock or frighten a person. These scenes might be found in a thriller, suspense or war genre

Mature Theme: indicates the presence of images or storylines that may be disturbing or incomprehensible to minors. The film may contain portrayals of domestic violence, racism, religious matters, death, or controversial social issues

Coarse Language: the film contains profanity, threats, slurs, sexual references, or sexual innuendo

Crude Content: indicates the presence of material or humour that is unrefined or coarse and that may be seen as harsh, rude, or offensive

Nudity: advises of images of full frontal, partial, or rear nudity. May be an advisory in several film classifications, depending on the context of the nudity, its clarity, detail, repetition, and whether the nudity is in a non-sexual or sexual context

Sexual Content: indicates the presence of images and/or verbal references of sexual themes, sexual innuendo, fondling, implied sexual activity, or simulated sexual activity, depending on the classification category it is affixed to

Violence: may refer to restrained portrayals of non-graphic violence, portrayals of violence with some bloodletting and/or tissue damage, or frequent, more prolonged portrayals of violence resulting in bloodletting and tissue damage. The degree, frequency, and intensity of the acts of violence will be factors in the classification decision

Disturbing Content: indicates the expected natural reaction by an audience to any elements of a film, including the tone of a film, pertaining to distress or suffering. This includes the implication or threat of physical and/or psychological violence, even when violence is not depicted

Substance Abuse: indicates descriptive scenes depicting the use of illegal substances, the excessive use of tobacco, or the use of alcohol resulting in impairment

Gory Scenes: indicates graphic images of bloodletting and/or tissue damage. Includes horror or war representations. Degree, frequency, and intensity will also be a major factor in the classification decision

Explicit Sexual Content: indicates the presence of sexual acts, shown in full, clear, unequivocal and realistic detail, that may or may not be gratuitous to the film

Brutal Violence: indicates visually explicit portrayals of violence that may be characterized by extreme brutality, extreme bloodletting, and/or extreme tissue damage. May include images of torture, horror or war

Sexual Violence: advises of the degradation of an individual in a sexual manner. May contain images of non-consensual acts with the intent to inflict harm, for example, simulated rape, and/or the use of threat to force compliance in sexual activity