'Shame' Officially Rated NC-17

5:56 PM PDT 10/25/2011 by Gregg Kilday

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Abbot Genser/Fox Searchlight Pictures

Steve McQueen's film earned the adults-only classification for what the rating board called "some explicit sexual content."

Shame, British director Steve McQueen’s portrait of a sex addict, starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan, has officially received an NC-17 rating from the MPAA’s Classification and Rating Administration.

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In its latest batch of ratings notices, released Tuesday, the MPAA said that the drama, which Fox Searchlight will release Dec. 2, earned the rating because of “some explicit sexual content.”

While that makes the movie off-limits to anyone under the age of 18, Searchlight is not planning to appeal the rating or make any cuts to secure a less restrictive R-rating. Instead, it’s readying a major awards push for the film.

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"I think NC-17 is a badge of honor, not a scarlet letter. We believe it is time for the rating to become usable in a serious manner," Searchlight president Steve Gilula has told The Hollywood Reporter. "The sheer talent of the actors and the vision of the filmmaker are extraordinary. It's not a film that everyone will take easily, but it certainly breaks through the clutter and is distinctive and original. It's a game changer."