Matt Damon Deleted From Japan's Screens—Why?

Warner Bros. pulls Hereafter from all 180 screens in Japan after official says scenes depicting harrowing tsunami are "not appropriate" while nation remains in crisis

By Gina Serpe Mar 14, 2011 2:40 PMTags

In this case, the last thing Japan needs is art imitating.

Which is why Warner Entertainment has decided to pull the Clint Eastwood-directed, Matt Damon-starring Hereafter from Japan's cinemas effective immediately.

Why?

Because the film features an all too vivid and realistic recreation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, as experienced by one of the main characters in the movie (glimpses of which can be seen in the film's trailer).

Needless to say, such convincing and harrowing images are not what a mourning country still in the throes of a crisis needs to be subjected to at the movies.

Warner Entertainment Japan official Satoru Otani explained the studio's decision to pull the film in much the same way, saying to show the movie and its tsunami scenes at this time—just days after a devastating and catastrophic earthquake and tsunami hit Japan—would be "not appropriate."

Incidentally, the film's run isn't being cut down too much, as it opened last month in Japan in 180 theaters. It was already only scheduled to run through the end of this month.