It remains more than a bit absurd to me that this scene would garner an R if shot exactly the same but from just torso up, but becomes an NC-17 because the master shot reveals full bodies.

It is a sad testament of the absurdity of the ratings code and the completely illogical moral criteria that provide the underpinning for it, where any form of violence is perfectly acceptable for kids but sexuality continues to be the ultimate taboo,

'Where the Truth Lies' is a sophisticated and intelligently provocative film, ... The NC-17 rating will unfairly limit people's access to it because of the number of theaters in America which will not play an NC-17 rated film. This film stars some of the most talented actors in the movies today, is based on a popular mainstream novel and is written and directed by a filmmaker known for his artistic integrity and achievement. The film has not encountered this kind of restrictive rating anywhere else in the free world. Only in America will many be deprived of access to it.

The rest of the world has certainly got past this. This kind of censorship no longer exists anywhere else in the free world.

This scene is done using a single sustained master shot in order to allow the actors the most conducive environment for intimacy and intensity, and in order to best communicate what happens in the film's pivotal scene, ... It cannot be cut without compromising the central scene of the narrative and thus rendering the mystery of the film incomprehensible.

Where the Truth Lies is a sophisticated and intelligently provocative film. The NC-17 rating will unfairly limit people's access to it because of the number of theaters in America which will not play an NC-17 rated film. The film has not encountered this kind of restrictive rating anywhere else in the free world. Only in America will many be deprived of access to it.