UPFRONT/GO
Sex and Violence at 35,000 Feet
Is it OK to watch an R-rated movie on an airplane?
SOMEWHERE OVER the Midwest, I looked up from my sudoku and glimpsed a zombie apocalypse. Blood spurted across my airplane neighbor’s tablet screen just as the flight attendant handed me a cranberry cocktail. I looked away, but the damage was done: As an anxious flier, the last thing I wanted was the sight of gore and guts.
Airplane movies used to be curated and edited like broadcast TV, creating a PG-ish experience for the entire cabin. But as airlines retire communal screens and lean into BYOD (bring your own device) culture, passengers can stream what they want—including R-rated sex and violence.
The sky may be the limit, but queuing up The Substance when elbow-to-elbow with strangers can have consequences. You may not know others’ sensibilities.
“Violence, sex and nudity are certainly the principal categories with the potential to offend adults and disturb children,” says Lori Pearson, content editor for kids-in-mind.com, a movie-rating website. But that’s not all. Scenes with accidents, gore and vomiting can also trigger anxiety, especially for those with PTSD. A good bet for safe viewing, Pearson says, are movies released before the 1970s.
Airlines are generally pretty liberal when it comes to acceptable in-cabin entertainment, but there are limits. “I have had to ask passengers to turn off porn,” says Heather Poole, a flight attendant and author of Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet. If you’re unsure what’s appropriate, her advice: “Pretend you’re in church with your mother, and you probably won’t go wrong.”
And if you find yourself with a view of unsettling images, you can politely ask the passenger to turn it off. If that doesn’t work, fire up your own movie to battle the zombie apocalypse. Says Pearson: “The only way is distraction with your own devices.”
—Perry Santanachote