Watch Cleanflix

Cleanflix is a fascinating documentary that provides a unique insight into the fascinating world of Mormon entrepreneurs who altered R-rated movies to make them suitable for a family audience. The film is directed by Andrew James and Joshua Ligairi, and it chronicles the rise and fall of an industry that sought to provide sanitized versions of Hollywood blockbusters.

The film mainly focuses on the Utah-based company Cleanflix, which specialized in cleaning up movie content. The documentary film makers explore the history of the company and its founders, and how they operated in the early 2000s. The film also features a range of interviews from various stakeholders of the Cleanflix industry, which include former employees and customers.

Cleanflix was founded in 2000 and quickly became one of the most successful companies in the business of editing movies. At its peak, it employed over 250 people and had a revenue of around $10 million. The company offered an innovative solution to the growing concern of parents over the content of films that were rated R.

The founders of Cleanflix were devout Mormons who believed in the principles of family values and censorship. They saw their business as a way of providing clean content for a wider audience who couldn't afford the prohibitive costs of Hollywood's own edited versions of their movies. The film shows how their business attracted a following not just from Utah's devout Mormon community, but from across the United States.

At its core, Cleanflix raises a profound question about individual freedom versus societal mores. The founders of the company believed that they were not censoring or altering the content of movies, but merely making them suitable for a family audience. However, there is a question about whether this is an infringement on the creativity of the original director or actor.

The film does an excellent job of exploring this complex issue by putting the viewer in the shoes of the different stakeholders. It poses pertinent questions like, how far can self-censorship go before it curtails artistic expression? And, by deciding what parts of a film to cut, are we becoming the ignorant guardians of a moral high ground?

The Cleanflix industry began to experience legal challenges in 2007, when Hollywood studios began suing Cleanflix's competitors. They cited copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Law (DMCA) as the reasoning for their lawsuits. The DMCA states that it is illegal to bypass or break any technology meant to protect copyrighted material.

This development had far-reaching implications for the Cleanflix industry. The film outlines the failed legal battles waged by the company's founders, who argued that their business was not involved in violating copyright laws. Meanwhile, some of their competitors were forced to close their doors due to legal action against them.

Overall, Cleanflix is a compelling documentary that provides a unique insight into a unique industry. The film is shot in a fast-paced style, and the viewer is left to form their own opinions on the underlying themes of censorship, morality, and individual freedom. It's an excellent film that allows us to consider how changes in technology and society have altered our views on what is acceptable for public consumption. It is a must-see for anyone interested in the film industry and film censorship.

Cleanflix is a 2009 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7.