The film by Hafsia Herzi is PG-14 only in Italy For explicit sexual references, but it's just the story of a lesbian girl searching for herself

The film The little sister, directed by Hafsia Herzi, has become the center of a controversy in Italy after the Ministry of Culture’s commission banned it for viewers under 14. A decision that sparked debate and appears even more controversial when compared with what happened in the rest of the world. The official reasoning cites “explicit sexual references” that could influence younger audiences, despite the absence of pornographic content. A formula that, on paper, falls within standard classification criteria but in practice seems inconsistent with the nature of the film.

The little sister, plot of the film banned for under-14s and awarded at Cannes

The little sister is, in fact, an intimate and layered coming-of-age story that follows a young Muslim woman as she tries to reconcile identity, faith, and desire. Presented at the Cannes Film Festival, the film received major awards, including the Queer Palm and the Best Actress award for Nadia Melliti. This international success makes the Italian anomaly even more evident: elsewhere the film was distributed and viewed without significant restrictions, while in Italy it is considered not suitable for an under-14 audience.

Or maybe it has something to do with sex education?

Herzi herself pointed out that no similar restrictions were applied in other countries, going as far as calling Italy “the only Western country” to impose such a ban. A position echoed by the Italian distributor Fandango, which announced an appeal against the decision, challenging its rationale. At this point, the issue is no longer purely technical. If classification is formally based on elements such as language or sexual content, it inevitably raises the question of whether deeper cultural factors are at play. What truly makes this film “inappropriate”? The presence of desire? The fact that it is portrayed without moral filters? Or, more simply, the kind of story it chooses to tell?

At the center of The little sister is a rarely represented subjectivity: a Muslim and lesbian girl trying to build her identity within a space shaped by rules, expectations, and contradictions. There is no scandal, no gratuitous provocation. Instead, there is a realistic and necessary look at a delicate stage of life, when one tries to understand who they are and where they belong. The fact that Italy is one of the few Western countries without structured sex and affective education in schools makes everything even more evident. This is yet another decision from a government and institutions that struggle to keep up with the times and continue to believe that banning means truly suppressing. The message that emerges is clear: some experiences are considered more acceptable than others, some identities more legitimate than others. In short, the country remains deeply sex-negative. But in this case, what stands out is not the presence of sex itself, but that of a queer story. Italy, more than the content, seems to fear the freedom that this narrative represents.