I Am Heath Ledger

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details of classification and consumer advice lines for I Am Heath Ledger
• a review of I Am Heath Ledger completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 18 May 2017.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare or disturb children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie’s message

A synopsis of the story

I Am Heath Ledger is a feature-length documentary exploring the life of famous actor and artist Heath Ledger. The documentary features footage taken by Ledger himself, whilst also including interviews with his friends, family, and colleagues such as Ben Mendelson, Naomi Watts, Ang Lee, Emile Hirsch, Ben Harper, and others. The documentary incorporates photographs taken by Heath himself, as well as short films and music videos he produced. There is also behind the scenes footage from films he starred in, as well as excerpts from the films themselves.

Art and entertainment; Love and friendship; Mentor-ship; Death; Mental health; Physical health; Sexuality: Risk-taking.

There is some violence and references to violence within the film, including:

• Within some of the featured interviews, Heath’s friends refer to him as a ‘good fighter’.
• There is behind the scenes footage of films like The Patriot, where Heath is seen shooting rifles, utilising swords and other weapons, etc.
• There is an excerpt/scene from Monster’s Ball, where the actor Billy Bob Thornton smacks Heath’s character across the head multiple times.
• There is an excerpt from the movie The Dark Knight, where Heath, as the character of the Joker, puts a knife inside someone’s mouth in a threatening manner.
• There is a scene from the film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus where Heath plays a character who is hanging off the edge of a bridge with a noose tied around his neck.

Material that may scare or disturb children

• Nothing further noted.

• There are references throughout the documentary to Heath Ledger’s death, which may disturb or upset some younger viewers.

• Children in this age group could still be disturbed by the themes and visual images in this movie.

• Nothing further of concern.

Product placement

There is some product placement, including:

• Due to the nature of the documentary, there are references and video footage of films, music videos, as well as titles of production companies that make movies.

Sexual references

There are some very mild sexual references, including:

• In one featured interview, a friend of Heath’s states that they attended parties with a ‘bunch of half-naked people and dance music 24/7’.
• There are references within some of the interviews about the homosexual romance between two characters in the film Brokeback Mountain, which Heath stars in.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is minimal nudity in the film, including:

• Photographs of Heath standing in the sun shirtless.
• There are multiple kissing scenes from excerpts of various films Heath starred in, including Ned Kelly (where he is with Naomi Watts) and Brokeback Mountain (with Jake Gyllenhaal).

Use of substances

There is considerable use of substances in the film, including:

• Photographs and video footage of Heath smoking cigarettes.
• Footage of Heath drinking alcohol, both by himself as well as at parties with others.
• Bottles of whisky are shown and referred to.
• Photographs with bottles of beer at parties, and accompanying voiceover stating that the parties included ‘a bit of drinking and carrying on’.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in the film, including:

• In an interview with a colleague, it’s stated that the need to film the documentary is ‘fucked up’ (in reference to Heath’s death). Other interviews included language such as ‘Shut the fuck up’.
• Religious exclamations such as ‘Good Lord’ and ‘Thank God’.
• Insults such as ‘Damn fool’.
• Lyrics stating ‘grab my balls’ are included in one of Heath’s short films/rap songs.

In a nutshell

I Am Heath Ledger is a documentary that explores the life and work of the famous artist. Throughout the course of the film and range of featured interviews with Heath’s family, friends and colleagues, the documentary presents a snapshot of a unique man who was driven, passionate and generous of spirit. The film highlights Heath’s humanity, and normalises the crises of confidence he experienced at times, alongside his artistic skills. It also emphasises the importance of taking risks professionally as well as interpersonally, and the merit of trying new things. Throughout the exploration of Heath’s romantic relationships, marriage breakdown, embracement of the role of fatherhood and his career progression, the film emphasises the healing power of art within his life. 

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• The importance of living every moment to the fullest, and drawing something worthwhile out of every situation.
• The value in taking risks and pushing one’s own personal boundaries to explore what might be possible.
• The notion that art, music and film can be healing for individuals, and a valuable tool for self-expression.
• The importance of having an understanding of who one is as a person, and the personal values that a person wishes to live in accordance with.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

• Questions related to the significance of masculinity in regards to success for men within the entertainment industry.
• Issues related to sexuality and sexual orientation, and the stigma surrounding the presentation of homosexuality within the industry.
• The impact of mental and physical health concerns on Heath’s life and death.