The Wire

Do Hollywood movies encourage copycat suicides? That question is being asked again with the release of “The Happening,” a movie in which people are exposed to a suicide-inducing toxin that makes them kill themselves. The release has prompted calls for an R rating for the film, as over 2,000 deaths from suicide are registered annually in Australia. While ratings are a necessary and useful guide for parents, they are one of many measures to help save lives throughout the country.