panel to uphold the decision barring the release of the Quebec-produced

film Fat Girl (A ma soeur!) has touched off an uproar in

the Canadian province.

Robert Warren, head of the censor board,

acknowledged that "this is a serious and well-done film," but allowing

it to be shown, he said, would set a precedent that could be exploited

by less serious-minded filmmakers.

Today's Toronto Star

decided to run a review of the movie anyway "in the interest of

serving public awareness of what people in Ontario are not permitted to

see." (The review, by critic Geoff Pevere, concludes: "Bold but

unrelenting in its depiction of both physical and emotional aggression,

Fat Girl will be bracing for those open to its challenges and brutal for

those who aren't. Be forewarned.")

The film has been cleared for release

in other Canadian provinces and in the U.S., where it has received

mostly positive reviews.