The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2015 and travelled to the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Singapore International Film Festival before the director withdrew his submission for a rating for the film from the Media Development Authority (MDA) as the MDA had deemed that two scenes exceeded the film classification guidelines. Khoo did not want any cuts for a commercial release of the film in Singapore and so the film was denied a commercial release as unrated films are not allowed for public release in Singapore. However, on 25 February 2016, the film was given a theatrical release in Singapore after an "international version" with subtle differences from the original was passed uncut with an R21 rating by the MDA.