“Cuties,” the award-winning French film featuring young teen dancers was released Wednesday on Netflix and is receiving another round of backlash from viewers for its depiction of children in sexual situations.
The film, which is directed by French movie maker Maïmouna Doucouré, centers around Amy, 11, joining young underage female dancers in a group “named ‘the cuties’ at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process,” according to the films description.
Netflix just released the controversial ‘Cuties’ and it’s worse than you could imagine. Make no mistake: Netflix is at the forefront of sexualizing children and normalizing pedophilia! pic.twitter.com/emiMzk8w1z
— ???????????????????? ???????????? (@GhostJim4) September 9, 2020
Footage of the movie began to go viral Wednesday night with many viewers accusing Netflix of promoting pedophilia and sexualizing children for allowing “Cuties” on their streaming platform. (RELATED: ‘Hyper-Sexualization Of Pre-Adolescent Girls’: Netflix Movie ‘Cuties’ Depicts Young Girl Who Joins Twerking Dance Group)
“Netflix released that ‘Cuties’ movie about twerking 11 year olds,” the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh wrote on Twitter. “Fuller clips of the film are now circulating. It’s way worse than I thought, and I thought it would be extremely bad. VERY explicit sexual dancing, girls grabbing themselves, crotch shots, etc. These are children.”
Netflix released that “Cuties” movie about twerking 11 year olds. Fuller clips of the film are now circulating. It’s way worse than I thought, and I thought it would be extremely bad. VERY explicit sexual dancing, girls grabbing themselves, crotch shots, etc. These are children.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) September 10, 2020
I need y’all to understand that not only did a group of adults make this movie, it won fucking awards.
Netflix and their executives are watched this movie, including this scene and said “yeah looks good, let’s option it.”
Hollywood is a sick sick place. https://t.co/OmcDZ24zC1
— Jason Howerton (@jason_howerton) September 10, 2020
These parents should have their children taken away from them. https://t.co/cgwdZNQFua
— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) September 10, 2020
The director, has previously complained that she has received death threats after the American poster for the film was released that depicted the underage cast on a stage in a variety of poses. Doucouré claimed that she was surprised by the American artwork, and that she had several subsequent conversations with Netflix.
Netflix apologized for the artwork used to promote the film, assuring critics that it was not representative of the movie itself. (RELATED: Netflix Apologies For ‘Cuties’ Artwork, Says It Is ‘Inappropriate’ And ‘Not Representative’ Of The Movie)
“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties,” a Netflix spokeswoman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which premiered at Sundance.”
The film was produced by Zangro, a French producer who previously had a hand in a short film titled “Mamans,” also directed by Doucouré, with his company, Bien ou Bien Productions. The short film centers around a child raised in a polygamist household.
In an interview with Variety, Zangro applauded Doucouré’s work with the young teenage cast, saying, “It’s amazing to watch. She works at the same level as the kids. She has a deep and intimate relationship with them. She acts with them. She cries, and they cry. There’s a magical link and a deep sense of trust.”
Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.