Netflix has often pushed the bar when it comes to delivering original content. But one of its latest offerings, the French film Cuties, has earned Netflix massive backlash, for allegedly crossing the line in its portrayal of young girls.
According to the backlash that Netflix is facing, with #CancelNetflix trending on Twitter, people believe the film sexualizes young girls, heading into the category of ‘exploitative’ content.
Cuties (French: Mignonnes) is the feature directorial debut of director Maïmouna Doucouré and is described as a coming-of-age comedy-drama.
Based on Doucoure’s short film Maman(s), Cuties premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the world cinema dramatic directing award.
The film explores the life of a young 11-year-old girl, who joins a “free-spirited dance clique”, to escape her dysfunctional family’s oppressive ideals.
The film first faced criticism for its original poster, which Netflix eventually took down and apologized for, but did not remove the film from the platform. It released on September 9.
Currently, a petition has been started on Change.org, asking for people to cancel their Netflix subscription.
The petition states that Cuties is one of the many films and shows on the platform promoting ‘inappropriate behaviors’, ‘exploiting children and mocking religion’.
However, Netflix has responded to the allegations, stating that Cuties actually offers a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. According to Variety:
Cuties’ is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up — and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.
You can watch the trailer of the film here:
The film is currently streaming on Netflix.