Film Review: ‘Cuties’ Is Not What Its Controversy Makes It Up To Be
Maïmouna Doucouré’s ‘Cuties’, while problematic, is an interesting and nuanced portrayal of modern girlhood.
Artwork by Eleftheria Kousta
On August 20, Netflix released the poster of their new film “Cuties” (“Mignonnes”) to promote its September 9 release. The poster, which differed greatly from the original French marketing material, featured the movie’s 11-year-old protagonists posing provocatively in scanty dance costumes, thus earning Netflix massive backlash. Although the streaming service was quick to apologise for the artwork they utilised, asserting it was not only inappropriate but also not representative of what “Cuties” is about, it was too late. Controversy arose, leading to a spread of misinformation, conspiracy theories, death threats being sent to the movie’s director, and a petition asking people to cancel their Netflix subscription with over 650,000 signatures. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz even wrote a letter to the Attorney General asking Netflix, along with those involved in the production of “Cuties”, to be investigated as suspects of creators and distributors of child pornography, and on Wednesday it was announced that Netflix has been indicted by a grand jury in Texas for the “promotion of lewd visual material depicting a child”. The outrage caused by “Cuties” was an example of ‘cancel culture’ at its worst, for it is blatantly clear none of the people clamouring for Netflix’s boycott or the film’s removal from the platform have actually watched it.
“Cuties”, for which French-Senegalese filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré won the Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance this year, is a nuanced portrayal of modern girlhood. Amy, the film’s protagonist, is an 11-year-old girl living in Paris who finds herself increasingly conflicted as she negotiates between her conservative Muslim background and the hypersexualised reality of the West and social media. Dissatisfied with the lack of control her mother asserts over her own life, Amy sees the sense of freedom and power she seeks in a dance group comprised of girls from her school known as the ‘Cuties’. While the film depicts the influences which lead to the sexualisation of children, it does not in any way support it. Doucouré’s story criticises a world which pushes young girls to act in a manner which is inappropriate for their age, making it so both the movie and those fighting to cancel it are on the same side of the issue. In fact, according to a recent survey, 72 per cent of those who have watched the film affirm that the controversy was “overblown”. “Cuties” does not feature nudity, sex, or any explicit scenes; the production was carried out in a very professional and safe manner, working closely with the young actresses and their parents, and having a trained psychologist present at all stages of production.
The dual cultures in which Amy lives are a remarkable part of “Cuties”. The girl’s family dynamics and religious context frame her rebellion, thus portraying the two extremes which surround her. The film draws parallels between these two cultures, establishing them both as types of oppression. Amy’s colourful praying beads sparkle with the same dazzlement as the glitter in her dance costume, and it seems like the traditional attire she is expected to wear haunts her more than the provocative outfits everyone else demonises. Furthermore, as someone who grew up in an all girls’ school and came of age in the early days of social media, I found many aspects of “Cuties” to be extremely relatable – the strong curiosity brought by the topic of sex, the maturity that the use of make-up and high heels represented, the mindless imitation of everything a particular celebrity did in order to feel more like her, and the ignorance and innocence with which one does it all. And that is exactly what the film is tinged with: innocence. Although “Cuties” features dance moves and costumes to which we attribute sexual meaning, it is shot from the point of view of its pre-teen protagonists. Amy and the rest of the Cuties live in a hypersexualised world, but they do not participate in it because they desire to be a spectacle for others. Young girls and women, like the ones depicted in the film, wear make-up and tight clothing for the same reason they dance suggestively or post ‘sexy’ pictures on their Instagram: they associate these behaviours with femininity, power, success and adulthood, seeing their bodies as doors that will grant them access to popularity, beauty and love.
“Cuties” is nowhere near as vile as its controversy makes it up to be, but I understand why it has made audiences awfully uncomfortable – it certainly made me feel this way too. A large portion of this relatively short film (it is only one hour and 30 minutes long), consists of the Cuties practising and performing their outrageous choreography. These sequences are as stylised as a music video, focusing alarmingly too much on the characters’ backsides and revealing clothing, and thus showing the audience how the girls feel and look inside their own heads. In these instances, the director appears to be shocking the viewer for its own sake, posing the problem by merely recreating it. As I was watching the film, I found myself wishing there was some sort of acknowledgement of this unrealistic perspective, possibly through the young girls’ natural awkwardness or an outsider’s perspective, which would break the illusion that they are anything more than 11-year-olds dancing. The film could also have gone further in guaranteeing the actors’ safety through the use of slightly older actresses or body doubles for these scenes.
The movie also falls short when it comes to its writing. Apart from Amy, Angelica is the only member of the Cuties whose backstory is explored, and it is done so in glimpses and short conversations. For a film that intends to depict the reality of young girls, “Cuties” does not spend enough time portraying their private lives. Similarly, Amy’s mother is a mysterious character who momentarily drives the story forward, and who changes her strict behaviour in the last few minutes of the film. By the end, many storylines are left incomplete, the future of the girls appears unclear, and Amy’s character arc abruptly finds itself resolved. As Jessa Crispin writes in the Guardian, “Cuties” suffers from “an artistic failure rather than a moral one.”
The backlash “Cuties” has received, as well as the truth behind it, stands as a perfect example of the imperative for watching a film before forming an opinion. This film is neither child pornography nor is it a misunderstood masterpiece, but nonetheless it deserved to be released without the bias and attacks it received. Although depiction does not equal endorsement, there are many things “Cuties” and those behind it could have done better. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting commentary on the modern dangers girls face as they grow up. Amy, like all pre-teens and teenagers, is attempting to build a sense of her own identity in a world which offers many seemingly easy answers. “Cuties” proves how this search for belonging and approval extends beyond becoming sexualised, and it has nothing to do with sex itself. The film never condones the sexualisation of minors, but instead criticises it for the false promises of freedom and security it offers to young girls.
“Cuties” is available to stream on Netflix.