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Demosthenes's avatar

Will you cancel Netflix over the movie "Cuties" and will you see the movie?

Asked by Demosthenes (15328points) September 10th, 2020

“Cuties” (“Mignonnes”) is a French film showing on Netflix that has garnered huge amounts of controversy. Acclaimed by critics, the movie has caused the internet to go apeshit over its alleged pornographic and pedophilic undertones (“11-year-old girls twerking” is how it was described to me) and prominent feature in the QAnon child trafficking conspiracy theory.

Netflix has received backlash especially for their initial poster which shows young girls in scanty clothing and sexual poses. #CancelNetflix is a trending hashtag now and their stock has plummeted since the movie premiered.

If you are a Netflix subscriber, are you considering canceling your subscription over this?

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34 Answers

jca2's avatar

No. I don’t know enough about it to make any decision. This is the first I’m hearing about it.

Caravanfan's avatar

No. And the poster doesn’t bother me. My daughter used to go to dance school and that’s what they looked like on stage. She quit because she hated it.

stanleybmanly's avatar

No. I’ll keep Netflix regardless. Whether I will watch the thing or not remains to be determined.

anniereborn's avatar

I have no interest in watching it. But I won’t cancel Netflix just cause it exists.

KNOWITALL's avatar

No I won’t cancel but I won’t watch it either.

jca2's avatar

It is true what @Caravanfan said. Many little girls’ dance classes have them dress the way they do in the ad for the movie, and they move in such a way that to me, is not the way I think little girls should dance. A friend sends her daughter to hip hop classes and the movements seem very sexualized.

rockfan's avatar

Netflix also aired a controversial film that showed a nude 15 year old, I think the people offended by Cuties have already canceled Netflix.

Also, the story for Cuties is supposedly AGAINST the sexualization of children.

Demosthenes's avatar

@jca2 It seems that way to me too. Maybe I’m just “old-fashioned” but I find that poster disturbing. Twerking is inherently sexual and I don’t think it’s “empowering” for tween girls to be engaging in sexually charged dance moves.

Irukandji's avatar

Why would I cancel Netflix over a disinformation campaign? The involvement of QAnon is all you need to know that this is bullshit.

Cupcake's avatar

I won’t do either at this point (watch the movie or cancel Netflix). The mommy boards I’m a part of on Facebook are all fired up about this. I wanted to post that I hope their teens/preteens are not on TicTok because this looks the same as all the synchronized dances out there now. I don’t really care.

I am all for forming a sexual and individual identity at any age. I don’t know the tone of the movie (have also heard its message is anti sexualization of minors) but it’s anti-feminist to control women, their bodies and their choices. As long as these dance moves are clearly desired and consentual, I don’t really have a problem. The problem is the invisible societal coercion and pressure to be sexualized.

Darth_Algar's avatar

Honestly, the amount of fuck I can muster for this is less than the volume of a raindrop.

Demosthenes's avatar

@Irukandji I do have a feeling that QAnon is the only reason this is getting so much attention (all the 1-star reviews on IMDB have to be a coordinated effort on their behalf. It feeds into the “Hollywood is made of pedophiles” conspiracy theory).

LadyMarissa's avatar

NO, I won’t cancel Netflix over “1” movie!!! More than likely I’ll simply choose NOT to watch it. Then again, how am I to know that I’m offended IF I don’t watch the offensive part??? I don’t trust others to make my decisions for me. My BFF becomes enraged over the simplest little things that she finds offensive. When I watch it, I often see the realities of life, so I’ve learned to NOT become offended until I actually determine that I should be offended!!!

KNOWITALL's avatar

@LadyM Yeah I watched the trailer and it doesnt actually seem like its about the dancing parts which are sexual. The rest of it looks pretty good actually. Maybe this is just a marketing gimmick, unless the movie is far worse than the trailer.

jca2's avatar

@Demosthenes: Yeah, I’m used to seeing little girls’ dances like ballet, tap and hip hop but not so twerky and doing things that adults do, and not wearing clothes that are so sexy.

Demosthenes's avatar

Republican politicians are officially calling for the DOJ to take action against Netflix over this movie. Not sure what to make of that…

janbb's avatar

I wonder who the snowflakes are now?

rockfan's avatar

I just watched the film, and it’s actually way worse than I expected. It’s basically a movie that speaks out against sexualizing children, while doing the exact thing the movie criticizes.

The 11 year olds in this film mimic sex acts during their dance routine and it’s disgusting.

Demosthenes's avatar

Hmm. Sounds like the movie equivalent of that song “What Does the Fox Say?” which criticized bad music by being bad music. The purpose of this movie seems confusing to me. I don’t really want to watch it, but I probably should just to know what all the hype is about…

KNOWITALL's avatar

@rockfan That’s disappointing but thanks, I’ll definately pass then.

Irukandji's avatar

@rockfan The film depicts children wearing the actual costumes they are made to wear in real life and performing the actual moves they are made to perform in real life. It is meant to make you uncomfortable. But it’s not the film that sexualizes children. It depicts the sexualization of children (much like a film can depict a war without actually being a war). I find it incredible how people can be disgusted by what the film portrays and think it’s the film that needs to change while ignoring the industry it depicts.

rockfan's avatar

The violence in war films are fake, so that comparison doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Showing an up close shot of an eleven year old’s butt as they hump the floor and pretend to give a handjob is ACTUAL exploitation, no matter what the message is.

Demosthenes's avatar

Yeah, I was going to say, this sounds more like the equivalent of a snuff war film where people actually die and the violence is real. They’re not simulating twerking; they are twerking.

KNOWITALL's avatar

@Demosthenes And don’t think for one minute that some sick pedo is out there enjoying watching that ‘documentary’, real or not. Gross.

jca2's avatar

Is the story actually decent? I am tempted to watch it but if the story sucks, I don’t want to waste two hours just to be able to say I saw it.

rockfan's avatar

The story is very mediocre in my opinion, and follows a lot of tropes from other coming of age films. The last scene and last shot of the film are quite emotional. But not worth it overall

Darth_Algar's avatar

Man, I hope some of y’all never watch the movie Taxi Driver.

Irukandji's avatar

@rockfan @Demosthenes Of course they are actually doing the moves, but sexualization happens in a context. Requiem for a Dream depicts two women anally fucking each other with a double-ended dildo. But it’s not porn, and it’s not sexualized. Instead, it’s horrifying—which is the whole point of the scene.

The same thing is true of Cuties (which I agree is a mediocre film). It depicts girls doing moves that real dancers do, and we are right to feel uncomfortable. Again, the discomfort is the point—not because the actresses are being sexualized, but because they are representative of girls who are being sexualized.

Yes, as @KNOWITALL points out, that won’t stop some perv from enjoying it. Pervs can find all sorts of ways to enjoy things, including things that you wouldn’t find objectionable. For example, a guy in my city was arrested last year for masturbating under a poncho outside of a playground. But the fact that people are focusing on the movie while saying nothing about the real world problem says a lot about what matters to them.

Dutchess_III's avatar

We have discussed real world problems here to no end @Irukandji.

Irukandji's avatar

@Dutchess_III I’m not talking about you or people on Fluther. I’m talking about people out in the world who are upset about the movie but not about actual child exploitation.

Dutchess_III's avatar

There are organizations to address that issue. Are you asking why we don’t discuss it over beers and pool at that bar?

Irukandji's avatar

No, that is not what I’m asking. In fact, you’ll notice that I didn’t ask anything. I’m talking about the fact that most of the politicians, organizations, and social media influencers trying to make this a big deal do not have anything to say about actual child exploitation.

LadyMarissa's avatar

@KNOW I had a 30sec vid pop up on youtube on my phone the other morning. It was several little girls dancing their heart out & so proud of themselves. They were dancing sexier than I do…I just clicked the thumbs down & skipped to the next vid. The next vid was a 2 y/o dancing along with Beyonce & Mom was so proud. Sexy dancing looked cuter on a 2 y/o than it did on an 11 y/o…Neither excited me & I’m NOT going to boycott youtube either…I don’t like the idea of other people deciding that they know better than I do what it is that I need to watch…or think!!! They are the FIRST to complain that you are infringing on their rights IF you try to control them!!!

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