I'm fairly open minded. I'm not ultra-liberal, but I'm progressive enough. I don't shy away from the hard truths. I don't shelter my children from them either. So this is my preface to explain why I even considered watching the film, Cuties.
And after weighing all the different sides, my family decided we needed to watch it for ourselves to make an informed decision. It seemed like an important issue that needed more exposure. And it would be a good foray for discussion with my teens. And it was made by a black woman who grew up in this culture, so lets give it a chance!
On the downside, would it promote the sexualization of girls? I chalked that up to uptight conservatives make a big deal out of a non-issue. It can't be worse than all the dance and beauty shows, right?
I was wrong, it was definitely worse.
At the core, Cuties had so much potential. The topic is important and timely. A young girl grows up in a strict culture and suddenly finds herself facing a difficult family situation, when comes in contact with a group of dancers. She immediately glorifies this lifestyle and becomes obsessed with it, as a way to escape her current reality, but doesn't realize that she is completely in over her head until it is too late.
The writing was good, it left some character development to be desired, but it was entertaining. And I was surprised to find that the mother and daughter relationship was actually quite heart-warming, despite what the previews would lead you to believe. The young actresses in the film were all good in their roles and very convincing. Unfortunately, I fear the movie put the young actresses in the very malignant spotlight it was trying to combat.
If I had to pinpoint where this movie went entirely wrong, it was the directing and cinematography. What could have been a cute, coming of age movie, rich with topics for discussion, became a distasteful mashing of overly-sexualized, in-your face dance scenes. Yes, that was the issue up for discussion, but it could have been alluded to without the blatant exhibition of the young actresses.
This is where the cinematography comes in. In what world did they think that provocative camera angles and direct zooming in on the privates of an 11 year old would be ok? You're telling me that they could not have gotten their point across from a horizontal point of view with a wide focus?
Any amateur photographer and videographer knows just how important these factors are. This is the reason music videos are filmed from certain points of view. Sure, Janet Jackson's "If" was raunchy in its own right because of the dance moves, but doesn't compare to, say, Nicki Minaj's "Anaconda". The difference aside from one being dancing vs dry humping--outfits and camera angles.
So if a video like this is made for the sheer purpose of inciting a certain response, why would you portray these exact images of little girls? I'll spare you the examples from the film because the thought of displaying a pubescent girl's rears makes me sick. And it isn't an isolated occurrence, but dispensed throughout the film. How many close ups of an 11 year old's ass are we expected to swallow?
Maïmouna Doucouré should be ashamed for putting these young girls out there like that. I can't imagine any responsible parent that would exhibit their child in this manner, nor any respectable person that would think it is ok to consume this child pornography. I can only surmise that she is willing to cater to the sick desires of pedophiles for her own profit. Congratulations Doucouré and Netflix. I hope you can sleep at night knowing you prostituted these young actresses to create a buzz and increase your viewership.
For anyone out there who is still undecided--I urge you not to bother with this cringe-worthy film. It is the epitome of hypocrisy.
