Cuties

The idea and storyline behind the film itself was good however the director felt to establish the line between 'shock value' and inappropriate. The scenes of the girls dancing provocatively felt uncomfortable and unnecessarily prolonged. The ending fitted nicely with the story line of her battle with tradition and trying to find herself in western society. However the actual content within the film was very disturbing.

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source: Cuties

This film delves deep into the repercussions of young women being left with little to no guidance other than media, as well as what sexual repression in religion can do to a child entering the beginning stages of puberty. Fighting to be noticed and taken seriously, these young women end up doing the opposite, their acting out can only get them so far and they learn the hard way. We also get a great insight look into bullying culture in the age of social media. It is a cautionary tale with a surprisingly freeing ending.

If you watch the film with an open mind, it is a very well done critique of our society and our youth is sexualized. Yes, there are uncomfortable scenes in that are very much meant to be uncomfortable to watch as that really is the only way to effectively get the message across.Without those scenes, people would be ignoring this and its very relevant message. The vast majority of the claims I have seen out there are false, as there is no under aged nudity or sex scenes. In fact you can go to Youtube and finds hundreds of videos with far worst sexualization of young girls, often younger than 11, called cheer competitions, as well as there was a reality show I just found out about called Dancing Moms that was far worse as well. There is nothing new in this film, but it wants you notice it and get you thinking about the issue as it points the finger about how society is failing in this area.

The idea and storyline behind the film itself was good however the director felt to establish the line between 'shock value' and inappropriate. The scenes of the girls dancing provocatively felt uncomfortable and unnecessarily prolonged. The ending fitted nicely with the story line of her battle with tradition and trying to find herself in western society. However the actual content within the film was very disturbing.

This is a sensitive coming of age film revolving around an 11 year old Senegalese Muslim girl living with her mother in France. It's a very complex situation as Amy seeks social acceptance with 4 other girls of different nationalities and faiths who form a competitive dance team. Throw in the fact that Amy has her first period and that her father (never seen) is back in Senegal preparing to take a second wife. Lots of stress. Amy, as any child, makes a number of mistakes in her life. The highly hyped last competitive dance is totally taken out of context in the current public controversy. Watch the film and you'll see the wonderful resolution. The depiction of different cultures is well developed as are the main characters. Fatima Youssouf (Amy) and Medina El Adi-Azouni (Angelica) give amazing performances as actual 11 year old girls making their first movie. The script is solid and the direction is very very good. This is definitely a PG-13 level film, not an R. Highly recommended. As to the current controversy, people have a valid reason to be angry/disgusted with the way Netflix publicized this film, BUT, in my opinion, that anger/disgust cannot be extended the movie per se when it is considered as a whole work.

I just finished watching the film in its entirety. Outside of the dance scenes, this is an incredible film. The acting was amazing and the story was very compelling. I empathize with Amy and her friends. My heart broke for her mother's struggles. The cautionary theme surrounding the effects of technology and social media on pre-teens was on-point. That said, the dance scenes were downright stomach churning and, in my opinion, did not need to be anywhere near as graphic as they were to support the plot. I'm not going to pretend that pre-teen children aren't beginning to discover their sexuality at this age. It's a natural part of life and, in an appropriate fashion, is reasonable to address in a coming-of-age story. But to have child actresses dance more provocatively than many women in music videos crossed the line and ruined the film for me.

This movie at its core is about the performative expectations of young women in modern society and the conflict those expectations can cause. The main character, Amy, is raised in a traditional Senegalese household and is taught that the exposed female form is to be derided and shamed. On the flip-side she is also a child in the late-2010's bombarded with the expectations of social media, and modern culture at large that prizes raw sexuality and fetishizes youth. Through the course of the film Amy finds that no matter which side she attempts to please or conform to, she finds herself fundamentally unhappy and both cultures, traditional and modern, find her lacking the necessary grace to be accepted. This film discusses the real world struggles for identity and acceptance that many girls deal with on a day-to-day basis, and highlights the stark contrast between the modern performative expectations of sexuality and a girl coming to own her sexuality in a healthy constructive way. Similarly, we see how even when cloistered from "modern society" in a Senegalese closed-community the expectations of sexual ownership and femininity are similarly fraught. This is displayed most prominently as Amy's mother finds her husband has taken a second wife without her approval and she (Amy's mother) is expected to carry this burden with grace and without protest. As for as the over-sexualization of the child performers is concerned, I can agree that some of the filmography lingers unnecessarily. I believe a greater distance from the performers would have given the audience a better perspective on what our culture expects (See: Tiktok, Instagram) versus the youth of the performers themselves. The film does not glorify the over-sexualized actions, it condemns them. The film never encourages you to "enjoy" these scenes, but to be made uncomfortable for good reason. Young girls should not have societal pressure to be "performatively sexual enough" for society. They deserve to come to explore and own their sexuality for themselves and themselves only. This is a nuanced film that deserves a nuanced viewing, and yes, a viewing. If you have not watched this movie in whole you should not be speaking on it. You are speaking from a position of chosen ignorance and even if your feelings about the film don't change after you have seen it, at least you have watched the source material whole-cloth. This is a story about individuality and shrugging off the mantle of societal expectation both modern and traditional. This is a very well told story and I give this movie an 8/10.