Cuties on Netflix has been getting a lot of attention so I wanted to check it out in the interest of journalism. I had to stop at 44 minutes. Here’s why.
Cuties has been making the news and social media channels everywhere. There is quite the debate on if it is appropriate, or not. From the trailer we see young girls — 11 year old girls — dancing provocatively so that they can win a dancing contest. I know that the dance competition world can get like that, not that we need a movie about it. I decided to watch this movie, purely in the interest of journalism, but honestly? I couldn’t make it through the first half. After 44 minutes I literally felt like I was going to vomit, and I had to turn it off.
Some are going so far as to say this is pedophile’s dream movie. I don’t know about that. But what I do know is that as a mom of two girls, I was disgusted. Sick to my stomach even. There were moments that I literally thought I was going to vomit. Here’s the thing, I can watch gore and bloody murder movies all day long. In fact, some people tell me how weird I am because I love them so much. But this? I had to look away multiple times.
At the 44 minute mark, I turned it off. I was done. I just… couldn’t. Cuties is disgusting, in my opinion. And I could not take it anymore. True, I didn’t finish watching this movie. Which is why I refuse to do an actual review of it. But what I am doing is warning parents about why this one might be a bit too much for them.
Why Did I Have To Stop Watching?
Within the first 44 minutes so many things had already happened that I was disgusted with. These 11 year old girls try to record some boy in the bathroom so they can see his penis. They watch porn and talk about if it is how babies are made — and that if the boy’s penis is long enough, it might pop out your mouth. They watch a dancing video of their competitors where the girl pulls her boob out. Literally. And the boob is shown, not blurred at all.
One of the girls puts a used condom in her mouth that she found in the woods to blow it up like a balloon. They try to catfish a boy with video chat and dirty talk. Then the main girl literally starts arching her back and shaking her butt. Then lies down and begins to hump the floor with her head turned and her finger in her mouth. That is the moment I clicked it off. I just had to. I could not stand it anymore.
I understand that this is a coming of age story. That it is supposed to show the struggle a pre-teen might have as they try to find themselves, especially when they see the over-sexualization of women on social media. But the way this movie went about it? I personally couldn’t handle it. I am not sure what the last half of the movie looks like, or if it makes up for this. But I was sick to my stomach so I could not continue watching.
About Cuties
Cuties is a 2020 French coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by French-Senegalese Maïmouna Doucouré in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou, Ilanah Cami-Goursolas and Maïmouna Gueye.
You can watch Cuties on Netflix now.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.
2 Comments
thank goodness a journalist who is actually normal
Why, thank you!