Cuties is a French drama movie written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré. The movie follows Amy, who becomes fascinated by the dancing of her teenage neighbour, and how this interest clashes with her families strict, traditional values.
The movie goes by the name Mignonnes in French-speaking territories.
Summary
- "Eleven-year-old Amy lives with her mom, Mariam, and younger brother, awaiting her father to rejoin the family from Senegal. Amy is fascinated by disobedient neighbor Angelica’s free-spirited dance clique, a group that stands in sharp contrast to stoic Mariam’s deeply held traditional values. Undeterred by the girls’ initial brutal dismissal and eager to escape her family’s simmering dysfunction, Amy, through an ignited awareness of her burgeoning femininity, propels the group to enthusiastically embrace an increasingly sensual dance routine, sparking the girls’ hope to twerk their way to stardom at a local dance contest."
- —Netflix Press Release
Cast and Characters
- Fathia Youssouf as Amy
- Médina El Aidi-Azouni as Angelica
- Esther Gohourou as Coumba
- Ilanah Cami-Goursolas as Jess
- Myriam Hamma as Yasmine
- Maïmouna Gueye as Mariam
- Mbissine Thérèse Diop as La tante
- Demba Diaw as Ismaël
- Mamadou Samaké as Samba
- Bilel Chegrani as Walid C.
- Canelle Brival as Sweety Swag
- Jean-Paul Castro as Frère Angelica
Controversy
While receiving generally positive reviews from critics for its ambition and acting as well as receiving accolades, it became a subject of controversy, starting from Netflix's initial promotional poster that was widely considered inappropriate. The film received polarizing reviews from audiences following its release on Netflix, due in part to sexually suggestive scenes involving the child actors. Cases of review bombs and subscription cancellations surged, emboldened by the hashtag #CancelNetflix, though Netflix has defended the film.
It has also been noted that there was a decrease in renewals to Netflix, likely due to the film. The days after the film's release saw an eight times increase in the number of cancellations of Netflix subscriptions than typical, reaching "a multi-year high", according to data analytics companies Antenna and YipitData. Research firm 7Park Data noted that the surge in Netflix cancellations died down within a week of the initial uproar.[1][2]