Netflix Movie ‘Cuties’ Accused Of Being Pedophilic Propaganda, Defenders Say It’s An Important Art Work

Controversy over Cuties, a new movie on Netflix, has erupted on social media as critics debate whether it is condemning pedophilia or encouraging it. Its director, Maïmouna Doucouré, won the world cinema dramatic directing award for the film at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was receiving generally positive reviews from critics before it was released on Netflix – so what went wrong?

As shown in the above trailer, the movie follows an 11-year-old Senegalese-Muslim girl as she learns about traditional values at home and learns about internet culture and sexuality through an adult-style adolescent dance group called Cuties. Though the official trailer focuses more on the main character’s home life and newfound friends than her dancing, what initially caught social media attention was the image used for Netflix’s ad campaign.