Over the past few weeks, the most absurd and annoying controversy has been unfurling online in response to the Sundance award-winning French film, Cuties.

The Maïmouna Doucouré-directed film has been shrouded by controversy since a misleading title card promoting the premiere of the film was shared on Netflix.

The poster Netflix used to promote the film featured the young cast members in a “provocative” dance pose, donning skimpy outfits, typical of an eisteddfod. The poster incited widespread backlash, with Netflix being accused of “sexualising” young girls.

The streaming service has since apologised for the “inappropriate” images they chose to promote the film.

“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used,” the company wrote in a tweet. “It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance.”

Following the films September 9th release on Netflix, it was met with outrage and criticis over the dance routines featured in the films. A change.org petition was started, encouraging users to cancel their Netflix subscription in protest of the film. The petition has currently amassed more than 600,000 signatures. On Twitter, “#CancelNetflix” was a top-trending topic Thursday in response to the film.

Netflix has since released a statement, defending the film. “Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children,” the service wrote.

Love Film & TV?

Get the latest Film & TV news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more

“It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up – and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.”

Now, Republican politician Ted Cruz has his slimy little fingers involved. The Texas politician has sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr, requesting that the Department Of Justice look into whether anyone involved in the making of the film “violated any federal laws against the production and distribution of child pornography.”

The letter details the umbrage Cruz takes with the film and the way that it “The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these per-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing, including at least one scene with partial child nudity.”

A letter that almost certainly proves that Cruz has not actually seen the film. The claims of “child nudity” are possibly a reference to a fabricated scene that made its way to the user-edited IMDB Parent’s Guide for the film.

The rumour claims that there is a scene in the film that features a topless preteen. However, the only brief scene of nudity involves a woman who is of age. Netflix is yet to respond to Cruz’s letter.

Cuties is the story of Amy, an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim immigrant who falls in with “free-spirited dance clique” (called “the Cuties”) of her Paris middle school as an act of rebellion against what she believes to be her family’s oppressive conventions.

“This isn’t a health & safety ad,” director Maïmouna Doucouré explained of her film in an interview with Cineuropa. 

“This is most of all an uncompromising portrait of an 11-year-old girl plunged in a world that imposes a series of dictates on her. It was very important not to judge these girls, but most of all to understand them, to listen to them, to give them a voice, to take into account the complexity of what they’re living through in society, and all of that in parallel with their childhood which is always there, their imaginary, their innocence.”

Check out the trailer for Cuties below:

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine