'Cuties': Release date, plot, cast, trailer, news and all you need to know about the controversial French movie
The evolution from childhood to adolescence is not an easy one. It is all the more difficult when you are a girl transitioning into a young woman. Then, not only are the stakes too high but the confines are higher too.
When 11-year-old Amy is fascinated with a twerking dance crew, she hopes to join them. In the upcoming French title coming to Netflix, 'Cuties', Amy embarks on a journey that might see her defy all her family traditions, but it also helps her explore her femininity, find herself.
'Cuties' enthralled audiences immediately. The film was premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition sector of 2020 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2020. It won the Directing Jury Award for its script. While the movie received acclaim and praise, there is a faction of the Internet that, since the release of the trailer, is calling it out for the hypersexualization of young girls. Petitions are also made and shared titled "I want Netflix to remove the new movie Cuties as it promotes child pornography!" At the time of writing this article, 10,220 people had signed (and counting!).
Here's everything you need to know about the movie that deems itself to be a coming-of-age tale but has already sparked anger among audiences.
Release date
'Cuties' arrives on Netflix on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
Plot
According to the official synopsis of the French movie, "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 neighbour 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."
Cast
The film stars Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni and Maïmouna Gueye in the lead roles.
Creators
'Cuties' is Maïmouna Doucouré's directorial debut. Her previous project, a short film titled 'Maman(s)' that she produced, went on to be critically acclaimed for its screenplay and was selected in nearly 200 festivals. The film won more than 60 awards in festivals around the globe, including the International Fiction Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Best Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the 2017 César Award for Best Short Film. In 2019, Doucouré was granted the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women.
Trailers
You can watch the trailer here:
Where to watch
'Cuties' will be available to stream on Netflix on Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
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