In case you haven’t heard, Netflix have released what could well be the most controversial movie of 2020, one that’s continuing to generate widespread backlash and polarizing reactions. If the marketing and PR department hadn’t made the bizarre decision to approve a poster that almost instantly faced the wrath of the internet, then French coming-of-age drama Cuties wouldn’t have made it anywhere near the headlines.
Instead, the acclaimed and award winning feature debut from director Maimouna Doucoure has found itself caught up in a storm of negative publicity, one that’s even seen the filmmaker having to deal with death threats being sent her way, which is not what she could have imagined when the world’s most popular streaming service picked the movie up for distribution.
A public apology clearly wasn’t enough, as petitions were launched in an effort to have Cuties pulled from Netflix, but the company stuck to their guns and released it on Wednesday. For a while, it looked like the pic was going to sink without a trace as subscribers avoided it like the plague, but it seems to have rebounded and has now cracked the Top 10 most-watched list.
That hasn’t stopped people from attempting to review bomb it into oblivion, though, which pretty much sums up the point Tessa Thompson made about the marketing misrepresenting both the content and quality of Cuties, even though the internet blasted her for defending a movie that the Men in Black: International star at least had the benefit of watching before passing judgement.
As the furor continues, Netflix have now released a statement defending Cuties from the criticisms it faces from all corners including Congress, and you can check it out below:
“Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. 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.”
Netflix are basically telling people to watch Cuties before jumping on the bandwagon, which seems like an obvious thing to do, but it doesn’t happen often enough in today’s era of instant outrage where one soundbite or out of context image is enough to convince the masses that something is worth berating.