'Cuties' is such an important film for the African Diaspora but, I agree that it is problematic
‘‘Cuties’, the coming of age film by Senegalese director, Maïmouna Doucouré’s, is a contemporary coming-of-age film that depicts the experience of a Senegalese-French girl navigating today’s social media obsessed culture against expectations of her Muslim traditional culture. The film has become highly contentious after promotion ahead of its U.S. Netflix launch sparked criticism about the film’s hyper-sexualization of girls.
The Netflix promotion flyer that sparked outrage
I decided to watch the film after a few friends prompted discussion about it in my network. Prior to watching the film, I actually felt that the backlash against the film was misguided. Someone in my network shared a petition to ban and while some in our Whatsapp group chat applauded, I thought it extreme. Here was an acclaimed work of an African woman being diminished and threatened to be banned! I shared these sentiments with another friend in our conversation below.
Conversation between my friend and I prior to my watching the movie - my sentiments in the green textbox
I had also watched interviews such as the one below of Doucouré’s speaking about the film before watching it. Her explanation that the film is meant to put a mirror to our faces about the hyper sexualization of young girls in our society resonated felt important to me.
Then, I watched the film.
After watching the film, I have come to a surprisingly different perspective.
I thought to share this perspective given the film’s important statement on the lives of African girls and women navigating between the West and our African cultures, an identity I share and I mission I have committed to. Moreover, I thought the more ‘middle ground’ perspective on this film needed more light.
Let me start with why I think the film is deeply important after watching it:
Cuties allows young African girls growing up in today’s society in the West to see themselves and their journeys reflected on the big screen. Obviously, this story isn’t the story of all girls in this demographic but it is a journey and story that matters and deserves to be represented in film.
The film also makes two very important statements about the contemporary lives of African girls in the West:
a. That the melding of the virtual and real world through our addiction and reliance on social media has real implications for young people who use social media platforms as the primary driver of their decision making. As Black people over-index on social media use (ie. consume it more than any other demographic), there needs to be a deeper exploration/research into the disparate impact social media may be having on Black children, especially on Black girls.
b. African familial and cultural/religious expectations and the types of negotiations that often afflict young children in the home in the West have real implications on their behaviors and a nuanced and rich discussion on this dual-identity/negotiation is important and welcomed.
Cuties is deeply important for everyone else as it brings diversity of experiences to the screen that everyone benefits from seeing. It also allows us all to see that some of the issues we are negotiating in our contemporary lives cross race/class/gender line given that Amy’s (main characters story) can be relatable for many.
Now I think we can appreciate the films importance and still create space for a nuanced discussion on the how of its messaging.
For me, scenes from the film are as cringe-worthy as the Netflix poster that elicited that initial public outcry. A friend even mentioned that he had to walk away during several scene.
Doucouré’s has explained that she wanted the film to remain honest to the story by using “girls of the age she was addressing” and defends the scenes in her movie because of her intent to critique the hypersexualization of young girls of today.
Yet, I wonder if the intention behind the film is not being missed by those who perhaps need to see it the most - if it in fact does not perpetuate that it seeks to end.
Take for instance reactions from a ‘Cuties’ watch party which was held in Dakar as written in a Washington Post article:
“Viewers in masks occupied all 120 of the rooftop’s chairs. Latecomers sat on the floor. People laughed at the dancing scenes. They clapped at the end.”
This is the article that actually prompted me to add my voice to this debate - why? Because I find it appalling that people would laugh at the oversexualized dance scenes of 12 and 13 year olds!
Those of us who already empathize with the issue of the hyper-sexualization of young girls will cringe and/or walk away while watching those scenes - as we should - and those who should be compelled by the film to find it cringe-worthy would simply find it entertaining, exciting, or sadly, arousing!
Doucouré’ defends that she did not want to ‘judge the girls’ or ‘take an adult gaze’ of the film hence showing the scenes as they were but could she have achieved these same ends with slightly different means that would not minimize the counter effects? Perhaps more abstract/surrealisst scenes around this idea that could have achieved the same effects? I know this is a difficult question to ask a writer and film makers and one I am sure it is a question filmmakers/ social commentators have been wrestling with for as long as the art has existed.
In fact, a friend and I were recently discussing the 90s/early 2000s black cinema and came to the conclusion I have now settled on for Cuties, ie.
In an effort to shed light on some of the worst of the lived experience in our communities - violence, drugs, hypersexualization, etc - some black films end up perpetuating the behaviors/lifestyles they seek to critique.
I imagine that the implication of this is that film-makers and writers who want to make social commentary must be intentionally anti-whatever it is they seek to expose in their art, lest they risk undermining their own intent.
I would love to hear Doucouré’ thoughts as some of the film watcher reactions have been made public? Would that change her considerations. What are your thoughts. Have you seen the movie? What do you think about it vs how did you feel while watching it? Do writer shave a responsibility to take anti- lens in social commentary/critique work?
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