Online streaming giant Netflix is feeling the heat from some users that say one of its newest movies delivers an inappropriate message.
The movie “Cuties” has become controversial for its perceived sexualization of young girls, the New York Post reports. The french film depicts the story of a young Muslim girl who joins a dance crew despite her family’s conservative traditions. The movie became available on Netflix earlier this week.
The film’s official trailer has nearly 9 million views on Youtube.
The public outcry regarding the film has been fierce. As of Friday afternoon, more than 610,000 people have signed an online petition calling for cancelations. Some took to Twitter to condemn Netflix for promoting a movie they call exploitative.
Despite the public outcry and #CancelNetflix Twitter trend, Netflix officials are standing by the decision to stream the movie. Officials suggested that critics watch the movie before condemning it.
A Netflix spokesperson told the New York Post that “Cuties” is actually a social commentary against sexualizing young females.
“It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and society,” the source said. “We encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.”
Maïmouna Doucouré, the movie’s writer and director, has accrued harsh criticism or the film. She said threats against her life were made by people upset over the movie.
“I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hypersexualization of children,” she told news site Deadline. “I received numerous death threats.”
H/T: New York Post
