Industry NewsOpinion

MovieMaker Says the Quiet Part Out Loud Regarding ‘Cuties’

The film mag is part of the media's effort to attack the film's critics, not Netflix

It didn’t take long for the media to determine the true villain in the “Cuties” controversy.

Conservatives and Christians. The far-left Daily Beast led this particular parade, but it was hardly alone.

Those two groups publicly recoiled when the Netflix film’s poster debuted late last month. The image featured pre-teen girls (think around 11 years of age) dressed in mature dance costumes and posing provocatively.

It’s the kind of visual that should cut across ideological lines.

Instead, reporters rushed to condemn the posters’ critics. To sum up: Those poor rubes think the poster reflects what’s shown in the actual movie.

Now we know what’s “in” the movie itself, and it turns out the outrage was justified.

Cuties | Official Trailer | Netflix

Twitter uses shared lengthy clips from “Cuties” where the young stars dance provocatively for an extended period. The camera captures it all, from the crotch-grabbing shtick to other gross angles.

The poster may have been too kind.

The media is still reluctant to capture what should be apolitical, across the board anger over the film’s artisitic choices. Consider MovieMaker Magazine. The site attempts to explain the controversy but does so with an obvious tell.

Perhaps you, like me, have avoided the whole Cuties debate because you’re suspicious of the motives [emphasis added] of some of the people criticizing the film. But you also don’t like weighing in on movies you haven’t seen.

The commentary ends on this note:

But I do think liberals and conservatives alike should stop pretending they don’t understand that depictions of bad things are not endorsements of bad things.

That argument seems inauthentic at best. Adults can enjoy exploitative fare, be it socially aware or completely brain numbing. Take your average slasher film, for example. Audiences can line up to see it or avoid it altogether. The actors involved make similar choices.

Their adults, and it sums up free expression in western culture.

A movie coaxing young girls to simulate sexual positions, show their breasts (yes, that’s part of the movie) and luxuriate in sensual dance moves is another matter entirely.

It’s why #CancelNetflix trended this week.

Does the MovieMaker confession reveal why so many media outlets have missed the obvious arguments raised by “Cuties?” Were reporters afraid of giving Red State USA a “win” in the culture wars? Don’t these sites represent the entire country, not just the half they prefer?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back to top button