Here's why #CancelNetflix is trending on Twitter and the Cuties controversy that has rocked the streaming platform. Netflix is facing backlash after the release of the French film, which was made by writer/director Maïmouna Doucouré and which won her a World Cinema section directing award after debuting at Sundance Festival in January 2020. Despite no major reaction on its release in France or at Sundance, the film has already drawn criticism for Netflix after marketing allegedly featured sexualized images of pre-pubescent girls.
Doucouré's debut film centers on eleven-year-old Senegalese immigrant, Amy, who lives in poverty in Paris with her mother and two brothers as they await her father's arrival from their home country. Amy's life changes when she is introduced to her neighbor Angelica who is part of a "twerking clique" known as Cuties, whose culture clashes wildly with Amy's Muslim upbringing and her family's values. Unfortunately for Doucouré, despite a positive critical response out of Sundance, the film's actual substance has been overshadowed by the movement rising on social media.
In response to the Cuties' release, on September 9, a cancel Netflix movement quickly gained traction, becoming the top trending topic and amplifying calls for users to cancel their subscriptions and seemingly punish the streaming giant for perceived support of the sexualization of minors. Here's everything you need to know about the movement.
When Cuties initially appeared as a listing on Netflix ahead of release, the streamer chose to run a different trailer and poster to those used for the French release. The images were accused of sexualizing the eleven-year-old girls at the center of the film's plot and petitions picked up thousands of signatures on Change.org demanding Netflix remove Cuties entirely. Rather than take that action, Netflix instead replaced the controversial poster and apologized to Doucouré for its use after the director received death threats for her perceived involvement. On top of personal attacks on her and the Twitter trend, the movement has seen review bombing on both Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, which now both show user rankings of significantly less than 10%.
The response to Cuties hasn't all been negative: Thor: Ragnarok actor Tessa Thompson called it a "beautiful film" and critics have rallied behind its importance, suggesting Netflix's marketing decision does not reflect the substance or quality of the film. Cuties is, it’s claimed, actually a commentary on precisely what the #CancelNetflix movement is seeking to castigate it for. It remains to be seen whether any of those attempts to defend Doucouré's work will overcome the social media tide, however, as the movement itself has turned the film into something it may be too difficult to pull back from. The movement has now also been co-opted by QAnon - a group chiefly focused on the conspiracy theory that Hollywood elites are at the heart of a cabal running a global child sex-trafficking ring.
Despite the defenders, the #CancelNetflix movement also speaks to a broader - and very important - conversation about the sexualization of minors in popular culture and it's no surprise the hashtag and movement behind it are being amplified so loudly. Proponents across Twitter are suggesting that Netflix's stock market value is currently suffering a significant drop in, though Netflix has thusfar resisted calls to unlist the Cuties at all. When it reaches the point that actual subscription numbers start being effected - which is unlikely to be released until after any action is taken - then Netflix will start to take notice. That is, after all, what drives most content decisions on the platform.