Netflix still streams controversial movie after apologising as thousands of people signed petition for it to be banned

Netflix still stream a controversial movie despite thousands of people signing a petition for it to be banned.

Although the streaming platform apologised at the time, it seems that the movie is still available to watch on their UK platform as of today (2 April, 2024).

The French film, released in 2020, follows 11-year-old Senegalese-French girl, Amy, who starts to rebel against her conservative family's Muslim values when she observes a free-spirited hip-hop dance group.

While the movie was intended to criticise 'hyper-sexualised' culture amongst young girls, many interpreted it as more of a glamorisation.

Director of the controversial Cuties film, Maïmouna Doucouré, argued the movie was 'a deeply feminist film with an activist message'.

She said: "Our girls see that the more a woman is sexualised on social media, the more she's successful. And the children just imitate what they see, trying to achieve the same result without understanding the meaning. And yeah, it's dangerous.

"[Amy] believes she can find her freedom through that group of dancers and their hyper-sexualisation. But is that really true freedom? Especially when you are a kid? Of course not. Amy will, at the end, realise she can control her own path."

However, viewers were critical of Cuties, which got an underwhelming 14 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Netflix

"I appreciate what the movie was aiming for, and as a directorial debut...but I do think too much was going on and left up for interpretation. It was trying to juggle too many things," one viewer said.

"Do I think Cuties was made for pedophiles? No. I think it was made for parents and society, but in an erroneous way that missed the mark," a second added.

"There's a few too many fake-outs to invest in the film's stakes, even as Amy's antics get increasingly egregious," a third commented.

Netflix did apologise at the time for the promo poster that some called 'disgusting' and 'upsetting'.

"We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties," they said.

Netflix

"It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description."

Although not everyone was so upset with the film, as one viewer thought: "Maïmouna Doucouré's searing critique of premature sexualisation is the opposite of what it's been accused of."

"Doucouré has captured something raw, presenting a reality which ought not to be ignored," penned a second.

"We need more feminist stories like Cuties that illuminate the constraints girls and women face and help us chart a path to full gender equality," another added.

LADbible has contacted Netflix for comment.