Cuties / Mignonnes (2020)

Today’s discussion for February’s theme, BODY & SOUL (black directors black leads), comes from France by way of Senegal and was available in the US in 2020 on Netflix until several very well known and high ranking pedophiles in government decided that this film belonged in the culture war sphere of nonsense. Maimouna Doucouré’s coming of age film “CUTIES (MIGNONNES)” is an obvious critique of the oversexualization of young people through online & social media in particular. It’s obvious if you’re not stupid or some ultracynical political ghoul. That’s not to say that Doucouré’s film doesn’t provoke. She wields discomfort throughout the movie unless you’re a creep, and this film acknowledge the existence of those creeps. Creeps such as those who criticized this movie and called for its banning. Creeps like alleged pedophile Senator Josh Hawley who likely is driven in this quest by dark feelings he may have deep down inside. First generation French Senegalese girl “Amy”, played by Fathia Youssouf, is desperate for some friends outside of her traditional upbringing. She ingrains herself into a dance obsessed clique in her school and secretly navigates the online world (on a phone she stole from her cousin who never turned it off) to find ways to fit in with her boy obsessed peers. This movie has been taken down on US Netflix (company choice) so it is rather difficult to find. Good luck. Maybe you saw it five years ago? Watch out for pedophiles in your government. There are A LOT. They often complain about art. That’s a sign to watch for. 

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