Netflix CEO defends 'Cuties' and slams criminal charges

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has responded defiantly to the criminal charges facing the streaming service over its marketing of the French movie Cuties.

The controversy was ignited earlier this year when the movie (about a pre-teen girl who joins an all-girl dance troupe) prompted outrage on social media for what many perceived to be its sexualization of minors.

Watch the trailer for Cuties in the video below:

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Netflix's official synopsis reads:

"Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family's traditions."

The movie was well-received in Europe, boasting a number of positive reviews from critics at the 2019 Sundance movie festival, and also won Doucouré the Jury Award for Directing (World Cinema Dramatic).

However, it should be noted that the European and American promotional materials for the movie are completely different, as you can see below:

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Regardless, the hashtag "#CancelNetflix" soon began trending on Twitter, and several Change.org petitions were launched which demanded that Netflix remove the film from its library.

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As a result of the backlash, Netflix later apologized for any offense caused by its marketing materials. In a statement posted on the corporation's official Twitter account, a spokesperson wrote:

"We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. 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."

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However, in a recent statement made to Deadline, Netflix head Ted Sarandos defended the movie, stating:

"The film speaks for itself. It’s a very personal coming of age film, it’s the director’s story and the film has obviously played very well at Sundance without any of this controversy and played in theaters throughout Europe without any of this controversy."

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Meanwhile, a Netflix spokesperson recently told Variety:

"Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up, and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie."

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Last week, state lawmaker Matt Schaefer announced on Twitter that the streaming service had been indicted by a grand jury in Tyler County in Texas, and charged with:

"Promoting material in Cuties film which depicts lewd exhibition of pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 yrs of age which appeals to the prurient interest in sex [sic]."

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Is Netflix right to keep the movie available to viewers? Or should it take the film down? Let us know what you think in the comments.