Netflix's "Cuties" - The Preteen Sexual Objectification Equivalent of "Funny Games"

[who dare wins?]

Something dawned on me with this whole thing with Netflix.

Someone at Netflix greenlit this film.
Someone else at Netflix decided "yes, this is the best way to market this film."
Yet another person at Neflix decided "yes, this is how we want our promotional materials to look."
Still one more declined to raise a single goddamn complaint about this marketing campaign.

Any one of these is a hilarious fuck-up, but all of them together demonstrate what I can only describe as a comedy of errors.

This had to have gone through a long process. A multitude of people must have seen this and gone "YUP, THIS IS FINE" without any fucking second thought whatsoever. some board or team of directors at some part of the company saw this and thought the same. the people dealing with international films in Netflix also saw this. it really shows how truly fucked up this all is

 

[OvercookedBacon]

I still find it "funny" that they did indeed change the preview image ... to four girls looking at the camera with that weird puckered kissy face, obviously trying to be sensual or something. Yep, that's certainly better. *sarcasm meter explodes*

 

[Positron]

That synopsis also mentions a woman being upset her husband is taking another wife (which is a big feminist nono) so I think that even though the director has picked a side, most people in the audience will take a look at this and decide both Islam and sexual degeneracy are shitty.

Judging by the synopsis, if there is a message of this film, it is that being sexually aggressive and "empowered" will not liberate a girl. The mother has to endure her husband taking a second wife, and the additional humiliation of being "persuaded" to host the wedding party. The girl thinks that sex will allow her to manipulate her cousin, but comes out disappointed (and perhaps humiliated too). If she is to follow this path, using sex as her sole means of getting on with life, she will surely be abused and might even die before adulthood. The Netflix marketeer might think the girl is brave or progressive for "challenging familial tradition", but doing so will just make her life more tragic than her mom's.

 

[Quintex96]

I shudder to think of what the first one is.

Madeline

 

[Ahriman]

Less than 200k and the video will reach a million dislikes, nice.

CUM ON STEP IT UP!!!

 

[AnOminous]

Something dawned on me with this whole thing with Netflix.

Someone at Netflix greenlit this film.
Someone else at Netflix decided "yes, this is the best way to market this film."
Yet another person at Neflix decided "yes, this is how we want our promotional materials to look."
Still one more declined to raise a single goddamn complaint about this marketing campaign.

Any one of these is a hilarious fuck-up, but all of them together demonstrate what I can only describe as a comedy of errors.

Netflix didn't make it or fund it. They're only the international distributors.

 

[Dante Alighieri]

Hopefully Lucifer wont mess it up either

They had an episode where they genderbent a few characters for a storytelling vignette but that's only to use the same actors.

 

[Gar For Archer]

Judging by the synopsis, if there is a message of this film, it is that being sexually aggressive and "empowered" will not liberate a girl. The mother has to endure her husband taking a second wife, and the additional humiliation of being "persuaded" to host the wedding party. The girl thinks that sex will allow her to manipulate her cousin, but comes out disappointed (and perhaps humiliated too). If she is to follow this path, using sex as her sole means of getting on with life, she will surely be abused and might even die before adulthood. The Netflix marketeer might think the girl is brave or progressive for "challenging familial tradition", but doing so will just make her life more tragic than her mom's.

See, I can like, almost get what they were going for here, where the premise of a movie is a subversion/criticism of certain themes/tropes but the marketing pretends that it's a played-straight example of the kind of story it's subverting in order to not spoil the "twist", like how all of Madoka Magica's posters and advertising pretends it's a normal magical girl show before it goes full deconstruction a couple episodes in.

The thing is, this is a strategy that works, but not when you're sexualizing real-life 11 year old girls. A subversion of the typical female-empowerment fantasy sounds like an interesting idea, just not with real-life 11 year old girls in skimpy outfits performing clearly sexual dance moves. This movie would be infinitely less objectionable if it featured either slightly older girls (say, 14 year olds being played by young-looking adult actresses) or were straight up just animated instead of live action. If you want to make a movie about how sexualizing young girls is bad, you can do it without literally sexualizing real young girls. I'm gonna say that putting real kids in potentially traumatic situations is one of the few things that are never acceptable, regardless of the context - even if it's "just acting", it's still real kids being put in those situations.

 

[Overly Serious]

They had an episode where they genderbent a few characters for a storytelling vignette but that's only to use the same actors.

If it's the one in this Season - they did, yes. But the alternative, as you say, would be to leave half the regular cast unused. The conceit of the episode is Lucifer having to babysit Trixie and her demanding he tell her the story of the ring he always wears. About five minutes in Trixie complains about the detective being a man so Lucifer swaps her to being a woman. It's actually kind of lampshaded as ridiculous because he completely doesn't bother changing any of the details of the detectives life, having her talk about having fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII and being married to a woman (in the 1940's). Similarly later on in that episode, Trixie demands to know why another character isn't a man and Lucifer snarks at her: "you're the one who wanted a gender-balanced story". It could almost be clever meta-commentary but it's probably just a joke.

It's the weakest episode in S5 so far but Lucifer has always been a little silly so it doesn't jar and the fact that it's explicitly Lucifer telling a story to a child allows it. The cast probably had a blast making it so I can't complain. Also, whilst it seems at first to be the very definition of a filler episode, there's actually a very nice twist:

Turns out that Maze bribed Trixie into wheedling Lucifer into telling the story of the ring, because she's learned that it was her mother's and wants to find her. Lucifer gave his word that he wouldn't tell Lilith's children where she went so it's a very clever way of tricking him into revealing it to a little child. This has some pretty big consequences later on.

 

[Dante Alighieri]

If it's the one in this Season - they did, yes. But the alternative, as you say, would be to leave half the regular cast unused.

Yeah that episode. I was trying to be really vague because spoilers and I'm often a filthy phone poster so using the spoiler tags is a pain in the ass.

Hearing Tom Ellis do an American accent was pretty funny, and the actor they chose for God is an interesting choice but I think it works.

 

[Overly Serious]

Yeah that episode. I was trying to be really vague because spoilers and I'm often a filthy phone poster so using the spoiler tags is a pain in the ass.

Hearing Tom Ellis do an American accent was pretty funny, and the actor they chose for God is an interesting choice but I think it works.

We should probably get our own thread if enough Kiwis watch it. It's a bit weird to have a fun detective show sub-topic in a thread on exploitation of minors on TV.

But yeah, his accent was actually pretty good. Not something I could definitely pin to a specific part of the USA and maybe that's deliberate, but other than the amusement of hearing it, I thought it was real-sounding. I think your spoiler is bigger than mine. I'm reserving judgement on that one until the second half of the season is released.

 

[GenociderSyo]

This is almost as creepy as their series that was like Dance Moms, but with two drag queens running it.

 

[General Disarray]

Just a reminder that the Obamas penned a deal with Netflix to 'produce content' - and apparently, is a quid pro quo in exchange for the regulation of the Internet that benefits Netflix.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

Netflix didn't make it or fund it. They're only the international distributors.

Yeah, we know the French made it, which in and of itself is fucking creepy and everyone over there should be arrested or looked into. But let's not lie and say Netflix is innocent on the matter either. I mean it was them who brought attention to this movie towards the masses, and it was their promotional team who made that poster in the first place.

 

[AnOminous]

Yeah, we know the French made it, which in and of itself is fucking creepy and everyone over there should be arrested or looked into. But let's not lie and say Netflix is innocent on the matter either. I mean it was them who brought attention to this movie towards the masses, and it was their promotional team who made that poster in the first place.

I'm just saying possibly the original isn't as bad as the overtly pedophilic advertising material Netflix generated. The promo material from France isn't just in your face pedo shit.

 

[Turanist Shitposter]

Some are evil, they stay close to the position which they consider the most powerful, others.... are just brainwashed. I've talked to people who seemed completely reasonable people, then when you bring up certain subjects, it's like the entire personality you were talking to a few minutes ago just disappears.

I support this observation, especially prelevant among women.

 

[Getting tard comed]

I'm just saying possibly the original isn't as bad as the overtly pedophilic advertising material Netflix generated. The promo material from France isn't just in your face pedo shit.

While I agree, its suspect af that it was rated MA/NC-17 or w/e the french equivalent is. If the internet is to be believed.

Also ignoring 650 girls having to twerk for the part.

Spoiler: Fun Fact

Was told that "twerking" is slang for "taking the dick" which does explain the "dance"

 

[Grandpa Simpson]

While I agree, its suspect af that it was rated MA/NC-17 or w/e the french equivalent is. If the internet is to be believed.

Also ignoring 650 girls having to twerk for the part.

Spoiler: Fun Fact

Was told that "twerking" is slang for "taking the dick" which does explain the "dance"

Yes, when twerking first became popular. I was like. "Isn't that just imitating the point of view of a man getting reverse cowgirled?" It's a virtual lapdance.

 

[Getting tard comed]

Yes, when twerking first became popular. I was like. "Isn't that just imitating the point of view of a man getting reverse cowgirled?" It's a virtual lapdance.

View attachment 1541870

I thought the same, but I wasn't aware of how old the term was and specifically it was literally referring to getting fucked doggystyle.

It reminds me of Jazz being a synonym for jizz. Jizz meant cum all the way back then too. Which really puts into perspective the backlash in the early 1900's to the genre. Duke Ellington wanted a name change but it was too late.

 

[Naamaleipuri]

Muta posted this yesterday.

Our Based PoC is at it again.
He regularly gets high view numbers, while he's not conforming to the SJW rules.
They don't know what to do with him.
And that said, I really like most of his content. He's got a decent sense of humor, he's good at the games he plays, he's pretty insightful and he has a not nasally voice.