Cuties retains its MA 15+ rating after Australian Christian Lobby call for review

The government has made a call on a confronting Netflix film that some think is a challenging work of art, while others allege it’s a “pedo film”.

A controversial Netflix film has been given the all-clear to retain its original rating by Australia’s classification review board.

The French film Cuties isa coming-of-age dramedy, based loosely on the experiences of writer and director Maïmouna Doucouré, who makes her directorial debut in the film that focuses on a young Senegalese girl who joins a French hip-hop dance troupe.

The film was originally rated MA 15+ for its “Strong Themes”.

The Australian Christian Lobby met with Communications Minister Paul Fletcher earlier this month, a meeting Qld ACL director Wendy Francis said was “very encouraging”.

“He didn’t come out and say that he would actually move to ban it, but he certainly listened,” Ms Francis told Sky earlier this month.

She said the Minister encouraged her to ask the classification board to review their decision.

On Friday, the Classification Review Board upheld the original rating because “the themes can be accommodated within context”.

The film has copped (largely out of context) backlash prior and post release due to its depictions of young girls in the film: Netflix was accused of oversexualising the young actors in promotional material and a hard to watch scene from the film posted out of context on social media led to the hashtag #CancelNetflix to trend.

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.

— Netflix (@netflix) August 20, 2020

just got off the phone with @netflix customer service. they said that as of this time, they have no plans to remove the pedo film “cuties” from their platform. keep fighting until they pull it down. they won’t do it unless it starts affecting their bottom line. #CancelNetflix

— Logan Hall (@loganclarkhall) September 10, 2020

Many of those critics proudly said they had not seen and would not see the film (or anything else on Netflix), including a Republican candidate for Michigan in the US 2020 election who called it “one of the most sick and demented things that I’ve been made aware of in my life”.

He mistakenly thought it was a documentary.

The Cuties documentary on Netflix is one of the most sick and demented things that I’ve been made aware of in my life.

We have a problem in this country when that is available on a major streaming platform.

This is not partisan. #CancelNetflix

— David Dudenhoefer #ReplaceRashida Tlaib (@Dude4Liberty) September 10, 2020

Maïmouna Doucouré reported receiving death threats over the film’s promotional material that she had nothing to do with. Picture: Christophe Archambault/AFP

Disappointed to see how it was positioned in terms of marketing. I understand the response of everybody. But it doesn’t speak to the film I saw. https://t.co/L6kmAcJFU1

— Tessa Thompson (@TessaThompson_x) August 20, 2020

Defenders of the film argued it had been misrepresented, both in the Netflix promotional material which the director was reportedly not consulted about or involved in (but said she received death threats over), and in the clip that was posted to social media.

Some argued the clip was intended to be uncomfortable viewing and is a comment on the oversexualisation of young girls, while others pointed out that even if that’s the case, making the comment involves committing the same crime: Even if the movie is critical of the hypersexualisation it depicts, the actual production of the film would still involve large numbers of young girls acting out sexualised behaviour, including those who auditioned but did not get cast.

They also pointed out the film is intended for an adult audience and has an adult rating (in the US at least).

In Australia its MA15+ rating has been upheld after an appeal was unanimously voted down.

The botched Netflix poster (left) and the film's French theatrical poster appear to send different messages.

“A three-member panel of the Classification Review Board has unanimously determined that the film, Cuties, is classified MA 15+ (Mature Accompanied) with the consumer advice ‘strong themes’,” the Board said.

Another theme of Cuties focuses on the use of social media and its impacts on young people’s self-perception, and it appears the Review Board also considered that in its review.

“It is the view of the Classification Review Board that depiction of how young people can be influenced by the internet and social media today to their possible detriment is real.

“It is for the above reasons, that the Classification Review Board has decided Cuties warrants an MA15+ classification no higher than ‘strong’.”

Young people are not the only ones that can be influenced by the internet and social media to their possible detriment: Many followers of the QAnon conspiracy movement are not young people, but they have been prevalent among those vocal about the alleged evils posed by the film.

Facebook recently took action to stop QAnon followers hiding behind child protection as a cover to spread their baseless and constantly evolving theories.

The full reasons for the Classification Review Board’s decision will be posted online when it’s been finalised.