note that netflix was the ONLY place on the internet where the poster looked like this and the synopsis focused on "twerking"

no other review, marketing and trailer even looked like this

netflix went out and fucked over the director over something she's criticizing https://twitter.com/BethElderkin/status/1296414875707756544

it's good to know people are rightfully concerned over the movie's content, but authorial intent is VERY important in depicting sensitive content https://twitter.com/mikkipedia/status/1296602824730644480

depiction =/= endorsement
filmmakers should be held accountable if they handle sensitive topics carelessly, but audiences also need full context to be able to judge them accordingly

and a movie like this isn't exactly... "easy" to market with it's full context either... so i don't necessarily blame audiences for having a knee-jerk reaction to it bc yeah, you SHOULD be deeply uncomfortable about that kind of content

but this is one VERY rare case where it actually looks like the marketing betrays the values, context, and the messages being represented

because truth be told the topic of teenage sexualization in the digital age is something that needs to be discussed urgently and respectfully

if all you get out of this thread is: "you defended the pedophile movie," you're a fucking idiot

case and point:
also yeah it matters that the director is a black woman because this would 100% be a drastically different movie with these bastards at the helm

also if you think i'm in any fucking way defending pedophilia or am one, i challenge you to literally find one tweet where i've unironically done so

i'll paypal you money if you can

we really wouldn't have such useless discourse if people on this site actually figured out how to do their own research and learned to READ properly

the director is also from a muslim upbringing and NOT looking through an outside lens
so as far as i'm concerned, she's well within her rights to critique her own upbringing https://www.thewrap.com/the-inspiring-story-of-maimouna-doucoure-our-shortlist-2016-jury-winner/

wasnt expecting to have to make this distinction but apparently it has to be made

depicting something and acting for a movie under a controlled environment is not the fucking same as putting someone through the same duress as they would be if they were in the exact situation irl

and you realize there's a shit ton of child labor laws and regulations involved to protect them during the actual filming process

its not like they're shooting a live news broadcast where they're just filming real life as its happening

and yes, sometimes you have to show off the same kind of iconography and imagery you're criticizing in order to get the point across more effectively

whether or not the point sticks its landing is another thing entirely