just finished 'cuties' on netflix. its such a shame that most of the discourse around this very complex film is going to be restricted to the binary positions of "this is a movie for paedos" vs. "depiction does not equal endorsement". the latter is blatantly true, but the fact 1/

that every sincere conversation about 'cuties' will now have to adopt a defensive stance from the outset is a pity. this is a film that can (& really wants to) inspire so many other debates. the leery hypersexualisation of young girls is one, but this is also a movie about the 2/

patriarchy's iron rod, & how it's brought down on women in much the same way in specific cultural contexts as in wider western society. doucouré spotlights how these 2 aspects function as twin parts of the same patriarchal mechanism, not separately; a very difficult thing to show

there's so much to talk about; i just hope netflix's fuck-up hasn't killed 'cuties' by putting every viewer who wants to engage sincerely with it on the back foot. a coming-of-age movie about a black muslim girl in the west doesn't come around very often (i know of 1 other)