I watched it. It isn’t porn, but it isn’t free of troubling aspects either. Brief thoughts below. https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1304587833584226305

The story is complex and unique (although the resolution a bit inexplicable). I wish more movies covered the perspective shown in Cuties. The initial marketing definitely did not represent the movie accurately. 1

However, multiple dance scenes throughout the movie really were gratuitous. I was deeply uncomfortable watching them (and indeed looked away).

I understand the disgust around these scenes, and think the many justifications of them are weak. 2

The fact that such a thing exists in the real world is no defense (and I cannot believe it is being offered as one), as is the one pointing to the director’s noble intentions to draw attention to child exploitation. 3

Well, she certainly succeeded in that regard, although it may not have been how she had hoped she would.

The dance scenes in Cuties were not created to be porn, but we can be sure that they *will* be used as such. To me, this matters. 4

When an adult actress does a sex scene, she knows that those scenes will end up on adult sites later, entirely separated from their “artistic context”.

That is her choice, but these are young girls, and this *will* happen to them as well. 5

Can they grasp the consequences of their participation? Doubtful.

There are some people who will never get over this, no matter the intentions, no matter the “merit” of the story.

For me, such use of child actors is nearly always wrong, regardless of motive or result. 6

However, if you cut away the very gratuitous dance scenes, the movie would be salvaged, and it’s message still moving.

But regardless of her intentions, the director made a mistake in including them, to the detriment of an otherwise interesting work. 7/7