Netflix is in hot water in the state of Texas where a grand jury in Tyler County has indicted the streaming giant over its choice to stream the film “Cuties,” claiming the movie sexually exploits minors.
Rep. Matt Schaefer of Texas House District 6 tweeted out a copy of the indictment today in which Netflix was charged with “promoting material in Cuties film which depicts lew exhibition of pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 yrs of age which appeals to the prurient interest in sex,” according to Schaefer’s tweet.
The French-Senegalese film has caused a lot of problems for Netflix including a drop in subscriptions since all the backlash began.
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Despite the indictment, Netflix is still standing by its decision to stream the film. A Netflix spokesperson responded to the indictment in a statement to Newsweek: “Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. This charge is without merit and we stand by the film.”
The film, which was directed by Sundance winner Maïmouna Doucouré, follows an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant named Amy living in Paris who joins a dance group, The Cuties, in her attempts to determine her identity in her new world, according to Newsweek.
Amy essentially emulates the sexualized behavior typically portrayed by women in Western societies as a means to fit in with her new friends and performs dance routines with her peers that imitate the older, sexually uninhibited women they are trying to act like.
Majority of the controversy comes from the images in the film and Netflix’s poor choice of sexual images to promote the film.
It’s unclear how far this case will go or if other states will follow suit but we will keep you posted on any updates.
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