Its For Mature Audiences!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

NetflixCuties on Netflix has a TV-MA rating.

The phrase “TV-MA” is trending on Twitter on August 19 after Netflix viewers discovered that an upcoming movie called Cuties, about an 11-year-old, has a TV-MA rating. Now some viewers are expressing outrage and have started a petition to try to get the movie removed.

Here is what you need to know.

‘Cuties’ Is a French Coming-of-Age Movie About an 11-Year-Old

Cuties is described as a “coming-of-age” French comedy and drama movie. The French title is Mignonnes. According to IMDB, the movie’s synopsis reads: “Amy, an 11-year-old girl, joins a group of dancers named “the cuties” at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process.”

The movie is directed by Maïmouna Doucouré and stars Fathia Youssouf as Amy. The movie is about a group of 11-year-old dancers known as “the cuties.” According to a review in The Hollywood Reporter, the movie is about a child stepping away from her traditional Senegalese family and trying to fit in “by joining a posse of preciously sexualized dancers.”

The plot of the movie revolves around Amy moving with her mom and younger brothers to a new apartment and learning that her dad is returning from Senegal with a second wife, The Hollywood Reporter explained. Her mom is trying to accept the situation. The review notes that the movie “establishes its critical view of a culture that steers impressionable young girls toward the hypersexualization of their bodies.”

Screen Daily noted that the movie is “explicitly designed to shock mature audiences into a contemplation of today’s destruction of innocence.”

The movie premiered at Sundance and is now being released by Netflix on September 9.

Viewers Noticed It Has a TV-MA Rating & Are Starting a Petition

Netflix

People who saw the movie’s listing on Netflix on their mobile devices noted that the movie has a TV-MA rating. The rating doesn’t show up on desktop.

TV-MA means “these programs are intended to be viewed by mature, adult audiences and may be unsuitable for children under 17,” according to the FCC.

Because the movie is about 11-year-old girls, the TV-MA rating took many people by surprise. Now so many people are tweeting about it that “TV-MA” is trending on Twitter.

Here is what some people are saying.

One person wrote: “yeah uh….wtf is this? why is it rated TV-MA? @netflix i’m standing outside”

Some people noted that the movie has tags including Emotional, Drama, Friendship, Religion, French, and Movie.

Another person wrote: “had to check this existed myself. netflix are you alright? who pays someone to go film young girls twerking.”

Another person wrote: “A movie about 11-year-olds twerking and it’s rated TV-MA …that’s a whole basket of YIKES.” 

Now a petition has been started to try to get the movie removed.

Change.orgChange.org petition

The petition’s headline reads: “I want Netflix to remove the new movie Cuties as it promotes child pornography!”

The description reads: “As we are becoming more aware of the horror of child sex trafficking, and child sexual abuse we need to come together to end ALL forms. One way we can achieve this, is to cancel shows and movies that exploit our children! The movie Cuties shows children dressed provocatively, dancing sexually and is rated only for adult viewers. It was created for the entertainment of adults who are pedophiles. Please sign the petition to protect our children from exploitation in movies.”

At the time of publication, more than 3,800 had signed the petition (and the number had increased by 500 while this article was being written.)