MIGNONNES/ CUTIES
France, 2019, 96 minutes, Colour.
Fathia Youssouf, Medina El Aidi- Azouni, Esther Gohourou, Ilanan Cami - Goursolas, Myriam Hamma.
Directed by Maimouna Doucoure.
This picture of 11 year old girls in France might have passed comparatively unnoticed except for the raising of controversy, labels of “perversion�… And the controversy might not have arisen except for the fact that this film has been distributed, worldwide, by Netflix. The English title does set a tone – but it is actually the name of the group that the young girls have organised for a dancing competition.
In the minds of the filmmakers, it is clear that one of the main issues is the sexualisation of girls pre-puberty. There is also the issue of clash of cultures, the girls coming from France itself as well as from Senegal. There is also the struggle of African traditions to maintain themselves in contemporary France. If one looks at the numerous comments on the Internet Movie Database, a lot of protest will be found, with words like exploitation, disgust, even suggesting the film is for “pederasts�.
Perhaps best to look at the film as a film. It is a substantial drama, focusing on children, focusing on education and school, issues of family. The film has strong performances, especially by the young Fathia Yousouf as the central character, Amy. The screenplay has many sequences of the Senegalese traditions, women and their groups, their discussions about decency, home life and respect for the elders, the training of young girls to be women in their tradition, and, to the dismay of Amy and her mother (who put on a brave face), the man of the house has decided to marry a second wife and bring her to France.
As regards the scenes at school, the dancing and the twerking, a Western audience would rather take it for granted (like the judges for the competition and some of the audience watching). However, clothes, often scanty clothes, the dancing and moves, the provocative poses, are shown to be challenges to culture and religion. What is decent? What is not? (and are the dance sequences too long and explicit/)
And this is the context for the exploration of what is happening for 11 year old Amy. She has led a sheltered life. Her community shelters her. But, when she sees another 11-year-old dancing provocatively at the laundromat, her curiosity is aroused. She is at an impressionable age, she has moments of rebellion, she experiences her first period. She keeps her dancing secret from the family, she has to work hard to ingratiate herself into the group of peers, relishes acceptance by them, is excited by this world of greater openness and the dancing. And the point is being made that while the girls gyrate, provocative lips to mouth, like the women in magazines and on television, the girls are still rather inexperienced 11-year-olds - and are puzzled by their encounter with a condom.
For this reviewer, the ending is dramatically sudden, Amy pushing a rival into the river, avoiding her father’s wedding, putting on her dancing outfit, participating in the competition – but the sudden stopping, leaving, the audience wondering what is going on, what is motivating this change of heart.
As regards the controversy, it seems important to state that there is no limit to human experiences, no matter how difficult, even how repugnant, that cannot be the subject of art. There is no limit on what can be presented. The challenge is always in asking questions about how the material is presented, how it meets differing sensibilities (and some sensibilities do differ widely from culture to culture), differing sensitivities (age sensitivities, gender sensitivities, delicacy or crassness of sensitivities). This is evidenced in the range of comments on the IMDb, for Cuties and against it.
The film does present a world we live in, a highly sexualised media world, more sexualised behaviour, the use of social media (and, indeed, an alarming sequence of Amy with her camera and transmitting an image, which actually shocks her peers). And the film brings the realisation that these young girls behave in this way without necessarily understanding it at all.
Which means then that this is a film for mothers and teachers, for carers – and with the young girls helped by strong female sensitivity. And, fathers need to respond to films like this sharing the perspectives of their wives.
1. The title? The tone? The name of the group?
2. France, the city, the suburbs, the ethnic groups, traditions and culture, the prevailing Western culture and style? Music, songs, score?
3. The family setting, the mother, from Senegal, her absent husband, discovery that he was preparing a second marriage, Amy and her sadness, the mother keeping up a cheerful facade, helping the preparations for the marriage, arranging the room? Amy and the other children? The meeting of the women, their clothes, discussion about decency, the traditions? The role of the elder, the aunt? Amy in this context?
4. The contrast with going to school, the clothes, casual, skimpy, suggestive? Clothes being taken for granted? Classes, the teachers, their interest in the students?
5. Amy, seeing Angelica in the laundromat, interest, curiosity, the provocative? The girls at school? Seeing them dance? Amy and her need for friends, peers, approaching the girls, their reactions? Angelica sympathetic? Becoming a friend, the visits to the home, the outings? The rehearsals, Amy and her practice, learning the moves, her acceptance in the group? Her stealing her mother’s money, going on the shopping spree for costumes, the gift to her brother, his telling his mother what happened?
6. The episode with the phone and camera, the relation carrying in the cases, Amy stealing the phone, watching the contents, the dancing girls? His later discovering what had happened, demanding the camera, Amy keeping it?
7. The girls, flirting with the boys at school? The phone links? Amy, her desperate moment, photographing herself, transmitting the photo? The boy in the class, the group and their reactions, saying Amy gave them a bad name? Cutting her off?
8. Amy, the blood on her dress for the wedding, imagination, her having her first period? Her mother’s response? The aunt? The interview with the doctor and his being positive about her?
9. Women preparing for the second marriage, the work in the kitchen, Amy having to peel the vegetables? Not carrying the vegetables on her head? The appointment for dancing for the judges, Amy running away, too late, watching through the window, the girls and their reaction? Believing her not?
10. The girls and their clash with Yasmine? And the later receiving her back?
11. The competition moments, Amy not going to the wedding, pushing Yasmine into the river, her moment of hesitation, joining the group, their welcoming her?
12. The dramatic ending, Amy dancing, some realisation, stopping and walking off, going home, the support of her mother, the reaction of her aunt, then her going outside, the children skipping, her skipping in the close-up of her face? Her future?
