Cuties

At a middle school in a tight knit community, Amy is a smart, restless girl watching the world move faster than she can. She discovers a spirited internet age dance circle called the Cuties, and invites the new energy and daring it promises. The group blends playful choreography with a push toward adult style that both thrills Amy and unsettles her mother, who worries about what her daughter is absorbing. As Amy trains, films her own performances and shares them online, the line between self expression and risky exposure becomes harder to draw. The film follows a girl trying to negotiate identity, belonging, and family boundaries without sugar coating the consequences. Its tone balances curiosity with caution. The atmosphere stays intimate yet uneasy.

Directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, Cuties grew from her own idea and serves as her feature debut. It premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, where it drew early attention, and later reached a global audience when Netflix released it to streaming audiences.

At the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Doucouré earned the Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic section for Cuties. The honor highlighted Doucouré's decisive vision and the film's daring fusion of social critique with a carefully choreographed portrayal of adolescence.

Cuties became a lightning rod for debate about how preadolescents are portrayed in media and on social media. Critics and viewers argued about the line between critique and sensationalism, while supporters framed the film as a sharp indictment of parental pressure and digital culture. It contrasts innocence with exposure.

Critics were divided; some praised Doucouré's ambition to scrutinize puberty, social media, and family dynamics, while others found the portrayal exploitative. The film probes themes of identity, belonging, tradition versus modernity, and the pull of peer acceptance in a studied, unsettling way. It also raises questions about consent.