Synopsis
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.
Your Movie Library
Cast
- Fathia YoussoufAmy
- Medina El AidiAngelica
- Esther GohourouCoumba
- Ilanah Cami-GoursolasJess
- Myriam HammaYasmine
- Maïmouna GueyeMariam
- Mbissine Thérèse DiopAunt
- Demba DiawIsmaël
- Mamadou SamakéSamba
- Vincent VidalCopain Walid C.
Recommendations
- 90
TheWrap
Bolstered by an infectiously reckless joie de vivre and artfully handled hard-hitting truths, Cuties diffuses the impulse to dismiss it as just one more example of a trend. - 80
Film Threat
The performance of Fathia Youssouf is impressive as she transforms her diminutive, naïve self into a towering force. - 80
Los Angeles Times
Society’s rampant sexualization of preadolescent girls is one topic that Doucouré subjects to tough critical scrutiny; she’s made an empathetic and analytical movie, not an exploitative one. - 75
The Playlist
Its approach may not always work, but the film is undeniably ambitious, and implemented in an affecting way. - 75
Slant Magazine
Maïmouna Doucouré has a remarkable grasp of the irrationality and volatility of middle-school social dynamics. - 67
IndieWire
Although Doucouré steeps Cuties in emotion and experience, she abandons its grace to make crazier gestures. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Writer-director Maïmouna Doucouré's captivating but structurally shaky first feature is stronger on setup than development or payoff, becoming less controlled as its opposing forces of tradition and rebellion collide. - 60
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Cuties is not a blunt screed or a finger-wagging cautionary tale in either direction — which is one reason why anyone watching the film looking for clear messages about right and wrong is bound to be disappointed, maybe even outraged.
