PRODUCTION | CUT I ES
ACUTE CONTROVERSY Maïmouna Doucouré’s Cuties has been the subject of
much attention since its release, for better or worse. We talk to DOP Yann Maritaud, to find out more about the unflinching approach to the film’s visuals
WORDS LEE RENWI CK / P I CTURES NETFL I X & ALLOC I NÉ
W hen Cuties hit the festival “evocative” and “culturally significant”, and Doucouré claimed a Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival for her efforts. In the months since, though, the film and its creators have been subject to a torrent of abuse as it found itself at the heart of a Twittersphere controversy. Now, in stark contrast to critics’ reviews, ordinary viewers – or perhaps not viewers at all – have shown their disdain to the circuit earlier this year, reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with critics calling it “bold”,
greatest possible degree. Cuties has a collective viewer rating of just 2.8/10 on IMDb and, if you Google the film, the top-voted tags include ‘disturbing’, ‘gross’ and ‘cringeworthy’. The story follows Amy, a pre-teen Senegalese immigrant living in a devoutly Muslim household, daughter to a distant father and a downtrodden mother. At the time of her burgeoning adulthood, she meets a brash and energetic dance troupe made up of girls. Though they’re her own age, their cultural backgrounds couldn’t be further from Amy’s. And so,
ABOVE Jonathan A behind-the-scenes shot of the crew working on Cuties
12 DEF I N I T ION | NOVEMBER 2020
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