Netflix has been indicted by a grand jury over the controversial French film “Cuties” which has been dubbed “child pornography” by lawmakers and many viewers.
The charge, which was filed in Tyler County, Texas, states that the film “depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the visual material was created, which appeals to the prurient interest in sex, and has no serious, literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
Cuties focuses on the life of an 11-year-old Senegalese girl living in France who joins a dance troupe in which she and three other scantily clad, prepubescent girls perform highly sexualized dance routines.
Following its Sep. 9 release, the popular streaming platform received a barrage of backlash and saw a higher-than-normal spike in subscription cancellations.
And the rate of cancellations could continue, as the hashtag #CancelNetflix has remained a top trend on social media.
Netflix maintains that the movie is a “social commentary against the sexualization of young children. This charge is without merit and we stand by the film.”
But, others see the film as demoralizing to young girls and offensive to women.
CBN News recently reported that 34 House Republicans signed a letter sent to US Attorney General William Barr calling for him to prosecute Netflix executives for streaming Cuties.
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) along with Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) have called on the US Department of Justice to take “swift” legal action against Netflix.
Cotton said in his memo to Attorney General Barr there is “no excuse” for the “sexualization of children,” calling the movie “disgusting at best and a serious crime at worst.”
“The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these pre-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing, including at least one scene with partial child nudity,” said Cruz. “These scenes in and of themselves are harmful. And it is likely that the filming of this movie created even more explicit and abusive scenes, and that pedophiles across the world in the future will manipulate and imitate this film in abusive ways.”
Rep. Jim Banks, who led the letter signing, said, “Cuties is child porn and Netflix should be prosecuted for distributing it. The vast majority of Americans agree with me, which is why Netflix’s cancellation rate has skyrocketed.”
Tyler County District Attorney Lucas Babin said in a statement he “knew there was probable cause to believe it was criminal” after viewing the movie.
According to the US Department of Justice, child pornography is defined “as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor (persons less than 18 years old). Images of child pornography are also referred to as child sexual abuse images.”