Streaming: ‛Cuties’ get by in an ugly world

If you’ve heard of the film “Cuties,” it might be because of United States Senator Ted Cruz. Having designated himself chief Congressional film critic — in his mind it’s a more important focus than passing COVID-19 relief packages or climate change bills — he denounced the film as child pornography. While Cruz’s abiding concern for the welfare of kids is most clearly revealed by the concentration camps for migrants he preserves on the Texas border, he admits that he hasn’t actually seen the film.

Those who do watch “Cuties” will discover a thought-provoking feature from director Maïmouna Doucouré. The hysteria around the movie is not about condemning pedophilia based on the costumes worn by young actresses, but rather attempting to silence artists who make challenging art.

The film opens as 11-year-old Amy (Fathia Youssouf) moves to a new apartment in a Paris banlieue with her Senegalese Muslim family. Amy asks when her father will move in with them and her mother (Maïmouna Gueye) says simply, “He’s put another bed next to mine” — that is, he’s found a second wife, for whom the family must prepare a room. Amy piles into bunk beds with her two younger brothers.

Seeking relief in the streets, Amy tenuously befriends a neighbor named Angelica (Médina El Aidi-Azouni) who, after hitting Amy in the face with a rock, cleans up the wound (with spit and laundry detergent, but it’s the thought that counts). Our heroine joins Angelica’s scrappy crew of tween dancers: Coumba (Esther Gohourou), Jess (Ilanah Cami-Goursolas) and Yasmine (Myriam Hamma).

They call themselves the Cuties and engage in a remarkable amount of violence, from internecine fracases to throwdowns with rival girl gangs (they’re fond of using the term “thug life” in English). In their world, nothing is given — if you want a smart phone, you will have to steal a smart phone; if that girl says she can beat you up, you’re going to make her prove it. Through Amy, the film convincingly portrays the familiar middle school dissolution of self that occurs when your whole life boils down to making new friends.

Even as her skill and confidence grows on the dance floor, Amy lives with the strictures of her mother and her intimidating, traditionalist auntie (Mbissine Thérèse Diop), who promises to teach her how to be a proper woman. It involves a chopping a lot of onions and absorbing statements like, “When I was your age, I was engaged.” Amy remains obdurate — she practices dance choreo in her small bathroom while her brothers cry outside and watches other crews’ videos under a veil while her mother prays.

Thanks to some shattering dance numbers, Doucouré’s raw story achieves the same gracefulness as Andrea Arnold’s “Fish Tank.” Through her furious protagonist, Doucouré ferociously condemns those who wish to control women’s bodies — whether a strict Muslim auntie or Supreme Court short-lister Ted Cruz.

“Cuties” ought to be watched, as does the controversy around it — is our government going to start banning art it finds discomfiting?