The Tyler County grand jury indicted Netflix on September 23, 2020, for child pornography. They released the indictment to the public on October 6, 2020. The indictment stems because Netflix has shown the movie "Cuties" on its platform.
The movie trailer created a stir before the movie appeared on Netflix. It has not removed the movie from its platform. The indictment includes the top executives of Netflix.
Grand Jury charges
According to the New York Post, the indictment stated Netflix promoted "lewd visual material." The indictment mentions the movie "Cuties." The charges are for children's sexuality in this movie.
The indictment from the Grand Jury stated "that the visual material 'Cuties' appeals to the prurient interest in sex, and no serious, literary, artistic, political or scientific value," as reported by the Washington Times. Grand Jury found that the basis of the movie was to sexualize the children. Netflix defends playing the film on its platform.
A grand jury indicted #Netflix for promotion of lewd visual material depicting a child after the streaming platform released “#Cuties,” a film that includes hypersexualized portrayals of young girls.@Netflix attempted to dismiss the accusations. https://t.co/nQrDsmkwbA
— The Epoch Times (@EpochTimes) October 8, 2020Netflix and the producer defended the movie by justifying its showing on its platform.
The Washington Times reports Netflix executives claim "Cuties" is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children." They railed against the charges by stating, "this charge is without merit, and we stand by the film."
The movie 'Cuties'
"Cuties" is a French film with the original name, "Mignonnes." The film won an award at the Sundance Film Festival.
This movie is about a group of eleven-year-olds who belong to a dancing club.
It describes the girls as not understanding the sexual moves during rehearsal. Scenes in the movie show the girls with barely any clothes on.
It outraged the public before the movie aired. The trailer upset them, and Netflix did not remove the movie.
The Grand Jury agreed with the citizens and the movie's critics by indicting the company and its executives.
Politicians took offense to the movie 'Cuties'
Ted Cruz, along with other Congress members, objected to the sexualization of the children in "Cuties." They requested an investigation by the Department of Justice. According to the New York Post, Senator Ted Cruz wrote a letter to William Barr writing, "the video streaming service and content-producer Netflix is currently hosting a film entitled 'Cuties' that sexualizes young girls."
Texas State Representative Matt Schaefer showed his support for the indictment on Twitter. He posted the first page of the indictment on his account. Schaefer did not leave other comments than to repeat the language from the indictment.
The outrage from the population was immediate and started before the movie aired. Netflix issued a statement but continued to play the movie on its platform. The company was not responsive to the outrage from the public.
