'Cuties' Film Review: Provocative Coming-of-Age Tale Makes for an Explosive Debut

A perfect illustration of growing up today, French director Maïmouna Doucouré’s spirited debut “Cuties” assesses the transition from childhood to adolescence by pointing its lens at an 11-year-old girl at the crossroads of tradition and personal discovery. It’s the type of first feature that heralds an indelible directorial voice.

Echoes of Céline Sciamma’s “Girlhood,” Mati Diop’s “Atlantics,” or Nijla Mumin’s “Jinn” are strident, but the age gap separating the teens in those efforts and the young lead here strongly distinguishes this new film from its forebears. Although not breaking untraveled ground, “Cuties” is a necessary new entry among these idiosyncratic narratives centered on black girlhood going against the grain of the status quo, and no less noteworthy for that.

Exposed to loads of instantly reachable information, both detrimental and advantageous, kids raised on online gratification inevitably mature at a faster rate, or so at first glance seems to be the case of Aminata Diop (Fathia Youssouf) — Amy for short — the daughter of Senegalese immigrants in the marginalized suburbs of modern-day Paris.

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Her traditional Muslim upbringing imposes gender-based restrictions, which Amy begins to reject when the allure of rebelliousness and camaraderie presents itself in the form of four ethnically diverse schoolmates who call themselves “Cuties” and are also a competitive dance crew. Maïmouna emboldens these tweens with a rowdiness and even raunchiness that has too often been reserved for boys on screen.

There’s a refreshing impetus to not only their choreography but also their authority-defying attitude, and Amy, accustomed to strict boundaries, becomes obsessively enthralled to get a taste of that unknown freedom. In Angelica (a vivacious Médina El Aidi-Azouni), the daughter of Latin American immigrants — at this tender age, she has already internalized that she’s failed to satisfy her parents’ expectations — Amy finds her closest friend and an entry point into the Cuties.

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At that age, one can’t fathom parting with the valuable lifeline of a contemporary’s validation of one’s personality, but in Amy’s case, her search for acceptance comes in reaction to the powerlessness to which she’s witnessed her mother Mariam (Maïmouna Gueye) be subjected. As their belief system permits, her father has taken a second wife, leaving her mother to save face and partake in the wedding preparations while drowning in humiliation and hurt.

To manifest Amy’s understanding of womanhood in the context of her family’s background, Maïmouna employs heart-rending poignancy and nuanced humor. A tragically beautiful early scene sees Amy hiding under a bed hearing her mother wail and sharing in her pain, and a later one, dealing with insecurity about her appearance, shows her observing women’s voluptuous bodies — comparing herself, but also reassured that maybe she will one day look like them. Other beats, like her first period, are expected but irreproachably honest.

Bombarded with hyper-sexualized imagery in audiovisual content, Amy envisions a dance routine, featuring grinding and twerking, that’s sure to be deemed inappropriate but that, in her mind, will put to rest the notion that she and her friends are children. Such desire to attain the agency that comes with adulthood is not new, but it has inevitably been precipitated more dangerously because of the internet.

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No other sub-genre has been more wildly revolutionized through the proliferation of social media, and the digital alter egos we’ve all built for ourselves, than the coming-of-age film. Cellphone access, the director knows, has forever transformed human development and milestones, which no longer transpire as they did just a few years ago. Amy longs to be liked and is unfortunately aware of how visual objectification generates popularity.

Maïmouna’s confident writing and directing straddle that delicate subject and ensure that cinematographer Yann Maritaud never shoots the Cuties’ presentations or self-recorded videos with anything resembling seduction, instead highlighting the girls’ learned exaggeration and their juvenile understanding of what being sexy should look like. Playfulness and saturated colors defuse the provocative pop songs, without judging Amy and her girlfriends for being influenced by the digitally-driven world into which they were born.

Youssouf gives a high-voltage performance bursting with quiet angst and volatile dynamism. Throughout Amy’s desperate plight to fit in and to disconnect from what’s occurring at home, Maïmouna refrains from having the character verbally explode; instead her physicality and concrete actions relay her internal unrest, similar to what Royalty Hightower does in Anna Rose Holmer’s “The Fits.” No facile moralist choices are made in “Cuties,” as Amy’s risky choices range from theft to considering letting someone die to stay cool.

There’s great merit in Maïmouna’s command of a tonally treacherous story and a principal cast of mostly first-timers playing true to life Gen Z girls with complexity not suitable for their counterparts on the Disney Channel. 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. Its final shot is a cinematic chef’s kiss that wraps Amy’s innocence in a safe embrace, letting us know that, thankfully, her ability for wonderment hasn’t been entirely destroyed.

15 Highest-Grossing American Remakes of Foreign Films, From 'Godzilla' to 'The Departed' (Photos)

The Swedish film "Force Majeure" was a critically acclaimed darling but not exactly a box office hit. So there was an opportunity to take the film's black humor and install the American charms of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell to see how it might fare commercially in "Downhill," opening this weekend. But surprisingly, even box office hits abroad don't always translate when remade with American actors, and the ones that do rarely resemble their original inspiration. Here are the highest-grossing American remakes of foreign films (all domestic box office figures via Box Office Mojo).
Jaap Buitendijk/Searchlight
15. Nine Months (1995) - $69.6 Million

France, "Neuf mois" (1994)

This much-loved Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore rom-com about pregnancy started as a French romantic comedy called "Neuf mois," but it was the remake that took off in America and abroad, grossing $138 million worldwide.
Twentieth Century Fox
14. "Dinner for Schmucks" (2010) - $73.0 Million

France, "Le Diner de Cons" (1998)

The snappy French comedy "Le Diner de Cons," or "The Dinner Game," made over $4 million at the domestic box office after releasing in France back in 1998, spawning this less-critically successful remake from Jay Roach starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carell.
Paramount
13. "Eight Below" (2006) - $81.6 Million

Japan, "Antarctica" (1983)

Both "Antarctica" and "Eight Below" were big box office hits. How could a survival story about eight huskies not be? But while "Eight Below" is a Disney-fied and whitewashed version of the story, the Japanese film hews closer to a real-life ill-fated rescue mission from the '50s. "Antarctica" also held the box office record in Japan until the release of "Princess Mononoke" in 1997.
Walt Disney Pictures
12. "Vanilla Sky" (2001) - $100.6 Million

Spain, "Abre Los Ojos" (1997)

Cameron Crowe directed Tom Cruise in the American remake of Alejandro Amenabar's "Abre Los Ojos," about a handsome and vain man who suffers an accident that disfigures his face. Crowe's version follows Amenabar's closely but makes a significant change to the ending that polarized some critics and audiences.
Paramount Pictures
11. "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) - $102.5 Million

Sweden, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (2009)

While technically an American version of Stieg Larsson's book, the success of David Fincher's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" owes a lot to the overseas success of the Swedish adaptation of the book. The Swedish version grossed over $10 million in America and over $100 million worldwide. And the film's star, Noomi Rapace, set the stage for screen versions of Lisbeth Salander, further using it as a launching pad for her own English-language acting career.
Columbia Pictures Corporation
10. "The Italian Job" (2003) - $106.1 Million

Britain, "The Italian Job" (1969)

Mark Wahlberg might not be Michael Caine, but F. Gary Gray's retro caper of the classic British heist movie was a box office hit and helped put Mini Coopers back on the map stateside.
Paramount Pictures
9. "The Upside" (2019)

France, "The Intouchables" (2011)

Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart starred in this sweet remake of "The Intouchables," a movie that made so much money in France that it became a cultural event. After earning $166 million in France, the country's second-highest-grossing film ever, and over $426 million worldwide, an American remake of the film was inevitable, and it proved bankable as well. It made $108.2 million domestic but only did modestly overseas for a worldwide total of $125.8 million.
STXfilms
8. The Grudge (2004) - $110.3 Million

Japan, "Ju-On: The Grudge" (2002)

"The Grudge," like "The Ring," was part of a wave of Japanese horror remakes from the early 2000s and also spawned several other American horror sequels. As of 2020, even the American remake now got its own remake, though that one sputtered at the box office in comparison.
Columbia Pictures Corporation
7. "The Birdcage" (1996) - $124.0 Million

France, "La Cage aux Folles" (1978)

Mike Nichols' "The Birdcage" isn't just a remake of a foreign film, it's also an adaptation of a long-running French play. Both film and play are titled "La Cage aux Folles," and the French film adaptation was nominated for three Oscars following its release in 1978.
MGM
6. "The Ring" (2002) - $129.1 Million

Japan, "Ringu" (1998)

The American version of "The Ring" remains the highest-grossing horror remake of all time, and it was so wildly successful that it spawned a whirl of other American remakes of Japanese horror films, including "The Grudge," "Pulse," "The Eye," "Shutters," "Mirror" and more, all within a few years of each other.
DreamWorks
5. "The Departed" (2006) - $132 Million

Hong Kong, "Infernal Affairs," (2002)

Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" is so intrinsically tied to Boston cops and gangsters that it's hard to remember that the film's twisty story of moles and double crossing originated in Hong Kong as "Infernal Affairs," which itself spawned several sequels abroad. And while the film's critical acclaim in Japan was impressive, it was Scorsese's film that won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Also Read: ‘Cowboy Bebop': Live-Action Remake of Acclaimed Anime Series Lands at Netflix
Warner Bros.
4. "Godzilla" (1998) - $136.3 million

Japan, "Godzilla" (1954)

Roland Emmerich's "Godzilla" starring Matthew Broderick wasn't a hit with critics, but it did stomp all over the box office in 1998, becoming the 9th-highest-grossing film of the year.
Warner Bros.
3. "True Lies" (1994) - $146.2 Million

France, "La Totale!" (1991)

The French "La Totale!" is firmly a comedy and performed modestly at the French box office, but James Cameron made it his own when he cast Arnold Schwarzenegger in his tongue-in-cheek action blockbuster.
Twentieth Century Fox
2. "3 Men and a Baby" (1987) - $167.7 Million

France, "3 Hommes et un couffin" (1985)

Made on a midsize budget and starring the most '80s cast of Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson as three bachelors watching over a baby, "3 Men and a Baby" was a surprise comedy hit as the top grossing movie of 1987. But its French predecessor was likewise a success, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language film in 1986.
Buena Vista Pictures
1. "Godzilla" (2014) - $200.6 Million

Japan, "Godzilla" (1954)

"Godzilla" has had so many remakes and sequels over the years, but Gareth Edwards' film gets closer to the melancholy of Ishiro Honda's original monster movie than ever before.
Legendary/Warner Bros.

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”Downhill,“ opening this week, is a remake of the critically acclaimed Swedish film ”Force Majeure“

The Swedish film "Force Majeure" was a critically acclaimed darling but not exactly a box office hit. So there was an opportunity to take the film's black humor and install the American charms of Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Will Ferrell to see how it might fare commercially in "Downhill," opening this weekend. But surprisingly, even box office hits abroad don't always translate when remade with American actors, and the ones that do rarely resemble their original inspiration. Here are the highest-grossing American remakes of foreign films (all domestic box office figures via Box Office Mojo).

View In Gallery

15 Highest-Grossing American Remakes of Foreign Films, From 'Godzilla' to 'The Departed' (Photos)

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