You’ve probably already heard about the Netflix film Cuties, a recently released movie which has earned itself a massive amount of backlash for allegations that the movie is a form of child pornography. Well, Netflix has now been indicted in Texas for the promotion of lewd visual material featured in their film Cuties, according to a newly filed grand jury indictment.
As confirmed by NBC News, Texas Rep. Matt Schaefer gave the following statement on Twitter where he shared an image of the indictment against Netflix:
“Netflix, Inc. indicted by grand jury in Tyler Co., Tx for promoting material in Cuties film which depicts lewd exhibition of pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child who was younger than 18 yrs of age which appeals to the prurient interest in sex”
The indictment that Texas Rep. Matt Schaefer was able to share on Twitter is definitely an intense allegation against Netflix. While some would expect the streaming service to back down, it looks like Netflix is simply continuing to reject these allegations against them for Cuties. In fact, they even gave NBC the following statement that they still stand by their release of Cuties and that there’s nothing wrong with the film:
“‘Cuties’ is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children,” the statement said. “This charge is without merit and we stand by the film.”
Although Cuties has been commonly referred to as a social commentary by those who’ve worked on the film, released it, or even by certain fans and celebrities – many audiences still feel it is an outright act of child pornography and exploitation. As evident in the recent indictment situation.
As the ongoing backlash continues, it’ll be interesting to see if Netflix will end up changing their mind about Cuties – especially now that they’ve actually been criminally charged.