Anonymous wrote:It takes an analytical mind to understand this film. Need I say more?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was an excellent film, although certain scenes were definitely hard to watch, but really this is today's world and what kids do. I am a mother, not a pedo. I think this film was meant to be a warning to parents.

It came across to me that the point the writer/director was trying to make is that the lead character, Amy, is trying to escape a very patriarchal culture (Islam here, but you could substitute a lot of other extreme patriarchal religious sects), so she latches onto the "modern" vision of female freedom, which is to wear clothes like that, and dance like that.

In the end, where she breaks down on stage, she realizes that she just went from a really conservative culture that demoralizes and oppresses women, sexualizes them and takes away their choices, to the complete opposite side, a totally free-for-all "freedom" that still oppresses and takes advantages of females by sexualizing them, even at a young age. Both sides sexualize females, the extreme conservative and the "total freedom" side.

She ends up attending her father's marriage to his new second/sister wife in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. She did not wear her traditional dress she was supposed to, and she ditched the skimpy dance team outfit. She took the middle of the road by wearing the pants and long sleeve shirt.

My take is that the film was meaning that conservative cultures sexualize females at early ages and so does modern culture - differently, but the same really in the end.

I thought it was a very thought provoking and excellent film about today's culture and supposed feminism (WAP and all that) compared with conservative culture, but then again, I'm a mother and not a pedophile. I could see where some scenes would be loved by a pedo, but let's be honest, if someone is a pedo they are probably focusing their interest on other images/etc. besides this film.

excellent take- it is meant to be a warning. The dances are over the top but Amy's father's totally gratuitously taking second wife is also absolutely disgusting and outrageous. The man is depending on the french taxpayer to already support his first family! And Im an observant Muslim so spare me the cultural relativism. Her father is being selfish and thinking only of himself and not the tarbiyat of his son and daughter.

I think the disgusting dances are supposed to be repulsive b/c too many people think the dances on the pageant shows etc are ok- she had to shock. I don't think they are references to Senagalese culture at all, the dances they copy are Latin American. The film shows how these are just little girls having fun who have no guidance on how to transition into adulthood other than from overly sexualized entertainment industry. I hope to goodness that the PP is wrong and the dance moves these girls do are not elevated to 'art' for children. Some ballet is not appropriate for kids either and will make them feel uncomfortable - kids shouldn't be exposed to stuff that make them feel a nasty sick feeling in their stomach - and afternoon with the faun is art but it's not appropriate for kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haven't watched yet.
Remember the movie 13 with Evan rachel wood? Is the shock value similar?.it seems like this has a cultural component that grapples with the idea of over sexualized young girls and women whereas a lot of other movies dont ask these grappling questions about western culture, assimilation, exploitation etc

At least 13 was meant to shock people into seeing what very young kids might be doing, and shock parents somewhat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen_(2003_film)

These sort of things just seem like an unabashed celebration of ick.
https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/toddlers-tiaras/full-episodes/a-toddlers-swimsuit-competition

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I watched a number of scenes but when I saw the dance scene I was done. Unless the film plays it as being aware how inappropriate it was akin to Little Miss Sunshine's dance scene I can't understand how this made it this far.

Then again, Netflix is running The Kissing Booth, which to me reads as inappropriate between the two leads.

Methinks Netflix execs are calling it edgy and realistic when it looks a whole lot like a reason to put small young girls in sexual situations.

It DOES. That's the whole point of the movie. Please watch the movie before you comment on how it's sexualizing young children. I'm so sick of people being offended with something out of context.

Anonymous wrote:I watched a number of scenes but when I saw the dance scene I was done. Unless the film plays it as being aware how inappropriate it was akin to Little Miss Sunshine's dance scene I can't understand how this made it this far.

Then again, Netflix is running The Kissing Booth, which to me reads as inappropriate between the two leads.

Methinks Netflix execs are calling it edgy and realistic when it looks a whole lot like a reason to put small young girls in sexual situations.

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was an excellent film, although certain scenes were definitely hard to watch, but really this is today's world and what kids do. I am a mother, not a pedo. I think this film was meant to be a warning to parents.

It came across to me that the point the writer/director was trying to make is that the lead character, Amy, is trying to escape a very patriarchal culture (Islam here, but you could substitute a lot of other extreme patriarchal religious sects), so she latches onto the "modern" vision of female freedom, which is to wear clothes like that, and dance like that.

In the end, where she breaks down on stage, she realizes that she just went from a really conservative culture that demoralizes and oppresses women, sexualizes them and takes away their choices, to the complete opposite side, a totally free-for-all "freedom" that still oppresses and takes advantages of females by sexualizing them, even at a young age. Both sides sexualize females, the extreme conservative and the "total freedom" side.

She ends up attending her father's marriage to his new second/sister wife in jeans and a long sleeve shirt. She did not wear her traditional dress she was supposed to, and she ditched the skimpy dance team outfit. She took the middle of the road by wearing the pants and long sleeve shirt.

My take is that the film was meaning that conservative cultures sexualize females at early ages and so does modern culture - differently, but the same really in the end.

I thought it was a very thought provoking and excellent film about today's culture and supposed feminism (WAP and all that) compared with conservative culture, but then again, I'm a mother and not a pedophile. I could see where some scenes would be loved by a pedo, but let's be honest, if someone is a pedo they are probably focusing their interest on other images/etc. besides this film.

Anonymous wrote:Haven't watched yet.
Remember the movie 13 with Evan rachel wood? Is the shock value similar?.it seems like this has a cultural component that grapples with the idea of over sexualized young girls and women whereas a lot of other movies dont ask these grappling questions about western culture, assimilation, exploitation etc

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The film is a little over an hour and a half. The clips people are posting are taken out of context and are a small part of the film. There is a whole other story line. The girl's dad is in Senegal bringing back a second wife when the movie starts. The daughter Amy is lonely and upset. She rebels by hanging out with a group of girls who want to grow up fast. They realize older girls who flaunt their sexuality get attention. The last scene is Amy in jeans and a long sleeve shirt jumping rope. Her dress for the African wedding and dance outfit are left on her bed side by side. It was a good movie.

100%. It was a really good movie shot by a female director as a coming of age film. The people trying to twist it as gross (child porn!) seem the most diseased and disgusting. It was well done. Anyone who hasn't watched it should not comment.

/a feminist who is very sensitive towards portrayal of women and girls in media

Anonymous wrote:I only saw the trailer, but that kind of dancing is pretty typical for girls' dance competitions nowadays (and was actually pretty tame compared to some stuff out there). They're having fun and don't see their dancing as sexual.

Waltz and ballet were once considered highly sexual. A young girl doing ballet or gymnastics was "child porn" and inappropriate. Culture changes. In 30 years, the kind of dancing in the film won't be seen as sexual, it'll be seen as an art form.

Anonymous wrote:A bunch of pedophiles claiming to be feminists on here