My wife is watching Cuties and my hot take after seeing bits and pieces of it is that it's a discussion that calls for much more nuance than it's gotten. It's definitely uncomfortable to watch but also this is exactly how kids act? idk man

Like I think if we're gonna judge the merits of all art by "could a pedophile potentially get off to this" that's a fucking weird way to live

Plus there's been a subgenre of movies that are basically "preteen boys discover being horny and loudly express their horniness for 90 minutes" for decades and I don't recall the controversy ever reaching near this level.

Also in the age of every movie being about superheroes it feels like people may have forgotten that movies can make you feel extreme disgust and discomfort and that doesn't necessarily mean the movie is trying to hurt you