History Characters / Cuties

CharacterSheet for the French coming-of-age Creator/{{Netflix}} film ''Film/{{Cuties}}''.

!Amy's family

!The Cuties

[[/folder]]

* AgeInappropriateDress: Despite being preteens, they wear very revealing and skimpy clothing intended for the 18+ crowd, with pants too tight and tank tops that [[BareYourMidriff expose their navels]].
* BareYourMidriff: They wear navel-exposing tank tops in their striving for recognition.

* KarmaHoudini: Amy faces no consequences for stealing money from her financially struggling mom, [[DisproportionateRetribution stabbing a boy in the hand]] ''with a compass'', and [[spoiler:nearly drowning Yasmine to take her place in the dance contest. At most she feels regret over [[CorruptTheCutie her entire succumbing to peer pressure]] as evidenced by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone her visible tears during the contest]].]] Any and all abuse she receives, both emotional and physical, has no direct bearing on any of these specific actions and is simply a wider part of her character.

* KarmaHoudini: Amy faces no consequences for stealing money from her financially struggling mom, [[DisproportionateRetribution stabbing a boy in the hand]] ''with a compass'', and [[spoiler:nearly drowning Yasmine to take her place in the dance contest. At most she feels regret over [[CorruptTheCutie her entire succumbing to peer pressure]] as evidenced by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone her visible tears during the contest]].]] Any and all abuse she receives, both emotional and physical, has no bearing on any of these actions and is simply a wider part of her character.

* KarmaHoudini: Amy faces no consequences for stealing money from her financially struggling mom, [[DisproportionateRetribution stabbing a boy in the hand]] ''with a compass'', and [[spoiler:nearly drowning Yasmine to take her place in the dance contest. At most she feels regret over [[CorruptTheCutie her entire succumbing to peer pressure]] as evidenced by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone her visible tears during the contest]].]] Any and all abuse she receives, both emotional and physical, has no bearing on any of these actions and is simply a part of a wider problem she suffers throughout the film.

* KarmaHoudini: Amy faces no consequences for stealing money from her financially struggling mom, [[DisproportionateRetribution stabbing a boy in the hand]] ''with a compass'', and [[spoiler:nearly drowning Yasmine to take her place in the dance contest. At most she feels regret over [[CorruptTheCutie her entire succumbing to peer pressure]] as evidenced by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone her visible tears during the contest]].]]

* SixthRanger: [[spoiler:Becomes the Cuties' fifth member when Angelica [[FanOfTheUnderdog warms up to her]] and convinces the other three girls to let her join. Jess, Coumba, and Yasmine are reluctant at first, but after Amy proficiently records the group's dancing routine, they let her in, apologizing for their past bullying. [[DeconstructedTrope However they kick her out and return to their original resent once Amy posts a sexually explicit photo of her genitalia to the Internet]], an act which even the [[DirtyKid Cuties]] [[EveryoneHasStandards themselves find disgusting]]. Then they welcome her back after [[ItMakesSenseInContext Yasmine fails to appear for the final dance-off]], letting Amy take her place. She officially parts ways with the Cuties (albeit off-screen) once [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone she has triggered memories of her mother during the dance-off]] and [[TookALevelInCheerfulness starts finding her purpose in life as a youth with a childhood to enjoy while it lasts]].]]

* TheCutie: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Angelica's affiliation with a sexually precocious dancing squad shows that she's [[DirtyKid not so innocent]], however, Angelica becomes a sweet, giggly GenkiGirl upon befriending Amy. Adding to it are her squeaky voice and {{Meganekko}} glasses.[[note]]The downplayed aspect of this trope is ironic given the group's name is the plural form of this trope.[[/note]]

* {{Meganekko}}: A [[TheCutie cute]], giggly, squeaky-voiced Asian GenkiGirl who wears glasses.

* DisproportionateRetribution: While it wasn't right of Amy to spy on her dance troupe in the middle of a routine, throwing a rock at Amy's forehead to get her to stop was certainly '''[[{{Understatement}} not]]''' a good way to respond.

* AmbiguouslyBi: She's shown attempting to seduce teenage boys along with the rest of the Cuties [[spoiler:after joining them]], but she has no problem filming the group performing sexually inappropriate dance moves and even joining them in doing so, and also makes inappropriate physical contact with them during the dance montages.

* LockedOutOfTheLoop: He doesn't know that his sister is [[spoiler:part of an age-inappropriate dancing troupe.]]

The central point of the film, the "Cuties" are a dance group of preteen girls who [[AgeInappropriateArt dress proactively for their age]] and engage in an age-inappropriate dancing move no other than twerking.

* DirtyKid: For girls who are early in puberty, they have a highly inappropriate interest in dressing and dancing proactively. They go as far as to pressure Amy into taking pictures of a boy's private parts who was peeing in a urinal (she fails, obviously).
* EveryoneHasStandards: As sexually mature as they try to act for their age, such as suggestively dancing to sexually explicit music, dressing skimpy, watching porn, and attempting to take photos of a classmate's penis, the Cuties are repulsed by Amy's decision to share a photo of her genitals on the Internet. Even the aggressive and foul-mouthed Coumba felt uncomfortable about it and admits that her parents would have punished her severely if she ever attempted anything like that.

* IronicName: Their name would imply that they're, well, [[TheCutie cu]][[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin te]] little girls. But despite their ages, their sexually precocious fashion and dance choreography is a conscious effort on their part to [[FilleFatale appear sexier]].

* PingPongNaivete: Despite their expertise in an age-inappropriate dance move, they think people with AIDS use condoms, not knowing that the contraceptive's purpose is to ''prevent'' sexually transmitted diseases (and pregnancy).

[[folder: Amy Dior]]

[[folder: Mariam Dior]]

[[folder: Mr. Dior]]

[[folder: Ishmael Dior]]

* HeterosexualLifePartners: They seem to stick together seeing how they embrace their closeness as a GirlPosse, never being seen apart from each other at school, and going out to a laser tag joint and blowing their parents' money on their favorite clothes, having a fun time together.

* CheerfulChild: Has shades of this in his appearances, like when he eagerly informs his mom that he's going to wear Amy's clothes to the wedding (in payback for her wearing his) and attempts to create a swimming pool in his bathtub.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Once Amy overhears music being played behind a gate, she suspects it's the Cuties, by whom she became instantly intrigued at school after seeing her apartment neighbor Amy is part of it. When she peaks through the gate, she's right, and suddenly the girls start chastising her, with Jess throwing a rock at her forehead. While it wasn't right for Amy to spy on them, the Cuties really made a DisproportionateRetribution by retaliating, as Amy meant no harm and was just eager to learn more about the dancing troupe after having missed the opportunity at school earlier that day (since the girls had been rushed back to class the moment Amy saw them on the yard).

* ReplacementGoldfish: While her fate post-[[spoiler:drowning]] [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse remains unknown]], Yasmine's place in the final dance competition is replaced by Amy when the former fails to show up (for obvious reasons).

* TookALevelInCheerfulness: [[spoiler:The movie ends with Amy, after leaving the Cuties, joining neighborhood kids in a game of jump rope, rising high into the air with a huge smile on her face, being the poor TroubledChild and [[CorruptTheCutie corrupt "Cutie"]] before enjoying youth the way an early adolescent girl would.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: [[spoiler:Joining the Cuties]] really warped her personality. She steals money from her struggling mother, '''stabs a boy in the palm'' in retaliation for [[DisproportionateRetribution smacking her butt]], and on top of that, [[spoiler:pushes Yasmine into a canal [[CompetitionFreak to take her place in the dancing competition]].]]

* FishOutOfWater: Amy she gains an interest in the titular Cuties dance group and is eager to join them, but she is mocked for her homely clothes and "flat butt," showing that she lacks experience in their culture. [[CorruptTheCutie That is, until she makes an effort to dress more maturely (to say the least)]].

* ExtremeDoormat: When she's being mocked by the Cuties, her only response is to remain silent rather than reporting the bullying to a nearby adult. And her constant victimization only furthers her desire to gain approval by the group, leading her to act overly nice in the form of [[ItMakesSenseInContext questioning if they have any brothers when they're examining a porn video]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: She [[spoiler:stabs a boy in the hand as retaliation against him smacking her butt in class]]. While what he did was wrong, Amy's resort to such violence was completely unjustified.

* KarmaHoudini: Amy faces no consequences for stealing money from her financially struggling mom, [[DisproportionateRetribution stabbing a boy in the hand]], and [[spoiler:nearly drowning Yasmine to take her place in the dance contest. At most she feels regret over [[CorruptTheCutie her entire succumbing to peer pressure]] as evidenced by [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone her visible tears during the contest]].]]

CharacterSheet for the French coming-of-age film ''Film/{{Cuties}}''.

* DaddyIssues: Her father marrying another women while still in a marriage with Miram contributes to Amy's troubles.

* {{Foil}}: Amy and Angelica bond over being neighbors who are similarly conformists of rituals. However Amy's culture is Islamic while Angelica's is Internet popularity. In addition, Angelica is a sweet GenkiGirl when she gets along with Amy, while Amy is a mellow TroubledChild. [[spoiler:Until the ending, where Amy becomes just as cheerful as Angelica.]]

* HatesTheirParent: After ([[ExactEavesdropping accidentally]]) discovering that her father is marrying a second woman, Amy instantly develops a passionate grudge against him, going as far as toss a phone out the window when his voice is heard on the phone. {{Justified|Trope}} as the news was causing Amy's mother grief too, and Amy was sticking up for her mother.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: For some reason, when a piece of wedding confetti that was stuck on her hair suddenly falls in front of her, it triggers this reaction from Amy during the dance competition, where she suddenly cries and becomes petrified in the middle of their dance routine, perhaps due to the realization that the audience was booing them or that she had abandoned an important family event just to dance—[[AmbiguousSituation it's never made clear]]. As a result, she runs away from the competition altogether to go home.

* SixthRanger: [[spoiler:Becomes the Cuties' fifth member when Angelica [[FanOfTheUnderdog warms up to her]] and convinces the other three girls to let her join. Jess, Coumba and Yasmine are reluctant at first, but after Amy proficiently records the group's dancing routine, they let her in, apologizing for their past bullying. [[DeconstructedTrope However they kick her out and return to their original resent once Amy posts a sexually explicit photo of her genitalia to the Internet]], an act which even the [[DirtyKid Cuties]] [[EveryoneHasStandards themselves find disgusting]]. Then they welcome her back after [[ItMakesSenseInContext Yasmine fails to appear for the final dance-off]], letting Amy take her place. She officially parts ways with the Cuties (albeit off screen) once [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone she has triggered memories of her mother during the dance-off]] and [[TookALevelInCheerfulness starts finding her purpose in life as a youth with a childhood to enjoy while it lasts]].]]
* TeamMom: Amy plays the role of a ParentalSubstitute to her little brother Ishmael and her unnamed baby brother whenever their mother isn't around. She's shown roaming the store and streets with them without their mother or aunt present, and decides the amount of cereal pieces he gets to have for breakfast (presumably so he doesn't waste it all, as their family is rather poor).

* TroubledChild: Amy is suffering the trauma of a mother going through a troubled phase herself with a polygynous husband, is subject to cultural abuse disguised as family tradition, and is being bullied severely at school, all forming her desire to exhibit sexually precocious behavior. Eventually, she is subject to abusive ritualistic punishment when her mother and aunt [[CorporalPunishment beat her]], splash water onto her, and try to "anoint" the promiscuous sin out of her, with Amy helplessly crying.

* WhatTheHellHero: She gets this reaction from the rest of the Cuties when she [[spoiler:posts a picture of her private areas online to prove she's not a little girl after the embarrassing schoolyard incident where everyone saw her in her GoofyPrintUnderwear]], an act they deem so repulsive that [[EveryoneHasStandards not only would they not stoop to such a low]], but it also [[spoiler:leads Amy to being kicked out of the Cuties.]]

* ParentalNeglect: She is dealing with her husband's second marriage, which ends up wit her worrying more about her wedding than about Amy's true feelings.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: He and his little baby brother are the only characters in the film who don't exhibit a mean streak, being LockedOutOfTheLoop regarding the Cuties' existence. Even when Ishmael causes a minor flooding by overflowing the bathtub, he did it with playful intent rather than harm.

* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: He creates a mild floor flooding leading to another room by overfilling the bathtub, but in his defense he was trying to create a swimming pool.

* CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority: Their popularity gives them a strong resistance of authority. Earlier in the film they're shown messing around and falling down in a grocery store, even stealing an item on their way out. Later they trespass into a laser tag joint and are confronted by a group of security guards asking for their parents' numbers so they can inform them of the trespassing violation, also going to call the police if they don't reveal. In order to get out of the place, the Cuties inform the security guards that they're part of a twerking alliance, using their precocious ways to annoy the guards and unblock the exit.

* IronicName: Their name would imply that they're, well, [[TheCutie cu]][[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin te]] little girls. But despite their ages, their sexually precocious fashion and dance coegraphy is a conscious effort on their part to [[FilleFatale appear more sexy]].

* LovableAlphaBitch: Despite their cattiness towards Amy and [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority resistance of authority]], they become more likeable once they [[spoiler:accept Amy]] and utilize their time as HeterosexualLifePartners who show they can really get along with the newcomers when they set their minds to it.

* TheCutie: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Angelica's affiliation with a sexually precocious dancing squad show that she's [[DirtyKid not so innocent]], however Angelica becomes a sweet, giggly GenkiGirl upon befriending Amy. Adding to it is her squeaky voice and {{Meganekko}} glasses.[[note]]The downplayed aspect of this trope is ironic given the group's name is the plural form of this trope.[[/note]]

* {{Foil}}: Amy and Angelica bond over being neighbors who are similarly conformists of rituals. However Amy's culture is Islamic while Angelica's is Internet popularity. In addition, Angelica is a sweet GenkiGirl when she gets along with Amy, while Amy is a mellow TroubledChild. [[spoiler:Until the ending, where Amy becomes just as cheerful as Angelica.]]

* SiblingRivalry: She very frequently comes into conflict with her older brother due to using his phone as a compensation for not having her own.
* TookALevelInKindness: Initially Angelica is portrayed as a stuck-up AlphaBitch picking on Amy with the rest of the Cuties, however she levels off on this once she begins to feel sympathy to Amy's suffering, eventually developing a HeterosexualLifePartners bond with her.

The curly-haired, mixed race girl of the group.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler:It's unknown whether she survived after being pushed into the river by Amy. She's never seen or mentioned after the scene, but she is shown flailing about for help as she can't swim. However she does hold onto a life buoy for support, but it's unknown how effective it was.]]