11 of the most controversial films and TV shows on Netflix

The hashtag #CancelNetflix has been trending on Twitter in recent days over the French film Cuties, which has been accused of sexualising young girls.

It has received critical acclaim and won a directing award at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, however some people who have seen promotion for the movie have jumped to the assumption that it “feeds paedophilia”.

Cuties is not the first film on Netflix that has been at the centre of controversy. Plenty of movies and TV shows on the platform, from 365 Days to 13 Reasons Why, have divided viewers.

Read on for a list of the 11 most controversial films and series on Netflix…

365 Days

This Polish movie, which has been described by some as “softcore porn”, follows a woman who is kidnapped and sexually assaulted by a member of a Mafia family, who gives her one year to fall in love with him while she is held captive.

Many have accused it of eroticising Stockholm syndrome. A petition calling for its removal from Netflix states that the film “perpetuates the glamorisation of rape culture”.

Singer Duffy, who earlier this year went public with her own experience of being drugged, kidnapped, trafficked and raped, was also a fierce critic of the film.

13 Reasons Why

The teen drama has been widely criticised for its depiction of teen suicide. Produced by actor-singer Selena Gomez, it centres on a 17-year-old high school student who kills herself, leaving behind 13 cassette tapes for 13 different people she felt were instrumental in her decision to take her own life.

Mental health organisations have said that shows like it “may do more harm than good” and schools have even issued letters to parents warning them about the series.

Netflix received the most criticism for the season one finale, which originally featured a three-minute long suicide scene. The scene has since been deleted.  

Indian Matchmaking

The reality dating show Indian Matchmaking sparked a backlash among viewers when it was released. It follows a matchmaking service for Indians and Indian-Americans, and has been described by some viewers as a “cesspool of casteism, colourism, sexism and classism”.

Many accused the series of endorsing archaic ideas, white-washing the tradition of arranged marriages and reinforcing stereotypes.

Cooking on High

Netflix was forced to remove its cannabis-focused programmes Cooking on High, The Legend of 420 and Disjointed from its service in Singapore.

This was due to a written demand from the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Singapore has some of the world’s toughest drugs laws. The city-state has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drugs and imposes long jail terms on convicted users. According to rights groups, it has hanged hundreds of people for drug offences over past decades.

Messiah

Thriller series Messiah was cancelled by Netflix after just one season following accusations that it contained a subtextual anti-Islamic sentiment.

The show starred Michelle Monaghan as a CIA agent investigating an enigmatic figure known as Al-Masih, who builds a legion of followers after claiming to be sent to Earth by a higher power. In Islamic eschatology, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal is an evil figure comparable to the Antichrist – whose name translates to “the false messiah, liar, the deceiver” in Arabic.

Insatiable

Described by Netflix as a “dark, twisted revenge comedy”, Insatiable follows a former overweight, bullied teen who, since losing weight, has become a popular beauty queen who seeks violent revenge on those who wronged her.  

Critics called the premise of the show fatphobic and triggering to people with eating disorders. Jameela Jamil tweeted her disapproval of the series, noting that there’s a problem with implying that the only way to get ahead in life is to diet.

Insatiable came back for a second season despite over 100,000 people signing a petition for it to be cancelled.

The First Temptation of Christ

More than two million people signed a petition calling for Netflix to remove this comedy, which depicts Jesus as a gay man.

The First Temptation of Christ is a one-off show made by a Brazilian YouTube comedy group that implies Jesus is in a sexual relationship with his male friend Orlando.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of the Brazilian president, wrote on social media: "We support freedom of expression, but is it worth attacking the belief of 86 per cent of the population?"

Bonding

This BDSM-centric comedy was accused of misrepresenting and stigmatising the dominatrix community. It follows a young gay man who takes a job assisting a dominatrix while pursuing a career as a stand-up comedian.  

People also criticised Bonding for telling the story from the perspective of the gay male character, rather than the female dominatrix, and argued that not only did this perpetuate the male gaze but it meant the women in the show appeared unrealistic.  

The Goop Lab

Gwyneth Paltrow's The Goop Lab is filmed at the offices of the actor’s wellness brand, and explores the effectiveness of alternative therapies for physical and mental illnesses.

The chief executive of NHS England argued that it poses a "considerable health risk" to the public and spreads “misinformation”.

He called out Paltrow’s brand for “peddling psychic vampire repellent” and “claiming chemical sunscreen is a bad idea”.

Atypical

This coming-of-age series is about a high school senior called Sam who has autism. Many have criticised the lack of autistic people working behind the scenes or in any major roles.

Mickey Rowe, who was the first autistic actor to play the lead in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, said he was disappointed that at times Sam’s parents see their son’s autism as “a tragedy”. Others criticised it for depicting Sam as a “robot” without a sense of humour.

Cuties

Cuties, titled Mignonnes in France, follows Amy, an 11-year-old girl who, according to Netflix’s synopsis, "tries to escape family dysfunction by joining a free-spirited dance clique as they build their self confidence through dance”.

Despite receiving critical acclaim and winning a directing award at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, some people have accused it of “sexualising” young girls and “feeding paedophilia”.

Actor Tessa Thompson was among those to support the film, tweeting: “#CUTIES is a beautiful film… It introduces a fresh voice at the helm. She’s a French Senegalese Black woman mining her experiences. The film comments on the hyper-sexualisation of preadolescent girls. Disappointed to see the current discourse.”