So finally went and saw the movie. There's been a lot of discussion surrounding it here in France but I haven't really read it since I wanted to go see it without too much info. Obviously the main subject is well-known, but Netflix's marketing really did the movie a huge disservice. The real subject is about the young Amy who's coming of age and sees the "cool girls" and wants to be part of the band. Just so happens that these girls are into dancing and see what "works" (= gets the most likes. They're also following another -older- girl group who are from the same neighbourhood. Basically, they want to beat the older girls at their own game). Add to that the fact of growing up in a traditional senegalese family where she's and her mom are basically living in different worlds. Some scenes are clearly uneasy, some VERY, but I guess that's the point of the movie. But there's a lot more to the movie than this, including the fact that the girls get reality checks after reality checks that they're just girls acting like something they're not. What I also found interesting is that the movie doesn't really adress the "male gaze", it's like these girls are operating in their own world and every now and then are reminded of just how old they really are, and the impact of what they do. In some twisted way, they're not trying to seduce anyone (the few attempts they do have at "seducing" boys shows how awkward and out of their league they are) but are more about replicating what they see.
Other than that, as a movie it works really well. Some poetic images, laughter, the weight of social media, navigating between "modern" France and traditional Senegal, drama within the family, and a very strong ending. But clearly a divisive movie, that maybe could've been more subtle at certain moments, but I feel that "the rest" of the movie is really strong enough and that overall it raises enough questions that it's worth a watch. And if you brehs have it on Netflix you can actually skip the dancing parts if you want