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‘The Idol’ receives backlash from critics: “The stuff of a toxic man’s fantasy”

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HBO’s The Idol have sparked controversy among critics, with many criticising the overtly sexual nature of the series.The episodes were shown for the first time at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (May 22), making it the first show to have its official debut at the prestigious cinema event.It stars both Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd — who is working under his real name Abel Tesfaye — and follows the story of a world-famous pop star (Depp), whose relationship with sleazy mentor (Tesfaye) highlights the dark underbelly of the showbiz world.Following the first two episodes of the long-awaited series, the show — which is directed by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson — received a five-minute standing ovation from the audience.

Critics, however, have taken a different approach – with many being quick to criticise the series for its explicit content and “regressive” narrative.A review by Variety proclaimed the series to play “like a sordid male fantasy” which “perpetuates the myth that pop stars are corporate puppets with no say in their own image-making”.

It also highlighted the highly-controversial nature of the show, which it later described as including “revenge porn photos of bodily fluids on Depp’s face, masturbation with ice cubes, nightclub-owning scam artists and vile Hollywood sycophants”.A similar view was shown by Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter, who described the first two episodes as being “more regressive than transgressive”.“It’s always a bit suspicious when shows try to market themselves as edgy,” wrote Gyarkye. “What are they trying to prove?

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