Raw (2016)
Gareth Jones
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Starring Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella
Directed by Julia Ducournau
Screened at Mayhem 2016
Raised strictly vegetarian by her parents, promising student Justine (Marillier) is excited – but equality apprehensive – about flying the home coop to begin her studies at veterinary college. Amongst the seniors at the college is Justine’s wild child older sister, Alexia (Rumpf), whom Justine is shocked to discover no longer follows the family’s veggies-only way of life.
But rules are generally there for a reason – something Justine discovers when one of the onslaught of hazing rituals new students face during this college’s “rush week” involves eating a raw chicken liver. Initially, a shockingly strong allergic reaction (that sees whole swathes of her body covered in a peeling rash) seems to be the worst of it… but it isn’t long before an uncontrollable hunger for raw meat begins to take control of Justine’s life – and puts the people around her in danger.
Smart and accessible, Julia Ducournau’s Raw is a confident and occasionally wistful coming of age flick underpinned with risky genre sensibilities. Leads Marillier and Rumpf, alongside Rabah Nait Oufella as Justine’s openly gay – but nonetheless sexually confused – roommate Adrien capably shoulder every ounce of the demands placed on them within Ducournau’s exploration of the challenges and awkwardness inherent in personal development and adolescent identity crises.
Besides Justine’s own personal discoveries and struggles with her newfound nature, Raw focuses heavily on the concept of sibling rivalry – the initially welcoming Alexia gradually transitioning to adversary as her more academically inclined sister threatens to not just outshine Alexia’s treasured seniority, but to cause distinct problems for them both as she fights to overcome her cravings.
The result is a head-to-head, steeped in allegory but never obtuse, that offers more than enough dramatic revelations, backstabbing betrayals and shocking turns to prove a consistently riveting experience. Deft pacing keeps the story moving at a decent clip, whilst crisp visuals and impactful sound design serve well in absorbing attention.
Be warned, though, that despite Raw’s successes in overall presentation and central dramatic dynamic, Ducournau’s eventual answers to the meat-craving mystery feel as undercooked as Justine’s culinary preferences, leaving too many threads dangling.
The hype behind the film’s graphic violence, too – involving festival fainters and an imposed reputation for extreme, stomach-churning gore – is something to be dismissed. Whilst the practical effects are superb – and most certainly loaned extra impact by the aforementioned sound design – there’s little beyond a single scene that should cause anyone with even the mildest exposure to cannibal-themed genre works any greater physical reaction than an appreciative wince.
In Julia Ducournau, Raw introduces a strong new voice to the world of horror – one whose stories will perhaps demand slightly more refining, but whose technical skills and personal insight are most certainly front and centre from the off. The hype may be unrealistic in Raw’s specific case, but regardless here stands one filmmaker it’ll definitely be worth keeping an eye on.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
