Raw is a French-Belgian horror film written and directed by Julia Ducournau. I first heard about this movie in 2016, when it was getting rave reviews out of Cannes. Being a big fan of horror, I have always been fascinated with cannibalism in both fiction and real life, so I just knew I had to watch it somehow. And the movie is very good, I really enjoyed it. First thing you need to know is this is not your typical cannibal movie. It is not a Cannibal Holocaust or a Green Inferno and it is not even a Silence of the Lamb. What really gripped me about the film is it is not about a serial killer or an evil tribe capturing and eating trespassers. The movie is actually a coming of age story, centering on a first year veterinarian student's slow descent into hell, transforming from a vegetarian to having an insatiable hunger for human flesh.
Justine is heading off to college to become an animal doctor. She goes to this school where hazing of freshman is a tradition. The very first night they get their beds thrown out the window, have animal blood splatter all over them and are forced to eat raw intestines by their seniors. The main character is a meek, quiet girl who is not used to the harsh treatment she is receiving, so she finds solace with her gay male roommate, Adrien and her older sister who also goes to the school, Alexia. After being forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney, Justine develops horrible rashes all over her body, and her thirst for blood and flesh is unlocked. Justine's developing desire to consume human meat can be interpreted as an allegory for many things one in real life might discover, be it sexuality or the belonging in a social clique. This subtext adds an extra layer to the movie beyond the blood and violence.
The movie is a horror film without the use of jump scares or other conventions; instead the scares rely solely on tension and suspense which in turn stem from the unpredictability of the characters. At certain points, I was truly surprised at some of the turn the movie takes, and I was my holding breath whenever two characters are alone together in a room with the back of my mind telling me something "might" happen, and even if nothing ends up happening, the scene still works because of how it took my breath away. I actually flinched more in this film than others that are far more violent. Mainly because the movie grounds itself into reality, a reality with real people in a realistic setting, so when the violence hits, it hits hard. I never cover my eyes in even the goriest of films, but I almost did here. Not going to spoil anything, but there was one scene involving an allergy and another involving Brazilian wax and scissors that almost made me pause the movie. The quality of the scares and violence in this movie goes to show you, you do not need a bucket of blood or a numerous loud noises to be effective. What is more effective is having a good script, good actors and the filmmaking talents to play with the audience's expectations.
I do not understand French, but I could still tell the acting in this movie is very good all around. I want to especially applaud Garance Marillier who plays Justine in the movie. She was really good, and I really bought her as both the timid vegetarian and the disinclined cannibal she slowly becomes. The director really puts this young actress through some hell, as she is covered in blood, rashes or some other bodily injuries throughout most of the movie, and you feel sorry for her, but at the same time, fear her. This is a testament to Marillier and I really hope she does not get typecast the rest of her career so I can see her in other things.
There are some flaws to be had the movie. I felt the pacing of the movie was little off during the second act. Some of the character motivations was not really explained really well, so the editing seems disjointed. Justine goes from a vegetarian in one scene to sneakily eating raw chicken in another without much of a smooth transition. And the ending was kind of disappointing in my opinion as it felt like the director did not know how to end the movie, so she had one of the characters make a choice that was alluded to the entire movie. This is really unsatisfactory because up to that point the movie was tension- filled and unpredictable. Why Julia Ducournau chose to end the movie in such an obvious way leaves me in wonder.
Overall I think Raw is a very good horror movie that is anything but typical. The tension stems from character development, and not a masked killer with a machete. It does have some pacing issue and a copped-out ending, and it is not a perfect movie nor is it for everybody. Fans of cheap jump scare horror might not enjoy this movie, and those who are squeamish probably will not be able to sit through it either. But if you are someone who enjoys a well-acted, character drama juxtaposing with some really intense horrific scenes, then by all means, please go and watch Raw.
Justine is heading off to college to become an animal doctor. She goes to this school where hazing of freshman is a tradition. The very first night they get their beds thrown out the window, have animal blood splatter all over them and are forced to eat raw intestines by their seniors. The main character is a meek, quiet girl who is not used to the harsh treatment she is receiving, so she finds solace with her gay male roommate, Adrien and her older sister who also goes to the school, Alexia. After being forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney, Justine develops horrible rashes all over her body, and her thirst for blood and flesh is unlocked. Justine's developing desire to consume human meat can be interpreted as an allegory for many things one in real life might discover, be it sexuality or the belonging in a social clique. This subtext adds an extra layer to the movie beyond the blood and violence.
The movie is a horror film without the use of jump scares or other conventions; instead the scares rely solely on tension and suspense which in turn stem from the unpredictability of the characters. At certain points, I was truly surprised at some of the turn the movie takes, and I was my holding breath whenever two characters are alone together in a room with the back of my mind telling me something "might" happen, and even if nothing ends up happening, the scene still works because of how it took my breath away. I actually flinched more in this film than others that are far more violent. Mainly because the movie grounds itself into reality, a reality with real people in a realistic setting, so when the violence hits, it hits hard. I never cover my eyes in even the goriest of films, but I almost did here. Not going to spoil anything, but there was one scene involving an allergy and another involving Brazilian wax and scissors that almost made me pause the movie. The quality of the scares and violence in this movie goes to show you, you do not need a bucket of blood or a numerous loud noises to be effective. What is more effective is having a good script, good actors and the filmmaking talents to play with the audience's expectations.
I do not understand French, but I could still tell the acting in this movie is very good all around. I want to especially applaud Garance Marillier who plays Justine in the movie. She was really good, and I really bought her as both the timid vegetarian and the disinclined cannibal she slowly becomes. The director really puts this young actress through some hell, as she is covered in blood, rashes or some other bodily injuries throughout most of the movie, and you feel sorry for her, but at the same time, fear her. This is a testament to Marillier and I really hope she does not get typecast the rest of her career so I can see her in other things.
There are some flaws to be had the movie. I felt the pacing of the movie was little off during the second act. Some of the character motivations was not really explained really well, so the editing seems disjointed. Justine goes from a vegetarian in one scene to sneakily eating raw chicken in another without much of a smooth transition. And the ending was kind of disappointing in my opinion as it felt like the director did not know how to end the movie, so she had one of the characters make a choice that was alluded to the entire movie. This is really unsatisfactory because up to that point the movie was tension- filled and unpredictable. Why Julia Ducournau chose to end the movie in such an obvious way leaves me in wonder.
Overall I think Raw is a very good horror movie that is anything but typical. The tension stems from character development, and not a masked killer with a machete. It does have some pacing issue and a copped-out ending, and it is not a perfect movie nor is it for everybody. Fans of cheap jump scare horror might not enjoy this movie, and those who are squeamish probably will not be able to sit through it either. But if you are someone who enjoys a well-acted, character drama juxtaposing with some really intense horrific scenes, then by all means, please go and watch Raw.