Alpha

Alpha has an interesting premise, but the film spends far too long circling a message that's ultimately very simple. What could have been a tight, impactful story becomes slow, repetitive, and overly symbolic. The performances are solid, but the script leans so heavily on metaphor that the emotional core gets lost. By the time the film reaches its conclusion, it feels like a lot of buildup for very little payoff. Not terrible, just frustratingly hollow.

A chilling epidemic, widespread unrest among the populace, and a cloud of paranoia; elements all stem from the chaos that ensued in the past during HIV/AIDS transmission. Therefore, the tale centred around a rare, untreatable disease is bound to stir some 'relevant' emotions.

That said, the symbolism feels tenuous at best, much like the interpersonal dynamics among the central characters: the mother, the brother, and the daughter. I found it difficult to connect with their personal struggles, aside from a few fleeting moments of spark, the writing overall failed to sustain my interest in their respective journeys and plight.

The psychological aspects, whilst intriguing, are carelessly woven into the narrative. They come across primarily as hints and vague allusions, lacking the solid grounding needed to make them convincing and credible.

As for the bodily themes; something Ducournau has always been drawn to (Raw and Titane are the clear examples) it's evident that these elements are tied to social stigma, reflecting the shame and guilt we often carry and inadvertently pass on to those we love.

However, once again, the execution falls short of attaining the legitimacy of the drawn parallels; the implications do not reach the depth that was intended, nor did it solidify their intentions.

This opening scene looks so innocent, and then it becomes completely heartbreaking when you realize exactly what is going on. Be prepared for a shock, as this is unlike anything I've ever seen on film and truly beyond words to describe.

We've now got a refreshing look at family life amongst the trauma these people are facing, and it's wonderfully comforting. I've not seen the underlying epidemic that this family is dealing with from this side, and it's being portrayed in the loudest way I've even witnessed.

The film is visually demanding on the senses, and you can't be sure how to feel or if there is any sense to the madness. In the midst of the tragedy that is the plight of the film, there is a rebellious outpouring showing the will to live.

This film had a fantastic director who shot some beautiful scenes. The story got confused along the way and became nonsensical towards the end. Had great potential but poor execution.

The scenes especially that confuse the continuity of the film should have been cut.

The story should have stuck to the point.

I really like Julia Ducournau's previous works as Raw and Titane were quite unique horror story of our modern climate of horror movies. However, this latest movie still remains ambitious and has some very good moments, but the overall execution feels somewhat overcomplicated, and messy.

It's pretty clear that Ducournau has an interesting direction on presenting the narrative, atmosphere and themes throughout. As many of her direction choices on handling the AIDs/HIV allegory, societal norms, and the tension between mother and daughter is personal and clear. I did appreciate some aspects Ducournau was exploring in the writing and setting. Alongside with some solid camerawork, the colorful environment and presentation feels ugly, yet, purposeful. As it helps establish the time era, but also the current tension and the heavy themes.

However, what prevents the movie being a masterpiece is the characters and overall, story-presentation. The performances were all pretty good, as Tahar Rahim, Golshifteh Farahani, Melissa Boros, and the rest of the cast were all fantastic. But, I had a little hard time engaging with the characters at certain point, as they didn't feel too emotionally connected as Ducournau wanted to be. Alongside with some of the writing choices. I love weird writing and strange concepts, but certain moments with how dynamics were played out, the pacing, and how certain themes were handled felt all over the place.

The musical score felt overbearing, as it feels forced and cheesy, and there are some dialogue moments that felt a bit silly. The special effects, and make-up designs were pretty good, and at times, a little horrifying. Showcasing some themes of body-horror within the narrative.

Overall, I am a little underwhelmed that I didn't like this movie as much as I would have. However, having listened to Ducournau discuss about the movies purpose, it definitely still is a ambitious horror take on the AID's crisis, and I do like to see where Ducournau goes next.