Voraz

What a disgusting way to spend an hour and a half. Raw is one of those things that's disgusting and grotesque, but so intriguing that you can't look away.

All the acting seems good, and the characters are interesting enough. The movie takes a bit of time to really pick up, and some scenes can seem pointless (like a lot of the hazing rituals) but from there I had my eyes glued to the screen. The themes this movie has about human instinct is so terrifying and horrid, but is so entertaining because of the way the main character turns from a normal girl into something much different. A lot of people are critiquing the ending of this movie too, but I loved it!

Overall, this movie is definitely worth a watch. It's not like a masterpiece or breaking new grounds or anything, but it's so messed up and so disgusting that it keeps you entertained it's whole runtime.

A new chapter in your life has just begun, a school for vets looks like it's going to be great fun, with your sister in attendance, you've a friend and independence, survive through 'Freshers' week, and then turn learning on. But distractions and new habits start to form, your older sibling doesn't comply with the norm, and your vegetarian diet, has been usurped by a meat riot, and a taste for things that take a blood red form.

A fascinating tale about discovery and growing older, about learning what and who you are, and finding capabilities you didn't realise you had, including some that are particular to you and your family - occasionally curdling, but never draining, with some top drawer performances and the ability to get you thinking, what more do you want in a film?

Say hello to the most shocking film of 2016.

Julia Ducournau's Raw, is one that pushes the limits of twisted bodily desires as its brand of horror. It then features visuals that are not meant for the weak & squeamish, as its discomforting scenes effectively gets under your skin & lingers, until the credits roll. What sets this film apart however, is that it veers away from the usual brainless violence cannibal films are known for. Rather, if one can get past Raw's provocative imageries, there is a beautifully realized coming of age story that touches on belonging & sexuality. This is where Ducournau's screenplay deserves its flowers, & where lead actress Garance Marillier shines. The former's uncanny marriage of adolescence & literal hunger for flesh is an achievement, producing a one of a kind harrowing fairytale. Marillier on the other hand, was superb, convincing as a character that regresses from innocence to something unexplainable.

Make no mistake, Raw is a difficult watch. But if you are an aficionado of watchable horror that comes with self discovery as its premise, it is definitely highly recommended. Just probably lay low on the movie snacks. 7/10.

Careful, the movie you see in the trailer is not the one you get! It isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just marketed the wrong way. You expect a dark and highly stylized indie Nicolas Winding Refn-kind of movie. It is however a coming of age story which happens to include a very unusual element (cannibalism). You won't regret watching it if you know what you're getting yourself into.

We have all seen the umpteen coming-of-age or sexual awakening story, but when is the last time you saw a becoming-a-cannibal story? This is one incredibly muscular piece of filmmaking, marrying visual poetry with slow-burn horror into one potent and delectable dish. Debut writer-director Julia Ducournau knows exactly what she wanted to do and did it, and the resultant film is a different breed of horror with no cheap jump scares and with the camera never flinching from all body and animal horror.

During a screening at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, some viewers received emergency medical services after allegedly fainting from the film's graphic scenes. IMHO, this notoriety does it a huge disservice. Perhaps the viewers went into the cinema with an empty stomach or have a weak disposition for copious blood and body horror because Raw is never tacky or cheesy in its depiction of its terror. Ducournau knows the medium well and employs a plethora of aesthetics to drive the terror home. The cinematography is fluid and complicit in the sinister going-ons; it somehow manages to glide seamlessly to places we don't want to go (under the bed covers, in a toilet where blue and yellow collide) and see stuff that we don't want to see (rashes on young flesh). I am never ever going to forget a scene in which a poor horse get tranquillised, a mouth restraint slapped on it, gets tied up and turned upside down in a harness. It was spine-chilling and my mind kept whispering prayers that it will be fine. The takes are long and languid, but purposeful and place us in the thick of things. It felt like I was given full access to an accident site and I was led to study in closed-up the twisted metal and the mangled bodies. I couldn't look away even though I wanted to. The shots are superbly lighted, disconcerting and symbolically rich. Ogle in amazement as the camera follows Justine in the first night of hazing to a make-shift discotheque that resembles hell itself.

IMHO the genius of this lean and mean film is that it manages to make us feel for Justine. We feel the revolting disgust churning inside her as she, a lifelong virginal vegetarian, is forced to swallow a raw offal from a rabbit. The angry crimnson rash that flares up all over her is a manifestation of her disgust, but soon it awakens her cannibalistic core. In Garance Marillier, Ducournau has found the perfect Justine. Her transformation arc is magnificent and her multi-layered performance is career-defining. I still cannot forget the scene of her jiving sexily in front of the mirror, becoming aware of herself sexually. She exudes an animalistic energy so thick and heavy, she fused the scenes together in absolute dread. Her eventual deflowering scene, coupled with the birth of her cannibalistic leanings, is presented in total nerve-wrecking literalness.

Raw isn't for everybody. I wouldn't even say a horror fan will like it. It has an art-house feel to it that may turn some people away. But it is a bold film, sublimely realised, erotic, feral, primal and it will play on your senses long after it is over.