Grave

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.

This is a really interesting movie. We are introduced to a crazy college with bizarre students. I was impressed by the courage of this new director that show us disturbing sexual scenes without lose the focus of the message.

For me it's a valuable cinematic experience.

Influenced by David Cronenberg's early work (his so called body horror movies) but having all the features of the gory new french wave, Raw is a frequency of big, which get even bigger, shocks. This is a dark, cruel and disturbing horror film which gets even unbearable, but everything that take place work for the sake of a truly inspiring screenplay which provides amazingly well-written characters (one of the best character studies i have ever seen in horror film) and also runs as a clever allegory about the awaking of sexuality in a repressed environment. Direction and cinematography are really amazing likewise all the performances while the special effect and make up department made an astonishing work. Best french horror film since Martyrs. 8,5/10

Its easy to understand the pull of the full. You want to watch a film about a girl who becomes a cannibal.. the film is very well crafted and full of interesting images. The acting is very good and the camera work solid. But somewhere during the film you begin to question the purpose of this film- it is neither full-blown horror nor is it a deep character study of a girl who is grappling with the cannibal inside her. I say give me Hannibal Lector anytime!

I heard the hype. How this film was "so horrific" that people left midway through the film after being so repulsed, they were physically ill. I went in with the - negative - expectation that this was going to be a gore fest. SPOILER: it's not. What we have here is a particularly grisly, but effective coming of age story, a genre the French have a penchant for. For a film about cannibalism, it's surprisingly subtle and is generally a slow burn that builds tension well. I found the performances uniformly strong, especially from Garance Millier. Her transformation from shy and socially awkward to animalistic and unhinged is a joy to watch. The atmosphere is well developed, especially those incredibly effective party scenes that perfectly capture what it's like at a wild college party. And I have to say, for such a twisted film, it's surprisingly sexy. Again, thank the French.

No, it's not for the faint of heart and yes, some of the imagery is quite brutal. It could've have fleshed out - heh - some of the relationships between certain characters better, but overall, I'd recommend this to people with open minds and strong stomachs.