{"id":6635,"date":"2016-10-10T00:51:34","date_gmt":"2016-10-09T23:51:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=6635"},"modified":"2017-04-07T03:55:31","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T02:55:31","slug":"raw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/10\/10\/raw\/","title":{"rendered":"Raw"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"raw\"<\/a>
Raw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nSeen at L\u2019Étrange Festival, Paris (France)<\/a>

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 7 April 2017

\nDistributor:<\/B> Universal

\nDirector:<\/B> Julia Ducournau

\nWriter:<\/B> Julia Ducournau

\nCast:<\/B> Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Nait Oufella

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Grave<\/i>

\nFrance 2016

\n95 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Julia Ducournau\u2019s technically masterful female-focused cannibal film is less insightful than it may seem.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

A girl walks alone at dawn, alongside a deserted country road. When a car drives by, she dives underneath it, causing the car to crash into a tree. The driver is dead and the girl leans over the car door to examine him. Here we are, then, revisiting David Cronenberg\u2019s Crash<\/I>, one might be tempted to think. Yet we soon find out that, if Julia Ducournau\u2019s first feature film \u2013 selected for the Cannes Critics’ Week 2016 \u2013 definitely pays tribute to the \u2018baron of blood\u2019, it is most indebted to his recent novel Consumed<\/I>. (Incidentally, let it be said that the English title makes the film\u2019s cannibalistic turn evident from the start.) Cronenberg makes a perfect and duly acknowledged tutelary figure for the 32-year-old French director, who must have been fed pithy anecdotes from dissecting tables and emergency wards in her early days by her dermatologist father and gynaecologist mother. This might partly account for Ducournau\u2019s obsession with the transformation of bodies, already omnipresent in her short film Junior<\/I> (2011) and in her TV film Mange<\/I> (2012). Junior<\/I> actress Garance Marillier \u2013 now come of age and confirming her talent \u2013 is entrusted with the main role of Justine, who joins her elder sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) for her first year in a veterinary school. During the unavoidable fresher initiation ritual (and in France medical schools are known to be the most gruesome), vegetarian Justine is forced to swallow a raw rabbit kidney, which, after an allergic reaction, triggers a novel taste for meat. A bikini-line depilation accident transforms this taste into a craving for human flesh, which actually runs in the family, as Alexia turns out to be \u2018crash\u2019 girl, eating her victims\u2019 spare parts. <\/p>\n

Although at first sight, Ducournau seems to be using the horror genre as a vehicle for a reflection on the passage to adulthood, the film is rather short on social or psychological insights, while the plot and the characters seem half-baked. In fact, Ducournau indulges in a sensationalist exploitation of the theme and the wide range of unpalatable reactions it provokes. This was clearly confirmed when she presented her film at the Etrange Festival, and evidently relished retelling the pungent anecdote from the Toronto Film Festival where paramedics had to be called during the screening to assist a spectator who had found the film hard to stomach. Thus, inscribed within the horror genre, Raw<\/I> rather self-consciously plays with its codes, safe within its boundaries and often verging on parody. Ducournau delivers an efficient and technically mastered (but one would not expect less from a F\u00e9mis graduate) variation on the cannibal flick, which manages to keep a few twists in store alongside the more expected final feast. Ducournau was one of the 30 people on The Alice Initiative 2016 list, which aims to boost the number of female directors. Let us hope she gives us more fat to chew on in the years to come.<\/p>\n

Pierre Kapitaniak<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Julia Ducournau\u2019s technically masterful female-focused cannibal film is less insightful than it may seem.
\nReview by Pierre Kapitaniak<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,6],"tags":[215,1383,510,145,603,111],"class_list":["post-6635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-check-it-out","category-festivals","tag-body-horror","tag-cannibal-film","tag-cronenberg","tag-french-cinema","tag-french-extreme-cinema","tag-horror-film"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"L\u2019\u00c9trange Festival 2016","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/surUP-raw","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":984,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2010\/03\/02\/lions-den\/","url_meta":{"origin":6635,"position":0},"title":"Lion’s Den","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"March 2, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Trapero captures all the gritty realism of life in prison, but the film also has the feel of a slow-burning thriller. Review by Sarah Cronin","rel":"","context":"In "Cinema releases"","block_context":{"text":"Cinema releases","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/cinema-releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/review_lionsden-594x445.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/review_lionsden-594x445.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/review_lionsden-594x445.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5122,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/10\/14\/horsehead\/","url_meta":{"origin":6635,"position":1},"title":"Horsehead","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An ambitious horror effort by young French director Romain Basset unable to fully control its lavish imagination. Review by Pierre Kapitaniak","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Horsehead","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Horsehead-594x323.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Horsehead-594x323.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Horsehead-594x323.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1686,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2011\/05\/20\/julias-eyes\/","url_meta":{"origin":6635,"position":2},"title":"Julia’s Eyes","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The first few minutes of the film set out the stall for what is to follow, which is 90-odd minutes of splendid Gothic nonsense. Review by Mark Stafford","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_juliaseyes-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_juliaseyes-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_juliaseyes-594x395.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2007\/02\/03\/satan-sheitan\/","url_meta":{"origin":6635,"position":3},"title":"SATAN (SHEITAN)","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"February 3, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Some cultural commentators will automatically applaud anything presented as 'youth' or 'street' for fear of looking like old farts. This has very much worked in the favour of Kourtrajme (French street slang for 'short film'), an urban collective of young film-makers, musicians and graphic designers, to which Kim Chapiron, director\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Cinema releases"","block_context":{"text":"Cinema releases","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/cinema-releases\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5944,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2015\/10\/20\/evolution\/","url_meta":{"origin":6635,"position":4},"title":"Evolution","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 20, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Lucile Had\u017eihalilovic\u2019s follow-up to Innocence is as poetic, disturbing and elusive as its predecessor. Review by Virginie S\u00e9lavy","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Evolution","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Evolution-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Evolution-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Evolution-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1951,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2011\/09\/23\/cannibal-holocaust\/","url_meta":{"origin":6635,"position":5},"title":"Cannibal Holocaust","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"September 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"It's a film of bone-deep misanthropic anger whose targets are the sensationalist media and the careless exploitation of the Third World. Review by Mark Stafford","rel":"","context":"In "Festivals"","block_context":{"text":"Festivals","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/festivals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/review_CannibalHolocaust-594x617.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/review_CannibalHolocaust-594x617.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/review_CannibalHolocaust-594x617.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6635"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6799,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6635\/revisions\/6799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}