Review of Raw (2017) by Daniel S — 09 Dec 2018

A lifelong vegetarian being forced to eat meat and having a strange reaction to it is something I've not seen before, and it unfurls with a simple, pleasing momentum. It's a horror film of sorts, and whilst it features no jump scares or any particular sequences of extreme tension, it does contain several scenes of unbelievable squick.

One scene, after the waxing, and if you've seen it you'll know exactly what I'm talking about, is one of the least graphic yet most disgusting scenes I think I've ever seen in a film.

I did however became preoccupied with anger at the hazing rituals at the veterinary school they attend. New students come in, and so they have to get ruined in odd ways. Now I know I'm not the target audience when it comes to stuff like that, but I found it too distracting a backdrop, and questioned the logic of the characters for staying in a place like that.

But by far the biggest negative of the film is that once the initial premise has been set up, the film loses steam rapidly, and meanders for the remaining time. There's interesting individual moments, but no real story to speak of, just a series of events.

It bored me, which is a real shame as it started with huge promise.