Review of Raw (2017) by Reginthorn — 05 Apr 2017

Raw is my first foray into the cannibal horror sub-genre. I think Raw is as tasteful as the genre likely gets (if you pardon the cheap pun). An element which stands out the most, for me, is the mise-en-scene.

People and objects are often placed incongruently with one another. As a result, viewers immediately sense conflict by the placement of a given scene’s composition. Lighting and colors are often muted, but only as a means of removing possible tonal confusion.

Colors are far from being oppressively dark. At this point, I find the setting worth mentioning. Raw’s stage is an idiosyncratic Veterinary school located in some unknown French countryside. The architecture in the film is sharp and foreboding.

Conversely, the world outside maintains an organic look. For example, a colorful sunset evokes to viewers a sense of beauty in the natural. Calm cinematography is employed to capture all of these components.

Director Julia Ducournau’s camera knows when to distance the viewer from actions. The distancing allows the viewer enough time to seep into the film’s unsettling hedonistic college atmosphere. However, when the emotional action picks up, the camera is almost myopic on the startling changes in the protagonist.

Like Get Out, Raw parallels an idea within the conventional horror experience. The audience can perceive Raw as a film about a family of female cannibals. Yet, like all art films, the viewer robs himself by taking on a reductive viewpoint.

In my understanding, Raw uses horror as a means of augmenting the process of self-discovery. In fact, the film goes to great lengths of illustrating a controlling family dynamic. The collapse of a familiar structure and sibling rivalry ignites the disturbing events to come.

I won’t give plot spoilers here. Finally, I found the movie far from a nauseating watch. The film features more blood than it does gore. In other words, Raw is far removed from a cinematic experience akin to Cannibal Holocaust or the Green Inferno.

If you aren’t sensitive, I HIGHLY suggest giving Raw a watch.