Review of Raw (2017) by Lewis M — 01 Apr 2017

Raw is a very intelligent, well made coming of age film that achieves balance and integrity in the face of grittiness throughout. The film is excessive in its depictions without really feeling that excessive at all. Almost quite the opposite of a Tarantino. While the surrounding characters may seem shallow- there is a lot of deep understated things being said by the director and by the main characters. The acting is fearless particularly by its main lead played by Garance Marillier and this is one helluva of a film debut by Julia Ducournau (who is quite fearless in her approach as well). Convention be damned! If I ever question my lingering fascination with foreign films- it is because of films like this one which dare to go (where most Hollywood films will not go)- and keep me going back to cinema. Infact I haven't seen a film come out of Hollywood that feels as fresh as "Raw"- in years. Raw's secret is that it is about cannabilism (which you can obviously tell from the trailers) but to say anything more would be a spoiler. However there really is so much going on in this film. It is a feminist tale of adolescence into adulthood at a veterinary school where the seniors are in charge and submerge the juniors into whatever initiations they can dream up. The main character Justine is attending the school with her older sister already there and I don't think anyone of the students for all their supposed cool are expecting what happens next. What is great about this film is that this isn't the body horror of a early David Cronenberg, It isn't weirdly atmospheric or scary like something a Lynch or even an early Polanski would put out. It is a unique and very well directed vision. Modern independent cinema at it's best. If it sounds like I an overpraising this film, let's just say that it stuck with me, and.

In this day and age, any film that stays with me more than 2 hours is saying alot. I did have the benefit of being born in the 1960's and raised on 70's cinema- so yeah I get excited when I see a film that is this intelligent and well made, so yes I would recommend it to the mainstream with a taste in morbidity and horror.