User reviews

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.

We have all seen the umpteen coming-of-age or sexual awakening story, but when is the last time you saw a becoming-a-cannibal story? This is one incredibly muscular piece of filmmaking, marrying visual poetry with slow-burn horror into one potent and delectable dish. Debut writer-director Julia Ducournau knows exactly what she wanted to do and did it, and the resultant film is a different breed of horror with no cheap jump scares and with the camera never flinching from all body and animal horror.

During a screening at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, some viewers received emergency medical services after allegedly fainting from the film's graphic scenes. IMHO, this notoriety does it a huge disservice. Perhaps the viewers went into the cinema with an empty stomach or have a weak disposition for copious blood and body horror because Raw is never tacky or cheesy in its depiction of its terror. Ducournau knows the medium well and employs a plethora of aesthetics to drive the terror home. The cinematography is fluid and complicit in the sinister going-ons; it somehow manages to glide seamlessly to places we don't want to go (under the bed covers, in a toilet where blue and yellow collide) and see stuff that we don't want to see (rashes on young flesh). I am never ever going to forget a scene in which a poor horse get tranquillised, a mouth restraint slapped on it, gets tied up and turned upside down in a harness. It was spine-chilling and my mind kept whispering prayers that it will be fine. The takes are long and languid, but purposeful and place us in the thick of things. It felt like I was given full access to an accident site and I was led to study in closed-up the twisted metal and the mangled bodies. I couldn't look away even though I wanted to. The shots are superbly lighted, disconcerting and symbolically rich. Ogle in amazement as the camera follows Justine in the first night of hazing to a make-shift discotheque that resembles hell itself.

IMHO the genius of this lean and mean film is that it manages to make us feel for Justine. We feel the revolting disgust churning inside her as she, a lifelong virginal vegetarian, is forced to swallow a raw offal from a rabbit. The angry crimnson rash that flares up all over her is a manifestation of her disgust, but soon it awakens her cannibalistic core. In Garance Marillier, Ducournau has found the perfect Justine. Her transformation arc is magnificent and her multi-layered performance is career-defining. I still cannot forget the scene of her jiving sexily in front of the mirror, becoming aware of herself sexually. She exudes an animalistic energy so thick and heavy, she fused the scenes together in absolute dread. Her eventual deflowering scene, coupled with the birth of her cannibalistic leanings, is presented in total nerve-wrecking literalness.

Raw isn't for everybody. I wouldn't even say a horror fan will like it. It has an art-house feel to it that may turn some people away. But it is a bold film, sublimely realised, erotic, feral, primal and it will play on your senses long after it is over.

A new chapter in your life has just begun, a school for vets looks like it's going to be great fun, with your sister in attendance, you've a friend and independence, survive through 'Freshers' week, and then turn learning on. But distractions and new habits start to form, your older sibling doesn't comply with the norm, and your vegetarian diet, has been usurped by a meat riot, and a taste for things that take a blood red form.

A fascinating tale about discovery and growing older, about learning what and who you are, and finding capabilities you didn't realise you had, including some that are particular to you and your family - occasionally curdling, but never draining, with some top drawer performances and the ability to get you thinking, what more do you want in a film?

What a disgusting way to spend an hour and a half. Raw is one of those things that's disgusting and grotesque, but so intriguing that you can't look away.

All the acting seems good, and the characters are interesting enough. The movie takes a bit of time to really pick up, and some scenes can seem pointless (like a lot of the hazing rituals) but from there I had my eyes glued to the screen. The themes this movie has about human instinct is so terrifying and horrid, but is so entertaining because of the way the main character turns from a normal girl into something much different. A lot of people are critiquing the ending of this movie too, but I loved it!

Overall, this movie is definitely worth a watch. It's not like a masterpiece or breaking new grounds or anything, but it's so messed up and so disgusting that it keeps you entertained it's whole runtime.

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

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.

Its a disgusting movie, i dont like it, actualky i very hate it and thats all. Not even worth a word.

This film was painfully disturbing. I would look at the lights in the room or the people around me, just so I wouldn't have to look at the screen during some parts. It is clear from the start that the objective of the director is to make the audience uncomfortable, and I applaud his effectiveness in doing so. I was most impressed by the ability of Raw to leave me genuinely cringing at nearly every single scene. It didn't even have to be gore filled or disgusting in a traditional sense. The whole film oozes an uneasiness that the seeps into the audience. As much as I admire the clear objective of the filmmakers and how well they achieved it, it is not the movie for me. Be sure to watch it until the end, however, because everything ties together in a very intuitive and satisfying fashion.

Raw is the latest horror film that has become the target of (almost) universal acclaim. The question remains as to why, considering the fact that Raw is just a schlock fest attempt at shock value that grossly (both literally and figuratively) underwhelms. The film chronicles a teenage vegetarian who attends a boarding school for the veterinary arts and is then subjected to a grisly accident that costs her her finger...and her sanity. As the film progresses, it becomes more and more apparent that this young girl is developing an sensational lust for sex and human flesh directly borough on by her unfortunate mishap.

The film falls into the category of attempted shock and fails to really shock you. It parades an abundance of sex and gore on screen but none of it holds any weight. The violence and gore that ensues becomes a rote exercise in the type of horror that this past decade has been known for: a big build up to a no nothing pay off. It is about as frustrating as it could get when it comes to satisfying. Much in the vein of Salo: 120 Days of Sodom and last year's The Neon Demon, Raw delivers very lightly and makes promises it can't deliver. The screenplay is boring and under written and features a couple memorable moments surrounded by a whole lot of blood drenched fluff that is brought out by some gorgeous cinematography.. It is woefully unsatisfying even to the most hardcore of horror fans.

Overall, Raw is yet another horror movie that feels a little more hyped up than it ought to be. Instead of living up to it's potential, the film falters under the pressure which is frustrating considering this is a very original idea. Overall, I felt let down by Raw and I really wanted it to live up to the hype that it brought on when it was making festival runs. Instead, we get a film that feels half baked even if the presentation of it looks very nice.

Careful, the movie you see in the trailer is not the one you get! It isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just marketed the wrong way. You expect a dark and highly stylized indie Nicolas Winding Refn-kind of movie. It is however a coming of age story which happens to include a very unusual element (cannibalism). You won't regret watching it if you know what you're getting yourself into.

Picture: David Cronenberg, Lars Von Trier and H. P. Lovecraft make a movie, but they only take the good parts of their works and cut out the silly, boring and ugly bits. Still you will not have as beautiful, evocative and disturbing of a film as Julia Ducournau's RAW, a movie that immediately takes you hostage and never lets you go. Here is a gut churning, deeply alive work that assaults you with disgusting, thought provoking and existential horror until you can't take anymore. It's a good thing that I felt more anxious than excited at the end, that is the mark of good filmmaking.

RAW takes place in a veterinary school from hell, when we first see it it is too big, isolated and Gothic to comprehend. Justine (Garance Marillier) comes to the school after her parents and sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf). She is immediately alone and in over her head; the school has a series of sadistic hazing rituals that involve excessive drinking, violent raids, Carrie reenactments and eating raw meat, even for Justine the vegetarian. The audience is immediately hit with the cruelty of this world, a school doctor tells a story about a large girl who cried when her weight was finally ignored, the women share tips on how to most effectively be bulimic. It's so gratifying when a movie does this, unlike other recent brilliant horror films like Get Out or Don't Breathe, there is no normal here. When the world of the film becomes more and more bizarre, we as an audience have nothing to stand on.

And oh, the film becomes bizarre. But like any good film, the insane images are grounded in reality, character and story. The horrific sequences in this movie are beautiful to watch , the colors and cinematography look like paintings. Justine is starting to crave raw meat, there's a short but gorgeous scene where she kneels feral in front of a refrigerator tearing into a chicken breast. Because this is a horror film, the best meat is soon revealed to be human and it is because of Marillier's brilliant performance that we are able to see just how painful but exciting this new desire is.

The meat isn't meat in RAW, it is a very clear metaphor for Justine's sexual liberation. In one of the best scenes of the movie, Justine watches her male friend play soccer shirtless; it is simultaneously deeply terrifying and erotic moment that Ducournau directs in a way that feels exactly right. At a certain point in the film, we can never guess if Justine is hungry or aroused.

Violence has been a semi sexual act in horror for years, but with this film it feels fresh, the desires and reactions are all new. They are also deeply troubling and have a beautiful intensity to them that can only be described as animal or inhuman. Ducournau is at her best here, the erotic and gory passages of the film are directed with the skill and confidence of an old master returning to the screen, not someone in their debut.

What makes RAW so good though is how massive it seems. With a few exceptions, horror is a small genre. Often horror films lack a cosmic significance; they fail to have implications beyond the characters on screen. Through her haunting images, brilliant world building and disturbing soundtrack, Ducournau communicates something larger. Female sexuality, from this film, isn't something to be taking lightly. Justine's self discovery is a ferocious and earth shattering moment, after which no one will be the same.

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!

Raw is an emotional thriller that utilizes the full gamut of human emotions to make a powerful commentary on the difficulty of navigating emerging adulthood. Ducournau uses a full range of scenarios designed to elicit extreme reactions of disgust—including cannabilism, nonconsensual sex, and a full range of blood and gore—to highlight how repulsive and damaging the betrayal, cattiness, and conflicts common among college students are. Raw focuses on the changing role of sibling relationships, the power of peer relationships, and the effects of parent-induced sexual "starvation" on their children. Raw also briefly touches on several of the emotional complexities of emerging adulthood: eating concerns, substance use, and managing teachers' and peers' perceptions. Ducournau masterfully interweaves intensely disgusting emotional scenes with a plot that is just close enough to reality to keep the viewer engaged to produce one of the best films of the year.

The vegetarian Justine (Garance Marillier) has never tasted meat since she is allergic and protected by her mother. When the rookie Justine joins the veterinary school, she is hazed and forced by the older students including her sister Alexia (Ella Rumpf) to eat meat. Soon she feels attracted to eat not only meat but also human flesh and learns a family secret.

The overrated "Raw" is an erotic and gross European horror film with an original story of cannibalism. The plot is weird, shocking and confused and most of Justine and Alexia's attitudes are not explained including their evil relationship with each other. Why Justine lets her gay roommate deflowers her is also strange. However, the story is well- resolved in the end with the explanation of Justine's father but does not justify the hype. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Grave" ("Grim")

I should've reviewed this years ago. Either way, it was a bizarre, disturbing experience about a young girl who's a vegetarian and basically gets forced to try wretched things she never would then afterwards she gets the urge to do abnormal things and things start happening around the school she attends. Very morbid, artsy stuff go on in this strange movie. I was enthralled by it and highly recommend it to anyone who likes a mind disturbance!