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Common sense media reviewers.

Cannibal-themed horror movie is gory, gross, but smart.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Though no single message comes forward or is entir

There are interesting, three-dimensional female ch

Lots of blood and gore. Characters bite and eat bo

Graphic sex scene, with thrusting. Oral sex. Tople

In English subtitles, several uses of "f--k," "s--

Intense partying sequence, with brief drinking, dr

Parents need to know that Raw is a gruesome, French-language horror film about cannibalism that reportedly made audiences both faint and vomit at film festivals. Expect extreme gore and violence, including body part eating and blood slurping, as well as fighting and other disturbing, revolting images. Sexual…

Positive Messages

Though no single message comes forward or is entirely clear, the movie gives viewers plenty to talk about, including issues related to hazing/initiations, vegetarianism, kindness to animals, and even cannibalism. Addresses the struggles that women go through to stay equal.

Positive Role Models

There are interesting, three-dimensional female characters, but they don't really take command of their own destinies. In a way, they're victims.

Violence & Scariness

Lots of blood and gore. Characters bite and eat body parts and slurp up blood. Car crash, with bloody victims. Brutal fight scene. Chewed-up limbs. Animal corpses shown. Severed finger. Upsetting images (eating raw rabbit kidneys, vomiting, choking on a clot of hair, dissecting animal corpses, etc.).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Graphic sex scene, with thrusting. Oral sex. Topless women, shirtless men. Naked bottoms, both male and female. Kissing, both same-sex and opposite-sex. A woman gets a bikini wax; her pubic hair is shown, though she wears panties. Graphic, dark, sex-oriented song lyrics about sex with dead bodies. Sexy dancing. Porn seen on computer (including thrusting); a man touches himelf under his shorts. Fully naked male corpse. Women shown urinating.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

In English subtitles, several uses of "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "p---y," "bitch," "ass," "fag," "d--k," "screw," "piss."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Intense partying sequence, with brief drinking, drugs, etc. College students drink heavily. Several characters smoke cigarettes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Raw is a gruesome, French-language horror film about cannibalism that reportedly made audiences both faint and vomit at film festivals. Expect extreme gore and violence, including body part eating and blood slurping, as well as fighting and other disturbing, revolting images. Sexual content is also graphic, with a male-female sex scene, a male-male oral sex scene, and gay porn shown on a computer. There's also kissing, topless women, naked male and female bottoms, and song lyrics about necrophilia. Swearing (in English subtitles) includes "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "p---y," and more. There's also an intense party sequence, with college-age characters drinking, possibly doing drugs, and more. Other heavy drinking and cigarette smoking are also shown. Presented almost as a challenge, this movie will be irresistible to most teen horror fans, but viewers under 18, beware. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (2)
• Kids say (9)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Gruesome Cannibal Horror movie is Disturbing & Fascinating.

What's the story.

In RAW, Justine (Garance Marillier) is heading to college to study to become a veterinarian. Her family has always been strictly vegetarian, so she recoils in horror when a meatball turns up in her mashed potatoes at lunch. At school, her older sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf), also a student, fails to show up to meet Justine. But soon Justine is caught up in various initiations and hazings from older students, starting with an all-night, drunken party -- where Justine does find her sister -- and including the required eating of a raw rabbit kidney. After participating, Justine develops a strange rash, followed by uncontrollable hunger and a craving for meat. Soon even her roommate Adrien (Rabah Nait Oufella) starts making her salivate. Meanwhile, Alexia seems to be hiding a dark secret.

Is It Any Good?

This French-language cannibal-horror movie reportedly made audiences in Cannes and Toronto vomit, pass out, and/or walk out; it's not really that bad, but it is playfully queasy and artfully gory. Making her feature directing and writing debut, Julia Ducournau was clearly inspired by masters like Dario Argento, Stanley Kubrick , and David Cronenberg , but she brings a new kind of female perspective to the story. Raw shows a male-dominated hierarchy and the struggles that women go through just to stay equal, from a spoken story about an overweight girl getting her shots to a urinating contest between the sisters.

But Ducournau doesn't do or say anything overtly. She buries her politics within the story's emotions. We experience just about everything through Justine's eyes and feelings. In one scene, she writhes in pain from hunger pangs or simply stomach pain, and she remains jammed under her sheets, the camera stuck in there with her. The movie can't quite figure out how to end itself, but it provides enough striking images and ideas to qualify as a strong calling card for a promising filmmaker.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Raw 's graphic violence . How did it affect you? How much was actually shown? How realistic did it seem? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

How is the sexual content handled? Are the characters responsible? Are there consequences? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships. /screen-time/why-is-it-important-for-kids-to-see-consequences-in-movies

How is drinking portrayed? Is it glamorized? What are the consequences?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 17, 2017
• On DVD or streaming : September 5, 2017
• Cast : Garance Marillier , Ella Rumpf , Rabah Nait Oufella
• Director : Julia Ducournau
• Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors
• Studio : Focus World
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 99 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : aberrant behavior, bloody and grisly images, strong sexuality, nudity, language and drug use/partying
• Last updated : April 6, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘Raw’ Review: Cannibal Coming-of-Age Movie Is a Modern Horror Masterpiece

By David Fear

It’s the cannibal movie that caused people to faint at a film festival – this is what people talk about when they talk about Raw, the extraordinary body- horror parable from French director Julia Ducournau. The incident, which happened at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival , might cause folks to view this as some sort of cinematic dare, a splatter shocker designed to test the limits of the scary-movie marine corps. Consider this a disclaimer, and a reclamation: The story of a young woman (Garance Marillier) who develops a taste for certain off-the-menu delicacies is indeed intense. It’s also after much bigger game than merely thrilling folks who’ve studied Fangoria photo spreads with Talmudic-scholar fervor. Smelling salts are not required, but the ability to recognize a near-perfect movie when you see it most certainly is. If Get Out reminds folks that you can smuggle intelligent social commentary and timely conversation-starters in to theaters via explosive genre packages, then Ducournau’s feature debut doubles down on the notion. In terms of the female-body politic, it’s an art-horror dirty bomb.

Flesh of any kind is initially carne non grata for Marillier’s Justine, a college student who comes from a long line of militant vegetarians; Mom freaks out when a morsel of beef makes its way into some mashed potatoes. But at the veterinary school where she’s enrolling as a freshman – and where her older sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf), is a long-established alpha – the young woman discovers that no one cares about her culinary ideology. After a hazing ritual involving newbies being covered in animal blood (paging Carrie White), Justine is forced to eat a duck kidney. Instant nausea leads to a gnarly rash; soon, she’s going in to town and stress-gnoshing on kabobs with her gay roommate Adrien (Rabah Nait Oufella) at a Gas ‘n’ Sip. Then an accident causes her sister to lose a digit. While waiting for the paramedics, Justine impulsively explores the notion of literal finger food. And now the craving starts.

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To say that things begin to take on an even stronger metaphorical resonance once our heroine indulges in her newfound gourmet obsession would be grossly understating the point; the fact that this coincides with Justine’s sexual awakening, made implicit via solo dress-up grinding in front of a mirror then explicit by her ecstatically biting her own arm during sex, isn’t coincidental. College is when you try on numerous identities and experiment with new ideas before your in-flux personality calcifies into an adult-shaped mold – so, the film suggests tongue-in-chomped-cheek, why wouldn’t anthropophagy be on the docket as well? (Nor is she potentially the only cannibal on campus.)

Ducournau has referred to her movie as a coming-of-age story, and you can see this waifish character go from awkwardly tottering in high heels (a shot that spells out the movie’s ideas on femininity drag; don’t even ask about the Brazilian waxing sequence) to aggressively asserting herself over 99 blood-flecked minutes. Girl, you’ll be a man-eating woman soon, and though references to bulimia and trichophagia suggest control issues run psychologically amuck, Justine also discovers a sense of empowerment in this taboo line-crossing. She begins to take ownership of her body by consuming others’.

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None of which should suggest that Raw is simply a grad-school term paper smothered in gore. Ducournau knows how to make the vocabulary of horror filmmaking either finesse or bludgeon with a frightening degree of facility. Few movies have used pacing and composition to such an effective degree in the name of XX-centric dread (the film owes as much to Roman Polanski’s Repulsion as it does to the cinema of repulsion), or understood how to employ color so effectively – from a seven-minutes-in-heaven encounter involving blue and yellow paint to the crimson drop on a white lab coat that signals a Type-O deluge. There’s a hallucinogenic quality to the deadpan scenes of Justine coming to grips with this personal channeling of passion and perversity, and a shocking aspect to the carnage that feels invasive in a way most shock artists can’t conjure. You never get the sense that you’re not watching a master at work, regardless of how scant Ducournau’s filmography is. She is the real thing.

You could say the same for her partner-in-crime Marillier, who lets viewers join her heroine’s journey of carnal knowledge through carnivorous free-fall. A dead ringer for the fictional future offspring of Paul Dano and Saoirse Ronan, the 19-year-old actor can radiate innocence, depravity or bewilderment in a glance, and toggle between humiliated and animalistically hungry on a dime. It takes a certain type of performer to pull off the abandonment of embracing one’s dark side and barking like a dog when her sister forces her into a drunken canine act at a party, and Marillier instinctively knows where the do-not-cross line is – then fearlessly hops over it. Ducournau is the one who gives this cunning exploration of crossing the no-man’s-land between girlhood and womanhood its transgressive bite; her young star is the one who gives it a recognizable humanity amidst the amuse-bouche arterial spurt. They both allow the film to get under your skin in more ways than one. Your semiotic meal is served. Your appetite for smart, savvy, sick-as-fuck horror will be sated.

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Raw 's lurid violence and sexuality live up to its title, but they're anchored with an immersive atmosphere and deep symbolism that linger long after the provocative visuals fade.

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You Should Watch Raw on Netflix This Weekend—If You Can Handle It

By Joshua Rivera

Recently, Netflix added one of the most unsettling horror films in recent memory to its small but solid collection of horror films. Seeing as it is Friday the 13th, you should think about giving it a watch—if you can handle it.

French filmmaker Julia Ducournau says her latest film is "autobiographical."

By Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

What makes Raw such an unsettling film to watch is its basic premise: It's about a girl who slowly becomes a cannibal. But despite the horrific ending it moves toward, Raw isn't out to make you hurl. In fact, it's a stylish, sexy film that finds its horror in the things a young woman faces as she comes of age. But with, you know, just the right amount of flesh-eating thrown in there.

It goes, roughly, like this: Justine (played by stunningly good first-timer Garance Marillier) is a student starting her first year at veterinary school. She's a strict vegetarian in a family of vegetarians, but as a part of her first-year hazing, she's forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney. (If there's one thing you take away from this film, it's that veterinary school is freaking wild .) That first taste of raw meat makes Justine sick, causing her to break out in hives—but then she starts to crave meat more and more. Raw flesh. It doesn't matter where it's from.

One thing that can't be stressed about Raw enough is that no matter what you're expecting, Raw will surprise you. It's not really trying to scare you, it just is horrifying, even though it spends most of its time portraying things that aren't all that scary. Mostly, it's a slick, provocative drama that gives you lots to turn over in your head outside of its big shocking moments. Marillier is incredible to watch as she navigates her weirdly hostile vet school environment and her uncomfortable new cravings. Whether working her way though an oppressive dance party or chewing her way through a raw chicken breast, Marillier is magnetic, and director Julia Ducournau, in her debut feature film, displays a level of control and verve that's nothing short of amazing.

Watch Raw this weekend if you want a horror movie for people that aren't usually into horror movies but are willing to brave the unsettling in the service of smart cinema. Stick around for the killer ending, and you'll be glad you did.

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On International Women’s Day, it seems only fitting to write a review of “Raw,” a horror film about a brilliant but innocent teenage girl who finally lets loose and asserts her true identity as a cannibal.

It may not sound like it on the surface, but “Raw” is absolutely a celebration of female power—of realizing who you are, what you want and how to go after it, albeit with brutally bloody results. And it comes from the mind of another young, brilliant woman, French writer/director Julia Ducournau , making her wildly assured feature debut.

Ducournau’s lurid, vivid film is visually striking, full of images that will shock you while others will lull you with a hypnotic beauty. And though it has glimmers of style that are reminiscent of thriller masters—the body horror of David Cronenberg , the gaudy surrealism of David Lynch —“Raw” is very much its own artful entity with its own singular voice.

“Raw” will make you curl up in a ball in your seat, daring to watch through splayed fingers—and not necessarily in response to the film’s violence. Ducournau pinpoints and expertly depicts the frights that exist in the everyday world—especially when you’re a young woman trying to figure out your place within it. That’s what’s so startling about the film: It’s not necessarily the monstrous moments that’ll shake you up, but rather the mundane ones.

Having said that, it’s exciting to see a female filmmaker establishing herself so forcefully in what traditionally has been a male-dominated genre. And she’s only 33 years old. (The recent “ XX ,” which consisted of four horror shorts by and about women, also entered this territory, but with frustratingly inconsistent results.) Ducournau mixes it up visually with a combination of eerily austere establishing shots and long, fluid camera movements. She knows when to hold back to create suspense and when to unleash the full fury of her grisly imagery.

With the help of cinematographer Ruben Impens ’ beautifully nightmarish use of color and light and Jim Williams’ chilling score, Ducournau creates a lingering sense of mystery throughout: How much of this is a hallucination? Could what we’re watching possibly be real?

“Raw” begins on a note of understated tension as 16-year-old Justine ( Garance Marillier with a thrilling, daring performance in her first major role) travels to veterinary school with her parents, where they both studied and where her brash older sister, Alexia ( Ella Rumpf ), is currently a student. This is a prestigious institution, but the campus itself is especially bleak and unwelcoming; during the rare instances when these aspiring doctors get to go outside, the skies always seem to be cloudy. It’s an unusual and unsettling location for a film.

Everyone in Justine’s family is not only a veterinarian but also a strict vegetarian, a lifestyle choice she finds difficult to adhere to when confronted with a series of raucous and sadistic freshman hazing rituals. In one of them, the older students force her and her classmates each to eat a small piece of raw rabbit kidney. She’s initially resistant and repulsed, as anyone would be. But soon enough, she finds that the tiny nibble of animal flesh stirs something primal in her—a hunger she never realized was there. In no time, Justine is sitting in front of the refrigerator in her dorm room in the middle of the night, tearing into a raw chicken breast to the bewilderment of her flirty, gay roommate and only friend, Adrien ( Rabah Nait Oufella ). The look in her eyes lets us know that this won’t be nearly enough to satisfy her.

Ducournau cleverly takes her time in these moments as she slowly reveals each shocking step in Justine’s carnivorous evolution. She never judges this character, even as her choices have increasingly harmful consequences. Rather, she seems fascinated by Justine, watching both from afar and up close as she morphs from shy little girl to sly huntress.

Clearly, the physical seizing of flesh is a metaphor for a sexual awakening, but the transformation Justine undergoes in “Raw” could be interpreted in a variety of ways. Justine is a little awkward as she gets gussied up, goes to parties and flirts with boys. An attempt at bikini waxing goes horribly wrong in the film’s most squirm-inducing scene. She clearly has no idea what she’s doing, and that insecurity gives her character—and the film as a whole—an unexpected element of relatability.

But as Justine gives into her yearnings in a way that’s drastically opposed to the philosophy under which she was raised, she becomes more brazen, yet also more confident and powerful in her femininity. Somewhere, beneath the blood, she might even be happy—entranced by her newfound lust for life. It’s like a drug. And it’s clearly habit-forming.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series "Ebert Presents At the Movies" opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film Credits

Rated R for aberrant behavior, bloody and grisly images, strong sexuality, nudity, language and drug use/partying.

Garance Marillier as Justine

Ella Rumpf as Alexia

Rabah Nait Oufella as Adrien

Laurent Lucas as The Father

Joana Preiss as The Mother

• Julia Ducournau

Cinematographer

• Ruben Impens
• Jean-Christophe Bouzy
• Jim Williams

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Summary Everyone in Justine’s family is a vet and a vegetarian. At sixteen she’s a brilliant student starting out at veterinary school where she experiences a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her family principles and eats raw meat for the first time. Justine will soon face the terrible an ... Read More

Directed By : Julia Ducournau

Written By : Julia Ducournau

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Directed by Julia Ducournau

What are you hungry for?

In Justine’s family everyone is a vet and a vegetarian. At 16, she’s a gifted teen ready to take on her first year in vet school, where her older sister also studies. There, she gets no time to settle: hazing starts right away. Justine is forced to eat raw meat for the first time in her life. Unexpected consequences emerge as her true self begins to form.

Garance Marillier Ella Rumpf Rabah Nait Oufella Laurent Lucas Joana Preiss Bouli Lanners Marion Vernoux Thomas Mustin Marouan Iddoub Jean-Louis Sbille Benjamin Boutboul Virgil Leclaire Anna Solomin Sophie Breyer Daniel Utegenova Bérangère Mc Neese Morgan Politi Alice D'Hauwe Pierre Nisse Maïté Katinka Lonne Amandine Hinnekens Sibylle du Plessy Denis Mpunga Alexis Julemont Lich Jass Helena Coppejans Charlotte Sandersen Christophe Menier Julianne Binard

Director Director

Julia Ducournau

Producers Producers

Jean des Forêts Philippe Logie Jean-Yves Roubin Antoun Sehnaoui Cassandre Warnauts Julie Gayet Nadia Turincev

Writer Writer

Casting casting.

Judith Chalier Christophe Hermans

Editor Editor

Jean-Christophe Bouzy

Cinematography Cinematography

Ruben Impens

Assistant Directors Asst. Directors

Dimitri Linder Maéva Buisse

Lighting Lighting

Nicolas Lagae

Additional Photography Add. Photography

Hyun De Grande

Production Design Production Design

Laurie Colson

Art Direction Art Direction

Ingrid de Ribaucourt Laurie Colson

Visual Effects Visual Effects

Gaël Durant Philippe Frère

Stunts Stunts

Cécilia Ngo Francis Bataille Jean-Marc Blanc Jack-Alexandre Soufflard Alexandre Rambure Samy Ben Said

Composer Composer

Jim Williams

Songs Songs

Sound sound.

Céline Bernard Séverin Favriau Mathieu Descamps Stéphane Thiébaut

Costume Design Costume Design

Elise Ancion

Makeup Makeup

Laura Ozier Karine Atalla Marine Tesson Olivier Afonso

Wild Bunch Rouge International BeTV Frakas Productions RTBF Petit Film VOO Ezekiel Film Production

Belgium France USA

Releases by Date

14 may 2016, 08 sep 2016, 25 sep 2016, 07 oct 2016, 11 nov 2016, 10 mar 2017, 15 mar 2017, 17 mar 2017, 30 mar 2017, 04 apr 2017, 07 apr 2017, 20 apr 2017, 05 aug 2017, 02 feb 2018, 01 jul 2017, 31 jul 2017, 03 oct 2019, 16 jul 2022, 26 jul 2017, 14 aug 2017, 23 aug 2017, 24 aug 2018, releases by country.

• Premiere Toronto International Film Festival
• Premiere Cannes Film Festival
• Premiere 16 Absurde Seance
• Theatrical 16
• Physical 16
• Digital 16 Prime Video
• Theatrical 18
• Digital Casa CANÍBAL

Netherlands

• Physical 16 DVD
• TV 16 NPO 3
• Premiere 18

South Korea

• Theatrical 청소년 관람불가
• Theatrical 15
• Physical 15 DVD
• Premiere R Fantastic Fest
• Theatrical R

99 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Erik 🎼 ★★★★½ 26

this isn't even a horror movie French people just be like that

Review by matt lynch ★★★½

French veterinary school seems a little intense.

Review by gal pacino ★★★★½ 62

Raw emits the same mood as the cow heart dissection in my 12th grade human anatomy class:

staring at the wet mound of pale red flesh soak through the brown paper towel, i thought, "this is probably the only time you will ever touch a cow heart in your life,” in blinking neon letters. “you are not good at math and science. you will never pursue this as a career. this is it.”

my lab partner was an actual, signed male model (?!), and he sat to my left, pretending to be glued to his phone because he didn't want to admit that he was too squeamish to participate. this meant that i had -- nay, GOT -- to dissect…

Review by Karst ★★★★★ 8

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

The scene where she makes out with the mirror and the song in the background goes “don’t want your 69, just want your 666”

what an amazing movie

Review by cinéfila... 🕯️ ★★★★

@hannibal lecter bitch you're done, you NEED to RETIRE

Review by alba ★★★★ 9

don't worry guys she was just making sure none of them were a cake

Review by phương ★★★★ 5

this is a cool first date movie

Review by charlotte ★★★★½ 7

the sound of her scratching herself will literally haunt me until i die

Review by Jay ★★★★½ 9

friend: hey whats this film called again me: its raw gordon ramsey breaking through my window: OH FUCK ME

Review by Karst ★★★★★

titane takes everything this does and turns it up a notch, which i thought would make this weaker on a rewatch. but instead i’m only more impressed with how ambitious and thematically dense this is for a directorial debut. love the idea of going to vet school, watching how humans treat other humans like animals in the literal first “hazing” scene,  being repulsed at how your classmates just casually eat meat, and being like…well this finger is no different than a meatball, if that’s how this is gonna be. the score being mostly instrumental  organs , genius. i love the way ducournau shoots her movies; harsh shadows, bold and bright colors, making skin look meatier than it should. and above all such a unique coming of age story, rebelling against your family only to realize it was in your blood all along, amazing. will always suffer through a stomach ache for julia ducournau 🩸

Review by #1 gizmo fan ★★★★★ 15

" I'M SURE YOU'LL FIND A SOLUTION HONEY." I JUST STARTED LAUGHING SO HARD AND I TEARED UP AND I SCREAMED HOLY SHIT I LOVE THIS SO FUCKING MUCH JESUS CHRIST

Review by aaron ★★★★★ 1

what being french does to a mf

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NO WAY UP Represents The Democratization Of Bad Underwater Thrillers

Raw: a new age ravenous tale.

Alex is a 28 year-old West Australian who has a…

The idea of the cinema gimmick is not a new thing. Gimmicks were popularised in the 1960’s by William Castle , who became a cinematic icon through his series of horror films that employed in-cinema gimmicks such as electrified chairs and rubber puppets in order to entice audiences to check out his latest shlock horror film. Cinema gimmicks and horror films have always been closely linked, whether it be the rise of 3D cinema in the 80’s, the creation of viral marketing due to the success of The Blair Witch Project in the 90’s, and the issuing of barf bags whenever a film receives a notorious reputation through its marketing and festival screenings.

Whilst barf bags are an actual useful gimmick, not only are they a great marketing tool to give the attached film an immediate sense of notoriety and scandal, but people actually do use them. Especially in the 70’s and 80’s, with titles like Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or the cartoonishly gory sequences in Hershell Gordon Lewis’ films, “barf bag” cinema has become an infamous tag for any controversial exploitation film.

This brings me to Raw , Julia Ducournau’s provocative debut feature, which has been unfairly and stupidly tagged as a barf bag film, advertised as a blood-soaked gore fest which takes away from the film’s intelligent and subtle nature. I say this because I’ve noticed that some people have been expecting a completely different film to the one advertised, which in turn has prompted some negative reviews due to their reaction to the it’s hyperbolic marketing, not the material of the film itself (which has been happening alongside Nacho Vigalando’s Colossal , another film which has been severely misrepresented by its marketing).

Show and Tell

Raw tells the story of Justine (newcomer Garance Marillier ), a shy but gifted veterinarian student who has just arrived at school in order to start college, where her older sister Alexis ( Ella Rumpf ) goes to as well. Despite being a stern vegetarian, her older sister forces her to indulge in an extreme hazing ritual which involves being splattered in animal’s blood and the forced consumption of a rabbit kidney. This first exposure to meat triggers a previously hidden desire to consume raw meat.

This process of realization occurs physically, as her internal hunger builds, she’s subject to a series of physical and mental transformations, helped by her older sister and friendly room-mate Adrien ( Rabah Naït Oufella ), who both try to guide Justine through the trials and tribulations of college life and the insatiable hunger for human flesh.

Why Raw works so well is due to director  Julia Ducournau’s balance of tone, pace and story-telling, carefully shifting the film away from the exploitative and empty narrative it could’ve become, but not allowing the film’s subtle and indirect nature to become slow or pretentious. Similar to  Yorgos Lanthimos’   The Lobster from 2015, this is a genre film which opens with an alarmingly violent but beautifully shot sequence which immediately demands the audience’s attention and instantly sets up the film’s gruesome and unpredictable nature, without falling into shlock territory.

Exposition is frequently delivered without dialogue, usually given through stylish visuals and purposeful cinematography, with Ducournau trusting the audience enough to follow her as Justine’s journey becomes more intense and stomach-churning, that all feel essential to the narrative and not exploitative at all. There are several scenes where the visuals get incredibly intense, some body horror imagery that have awarded the film its infamous reputation, but these parts are purposefully filtered throughout the narrative, which keeps the overall momentum flowing continuously through the movie’s swift 90 minute run-time.

Also like The Lobster , the film employs a sense of incredibly dark humour, and outside of a scene of gory slapstick, never lets the humour overtake the graphic nature of the narrative. An odd comparison, but one of the problems that people have with the current series of Marvel Superhero films, is that every moment of drama or seriousness is constantly undercut with a one-liner or moment of alleviating humour, in order to relieve the audience and keep the sense of enjoyment constant.

I feel like a film like Raw could’ve suffered the same fate under a different director, as Ducournau understands the intensity of the material, never shielding the audience away from its most harsh visuals, allowing the film’s editing to give the desired cathartic feelings when each of these fierce scenes end, as opposed to an in-scene joke/one-liner, especially when these brutal moments tow the line from provocative to pure exploitation, knowing when to cut at just the right time to best maximise the effectiveness of each scene.

The Intelligent Type of Horror

This film highlights the power of the horror genre, a provocative genre that can disguise its social commentary and thematic elements through its horrific sequences of terror and suspense, an element that alot of forgettable/trashy films forget. The best horror films; The Exorcist , The Shining , Wicker Man and more all use their cinematic tools and tropes of the genre in order to frighten audiences, but use them as vehicles for deeper perceptive material, which is what Raw does here. Whilst primarily a horror film, the film uses the narrative structure and visuals of the coming of age and college-film subgenres, all 3 film genres which have been done to death which is why seeing a subversive take on them in Raw is so refreshing to see.

Even though people may just talk about the film’s intense nature,  Ducournau backs this up with an insightful look at conformity, modern feminism, body image issues, the treatment of homosexuality in today’s society and much more. None of it feels ham-fisted or awkwardly presented, each of these statements that Ducournau addresses feels organic to the narrative and intelligently woven into Justine’s vivd odyssey.

Another major factor in why the film works is its soundtrack, a mixture of modern EDM, brooding John Carpenter synthesisers and orchestral strings which really boost the striking visuals and add to the intensity of the building narrative. Without spoiling anything, the film boasts the best end credits music this year and I doubt it’ll be beaten (unless Baby Driver picks a really great track). Whilst I’ve been praising all the technical aspects of the film, I must also praise the level of acting across the board, with not one bad performance given by anyone in the cast.  Garance Marillier  infuses Justine with a sense of genuine innocence that is slowly shattered by the events that befall her, completely selling her transformation into the immoral decision-maker she becomes.

Julie Ducournau’s Raw is a great piece of genre film-making and alongside Jordan Peele’s Get Out , is one of the most impressive debut features that has been released recently. Even though the film has been tagged with the label of ‘barf bag’ cinema, setup with the expectations that this is a crazy French cannibal film, Raw delivers so much more than that. Through a seamless combination of tight camerawork, vivid visuals, a pulsating soundtrack and a collection of impressive acting help deliver an intelligent and intense experience that sticks with you long after its viewing, thanks to its thematic depth and various sequences of insane body horror.

Like most films nowadays, its best to recommend this with saying the less you know the better when going in, but understand that it is a straight up horror movie through and through, done with the aesthetics of European arthouse. Raw is a unique and genuinely startling entry into the horror genre and it is highly likely to sit as one of my favourite films of the year by the time December hits.

Have you ever felt that a film has been misrepresented by its marketing?

Raw is currently on limited release in the UK and USA. All international release dates are here . 

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Alex is a 28 year-old West Australian who has a slight obsession with film.

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‘In a Violent Nature’ Review: Killing Them Softly

Chris Nash’s ultraviolent horror movie is an unexpectedly serene, almost dreamlike meditation on a murderous psyche.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

There is a calm implacability to “In a Violent Nature” that’s deeply unsettling and particularly unpleasant. Yet I was also transfixed: Chris Nash’s direction is so persuasively bold — brazen, really — and bloodcurdlingly coolheaded that his unusual shocker is impossible to dismiss.

Gathering routine genre elements — the masked predator, the luckless teenage victims, the cabin-in-the-woods setting — Nash subordinates them all to a mood of stunning serenity. In place of a shrieking, pounding soundtrack, there is only birdsong and crunching leaves as a hulking human shape known as Johnny (Ry Barrett) heaves itself from the earth and begins its leisurely rampage. Following behind, we see only what Johnny sees and hear what he hears, his appearance initially restricted to a scorched skull (at times encased in an ancient smoke helmet) and hands like raw meat.

Less a man than a near-mythic entity, Johnny is as relentless as the industrial log splitter that silences the courageous park ranger (Reece Presley) who tries to stop him. A spartan plot involving an abusive childhood and a stolen locket provides Johnny’s motivation, but “In a Violent Nature” is more partial to atmosphere than narrative. The stirring forest floor, the wind-riffled surface of a lake, snatches of indistinct conversations — these are the threads that bind one horrific kill to another.

Whether nauseatingly explicit or eerily suggestive, the murders shock less for their punishing particulars than for the dreamy languor with which they’re enacted and filmed. Johnny likes to take his time; and if his experiments are sometimes hard to watch, they are also at times uncommonly creative. Claiming inspiration (in the film’s press notes) from Terrence Malick and others, Nash has attempted an ambitious blend of art house and slaughterhouse whose rug-pulling ending will polarize, even as its moody logic prevails.

In a Violent Nature Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes. In theaters.

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When talking about movies and discovering new ones, there are perhaps no better platforms than IMDb and Letterboxd. While the former appeals to more general audiences, the latter is aimed at more passionate cinephiles. The scores on both sites are often very similar, with maybe just a few points of difference at most.

Sometimes, however, there are certain films that manage to win over the users of one platform but leave the users of the other one a bit more disappointed. It can be a movie that IMDb loved but Letterboxd disliked, like Ted , or one that Letterboxd enjoyed but IMDb hated, like Jennifer's Body .

10 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)

IMDb score: 8.4/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 7.4/10

To this day, in a cinematic market saturated with a wide variety of superhero movie trilogies , Christopher Nolan 's Dark Knight Trilogy is still considered the best of the best. The Dark Knight Rises was the long-awaited conclusion to this epic series of superhero thrillers, and although it didn't disappoint, most fans felt that it certainly didn't live up to its predecessor, either.

While fans on IMDb are willing to overlook the movie's flaws, instead focusing on the intense action scenes and the beautiful closure of the trilogy's themes, reviewers on Letterboxd aren't quite as kind. There's still a lot of acclaim for Nolan's third venture into the superhero genre and criticism for the messy story and huge logical gaps in the plot.

9 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (2008)

IMDb score: 6.2/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 5.2/10

While the fifth (and seemingly final) installment in the Indiana Jones franchise has received some backlash and is having a tough time at the box office , it's still worth remembering Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and how divisive it has grown over the years. Though very much reminiscent of Indy's old adventures, its problems are far too many to ignore.

Even though the film clearly let down fans on both platforms, IMDb users still give it an approving score, forgiving its dodgy script thanks to the abundance of entertaining set pieces. Letterboxd users, on the other hand, think that the shoddy CGI, silly sci-fi concept, and strange creative decisions all make Crystal Skull irredeemable.

8 'Green Book' (2018)

IMDb score: 8.2/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 7.2/10

In one of the biggest Oscars controversies of the 21st century , Green Book won the coveted Best Picture award in 2019. Perhaps no one would have expected a film helmed by Peter Farrelly to win over the voters of Hollywood's most prestigious award, but this one had enough redeeming qualities to achieve that feat.

Despite all that, Letterboxd reviewers feel that the movie's depiction of racism and contemporary American society was overly simplistic and highly idealized. Perhaps people on IMDb saw something else: they felt that Green Book was an emotionally stirring and funny story about two men from different worlds who were able to form a deep bond.

7 'Ted' (2012)

IMDb score: 6.9/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 5.8/10

More often than not, raunchy American comedies will have bigger gaps between their IMDb and Letterboxd scores than most other films, and Ted is no exception. If an adult comedy about a man's friendship with his childhood teddy bear piques your interest, you'll surely enjoy this one. Otherwise, it's unlikely.

Reviewers on Letterboxd seem to appreciate that Seth MacFarlane 's tried-and-true formula for comedy certainly provides some good laughs in Ted , but ultimately feel that the movie was too vulgar for its own sake. On the other hand, IMDb users think that the crude humor works in the story's favor, turning an otherwise pretty silly romp into something super enjoyable.

6 'Bohemian Rhapsody' (2018)

IMDb score: 7.9/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 6.8/10

If Queen is more popular nowadays than it had been in a long, long time, it's largely thanks to Bohemian Rhapsody . Although it went through a rather tumultuous production, the movie adaptation of Freddie Mercury and the history of the band that made him famous succeeded in reminding the world of the brilliance of their music.

IMDb users feel delighted by Rami Malek 's performance as Mercury and watching some of the band's most iconic concerts recreated on the big screen. Letterboxd reviews are much harsher, with many people criticizing the movie's exploitation of Mercury's public persona and lamenting the watered-down version of what should have been a more mature story.

5 'But I'm a Cheerleader' (1999)

IMDb score: 6.7/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 8.0/10

Probably one of the most underrated classics of camp cinema , But I'm a Cheerleader is as deep and entertaining as LGBT+ comedies can possibly get. Although it wasn't particularly well-received upon release, audiences have warmed up to it, and it's now an iconic cult classic essential for fans of its genre.

Even though most users on IMDb think that the movie deserves way more recognition, some others feel that it's too niche for them to enjoy. On Letterboxd, however, reviewers have fallen in love with the endlessly quotable dialogue, beautiful pastel color palette, and surprisingly nuanced themes handled with great love and care.

4 'Jennifer's Body' (2009)

IMDb score: 5.4/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 6.8/10

When it comes to mixing horror and camp , few films do it as perfectly as Jennifer's Body . While a surface-level look might have some dismissing it as just another teen "chick flick," the truth is that there is much more to it than meets the eye. Funny, scary, and surprisingly intelligent in its social commentary, it's a movie that fans of the genre can't miss.

Audiences writing reviews on IMDb weren't impressed, calling the movie average at best and offputtingly weird at worst. Letterboxd users disagree, praising the fantastically written feminist themes, memorable characters, and wild, satirical tone.

3 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (2016)

IMDb score: 6.4/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 4.8/10

Say what you will about Zack Snyder 's DCEU, but it works as a conversation starter. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is arguably one of the most divisive superhero movies of all time, pitting DC's most iconic pair of heroes against one another in a story of epic scope.

On Letterboxd, fans are sad that the story goes off the rails in its second half and that so many goofy creative decisions brought the final product down. The film has way more fans on IMDb, where users celebrate the thrilling action scenes and profound story, paying particular respect to the much-superior extended cut.

2 'The Room' (2003)

IMDb score: 3.6/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 5.2/10

Tommy Wiseau 's The Room has rightfully earned its fame as the best of the worst. It's perhaps the most beloved "so bad, it's good" movie , with fans all around the world merrily gathering for midnight screenings as often as they can.

IMDb reviewers most definitely focus a lot more on what makes The Room bad, making note of its terrible performances, bizarre sense of pacing, and bafflingly incompetent writing and directing. People on Letterboxd, on the other hand, decide to focus more on what makes it such a fun cult classic while clarifying that it's nevertheless one of the worst movies ever made.

1 'Crash' (2004)

IMDb score: 7.7/10 vs. Letterboxd score: 6.0/10

The Best Picture Oscar-winning Crash by Paul Haggis is undoubtedly one of the most divisive films ever to win the reputable award, and for good reason. Though it's effectively raw and gritty, it also lacks subtlety and plays all its themes and plot points annoyingly safely, taking no interesting risks.

While IMDb users are sure to note that Crash fails to crawl out of the lower tier of Best Picture recipients, they also praise its complex multi-story narrative and staggering star-studded ensemble. On Letterboxd, users find it generic and dull, overwhelmingly melodramatic, and oblivious of what makes its themes important and nuanced. If anything, it's the perfect film to show the different tastes between the audiences that Letterboxd and IMDb aim for.

KEEP READING: 10 Highest-Rated Movies on Letterboxd That Aren't on IMDb's Top 250

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‘station 19’ bosses break down series finale & shocking surprises, ‘minecraft’ animated series set at netflix with new characters.

By Denise Petski

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Netflix is developing a new animated series based on the hugely popular Minecraft sandbox game. Few details are known, but according to Netflix, the series “will feature an original story with new characters that shows the Minecraft world in a new light.”

The announcement comes on the 15th anniversary of the video game.

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Netflix will co-produce the CG-animated series with Mojang Studios, the Swedish developer of the game.

Canadian animation studio WildBrain ( Sonic Prime, Ninjago: Dragons Rising, Carmen Sandiego ) will handle animation.

A Minecraft feature film also is in the works. Directed by Jared Hess from a screenplay by Chris Bowman and Hubble Palmer, the Warner Bros. pic stars Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, Jennifer Coolidge, Kate McKinnon, and Jemaine Clement. The film is produced by Legendary Pictures, Mojang, and Vertigo Entertainment. It’s slated for release on April 4, 2025.

Here’s Netflix’s official announcement:

NETFLIX & CRAFT! ⛏️ From Netflix & Mojang Studios, an animated Minecraft series is officially in the works. pic.twitter.com/yo41rEmAPn — Netflix (@netflix) May 30, 2024

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When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life. When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life. When a construction worker unexpectedly joins a local theater's production of Romeo and Juliet, the drama onstage starts to mirror his own life.

• Kelly O'Sullivan
• Alex Thompson
• Keith Kupferer
• Katherine Mallen Kupferer
• Tara Mallen
• 3 User reviews
• 14 Critic reviews
• 87 Metascore
• 2 wins & 6 nominations

• Janitor Fran

• Joan Spencer

• Principal Santos
• (as Charín Alvarez)
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• Trivia The woman who greets Daisy in the bathroom mid-performance is actor Deanna Dunagan, a Tony-winner for August, Osage County. She is credited as "Tony-Winner Deanna Dunagan."

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• Apr 27, 2024
• June 14, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Runaway Train
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 1 hour 50 minutes

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