Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Stringent vegetarian Justine encounters a decadent, merciless, and dangerously seductive world during her first week at veterinary school. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her principles and eats raw meat for the first time. She soon experiences terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge.
Raw is a striking debut from Julia Ducournau that blends coming-of-age drama with visceral body horror in a genuinely distinctive way. The performances, especially Garance Marillier, are committed and raw in every sense. Ducournau's visual craft is exceptional — the film has a lush, unsettling palette and confident command of tone. Its novelty is high: the cannibalism-as-sexual-awakening metaphor feels genuinely singular, rooted in a specific cultural milieu (French grandes écoles hazing culture) that grounds the surreal premise. The plot is strong in its thematic ambition but occasionally loses momentum in its middle stretch. The ending lands an effective gut-punch twist but feels slightly rushed in its revelation, leaving some emotional threads underexplored rather than fully resonant.