Titane: Film Review
I gave Julia Ducournau‘s directorial debut Raw five stars so I had high hopes for her next film, Titane, especially after it won the Palme d’Or in Cannes.
To be honest, I don’t really know what I can write for the plot summary as I feel like everything is a spoiler so I’ll keep it super vague – the film follows Alexia (Agatha Rousselle), who had a titanium plate fitted in her head when she was a child after being involved in a car accident. Now, as an adult, she has a certain *ahem* affinity for metal and cars. Trust me when I say that’s just the jumping-off point; so much else happens in this movie!
If you’re familiar with Ducournau’s work, you’ll know that she is terrific at body horror and this is unsurprisingly where Titane excels. You really need to brace yourself for those scenes as they are disgusting, gross and wince-inducing. I even watched some bits through my fingers – especially one particular brutal kill – as I just couldn’t cope!
But I found my interest in the film waning elsewhere. The story isn’t just about what’s happening to Alexia’s body, it also focuses on her relationship with father figure Vincent (Vincent Lindon). As much as I loved seeing their bond evolve and grow stronger, these areas were a bit too slow and long and I felt like Ducournau stepped off the gas a bit too much. I actually wanted the exciting body horror content to return to liven it up!
I wonder if I struggled with it because I didn’t really care about Alexia and wasn’t invested in her journey. We never get to know much about her so she is this weird mysterious figure who remains at a distance from us. I would have liked more explanation for her sociopathic behaviour so we could understand her motives. That being said, newcomer Rousselle has a compelling, enigmatic presence and she handles the shocking content very well, as does Lindon, who nails his portrayal of a desperately lonely man.
Titane is a bold, provocative film that is surprisingly funnier (in a very dark way) than you would expect. I came out of the film speechless and with my mind blown. I didn’t know what to make of it and spent a while processing my thoughts before I could write this review. I didn’t actively enjoy it but I appreciate and respect Ducournau’s audacious vision and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!
In cinemas from Sunday 26th December