VOD Review: Raw (2017)

"Shocking, but not as much as you'd think."

When Raw made its run of the festival circuit last year, there were reports of audience members passing out, throwing up, and fleeing from theaters in a panic. Those reports, coupled with the movie's subject matter, naturally had us expecting a disgusting gore-fest that would leave us retching.

Unfortunately, Raw never quite gets to that level, and that's fine, but it certainly could have used a bit more of a nasty punch. It's still a great film, and it's definitely disturbing, but it left us a bit underwhelmed in that respect.

Justine is a 16-year-old from a strictly vegetarian family who is about to go away to veterinarian school; French veterinarian school, which means that there's going to be lots of sex, parting, and hazing of the weirdest kind. Her older, rebellious sister, Alexia is already a student there, but that doesn't mean that the hazing will be any easier for Justine, and in fact, it might even be harder.

COLLEGE: THE BEST TIME OF A YOUNG GIRLS LIFE.

After being forced to eat a rabbit kidney, Justine becomes ill, her skin breaks out in a nasty rash, and she begins developing a taste for flesh. At the same time, her sexuality is starting to blossom, so whomever she becomes intimate with is in danger of getting a chunk bitten out of them.

YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR THE BITERS.

Is Justine becoming a cannibal? Does she just need to get laid? Are veterinarian schools in France really like this? Far be it from us to spoil anything for you here, but as far as that last question goes, we sure hope so, because it looks like a salaciously good time. Minus the blood, of course.

IT AIN'T EASY BEING A TEENAGE CANNIBAL.

Raw is an odd movie, and a disturbing one. It's an allegory for burgeoning sexuality, and making your own way in the world. It's also about how vegetarians can turn into cannibals if they so much as get one taste of meat. Alright, that last one is pure fantasy, but one that the movie uses as its main template, and it's a terrifying one.

This is a gorgeous film, and one that I dare call artistic. Director Julia Ducournau has quite a visual eye, as well as a knack for telling a compelling story, and one that certainly goes to some dark places to say what it needs to say.

Garance Marillier owned the role of Justine. She started off convincingly as a shy, awkward girl who was out of her social depth, and transitioned into a predatory sex kitten with ease. The scene where she's dancing and making out with the mirror gave us chills.

SHE SHOULD HAVE STUCK TO VEGETABLES.

I understand why women get bikini waxes, but after seeing this movie, I'll never understand why they would want to.

SWEET JESUS, NOOOOOO....

Oh yes, this movie has its share of gore and disturbing scenes, chief amongst them, that damn bikini waxing scene...

FRANCE IS WEIRD.

This movie isn't shy about the sexuality either, although it's not as overtly explicit as we expected it to be.

GOUTE L'ARC-EN-CIEL.

Raw is a stylish, visceral, disturbing, thought-provoking movie, although for a cannibal movie that uses teen sexuality to show us how tough it is growing up in this day and age, it didn't really push the envelope to that place where so many other French Horror flicks have gone in recent years.

It's still one to watch though, if you've got the stomach for it.

A

Raw is available now on VOD

Garance Marillier and Ella Rumpf are in this.