While I haven’t seen Titane or Raw, I can immediately understand why they’ve had such polarizing critical responses after having seen the director’s latest film, Alpha. The film tells the story of a teenage girl named Alpha and her relationship with a world of disease, not just of the body, but of the mind. Imagine if COVID were amplified a 100 times and then some, in a world filled with paranoid kids and horrified adults. But Alpha is about contaminated needles and a contagious illness that spreads through them. So it’s certainly an AIDS allegory to some degree, but I think it’s irrelevant to focus on the disease itself rather than what the film is actually trying to tell us. To be honest, even though I’ve watched the movie, I can’t say I’ve fully understood it; however, I can’t help but feel like I like it more as time passes. This is a French film that enraptures you from start to finish. There’s a threatening quality to it, in that it almost feels like it’s drowning you in a world of darkness, or should I say red wind? I won’t give away much else, because that would go into spoiler territory.
Visually, this film is jarring and can definitely feel uncomfortable; however, I don’t think it’s as bad as Titane, which I’ve heard is too hard to handle at moments. Alpha focuses on the mind of a teenage girl who wants to lead a normal life but suffers after getting tattooed with a random needle at a party. What follows is a series of events that makes it clear that if someone seems to be sick, they will be shunned from society, no matter how unrealistic the possibility of them being sick may be. This adds a layer of fear to the film, and while I would classify it as a fantasy drama, there are certainly elements of horror in it too. Also, let me burst your bubble before you go into the film: this is not a body horror like the director’s previous work, and going in with those expectations and then hating it is very unfair to the film.
Alpha is brought alive by the two actresses who play her. One, the younger version, who reminds me so much of the kid who played Luke in The Haunting Of Hill House. Possibly because of the glasses and how unbelievably adorable they both are. But of course, the real star of the film is the teenager, Melissa Boros, who plays her with such grit and sheer power that you might find yourself wondering if she’s a veteran actress playing a child. I can’t go without talking about the actress who plays her mother, Golshifteh Farahani, who is a stunning woman to look at, first and foremost. Honestly, you won’t be able to take your eyes off her, and watching her on the big screen really brings every little mole on her face alive. No, I’m not just talking about her striking appearance, but the emotional baggage that hides underneath the surface. This is an actress who deserves all the awards in the world. When you don’t understand a language, sometimes it may be hard to fully grasp what’s happening with just subtitles. There’s no chance of that happening in this film, because the actors are all just excellent at communicating through their expressions. Also, it stars Emma Mackey with her impeccable French. And of course, Tahar Rahim is a charmer as always.
This is a film about drug abuse and violence, and most importantly, it’s a metaphor for grief. It’s delightfully stylized, and the disease truly looks beautiful in a terrifying way. You’ll definitely find yourself in awe of how it manifests visually, though there is one scene in particular that might make you want to throw up, depending on how sensitive you are. But, unlike Julia Ducournau’s other films, Alpha is not meant to shock; it’s meant to move, and I certainly felt moved at the end. Though I will admit, the journey there is uncomfortable and maybe a little bit winding.
While it’s mainly focused on little Alpha, the film, at its heart, is about family and togetherness. There’s an incredible sibling relationship in the middle of all the chaos that never seems to falter, and this is what you should be watching the film for. I promise you, if you’ve got siblings, you might find yourself sobbing at the end of this one. I don’t think we often see such a tight bond between adult siblings in good cinema. More than anything, for some reason, when it’s two genders, that bond is often violated and used in a controversial way, just to get us to pay attention to something; take Game Of Thrones, for example. But in Alpha, this is the purest form of love. It’s also very cultural and speaks to the kind of stories the director truly wants to tell.
French films have always been hard to digest, and I’m not just talking about noir. There’s something very unique about Alpha, and like I mentioned, I found myself a little bit confused near the end of the film. While I get the overall sense of what it’s trying to say, I think the ending isn’t necessarily ambiguous, but very open to interpretation. I know that sounds contradictory, but what I mean is that you can feel an overall sense of emotion that is clear at the end of the film, whatever your interpretation of the specifics is.
Visually, this film is a masterclass in emotional resonance through sensory storytelling. From the sound design to the coloring, everything is certainly intentional and comes across as such too. I think the last time I enjoyed a French film this much, it was nominated for an Oscar, and while they’re starkly different, I still think they’re mammoths of an industry that prides itself on unique and stylistic filmmaking. Here’s a director who is so sure of herself that she could give Gaspar Noe a run for his money.
I think this is the kind of film that always does excellent in the festival circuits but doesn’t end up high ranking with a non-cinephile audience, but this particular one hasn’t even managed to do well at festivals, and I think this is because of the sky-high expectations. Because I went into Alpha with not a single expectation in my mind, I found that it’s raw, gritty, unique, and certainly keeps you hooked from start to finish. I’d say keep an eye out for this thought-provoking film that’s a smorgasbord of emotional baggage. It’s not like anything you’ve seen before, and though it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I highly recommend it. I’d give Alpha 4 out of 5 stars specifically because it moved me, and that automatically makes it good cinema to me.
