I am torn. These are the films I live for; those so bizarre, so scandalous, so out there that my eyes light up no matter how repellant the images on screen. My entire being questions: “Who made this film?! And why?!” Doesn’t matter; show me more. And thus I reach the dilemma: do I share my enthusiasm or hold back, knowing that to do the former would spoil the film? Hmmm. In the very least, I have to warn you – Raw is a tough watch by whatever standards you cling to. You know that scene where they drop the pig’s blood on Carrie? There’s a blood engulfment here as well, and our protagonist wears a blood-soaked outfit for at least ten more minutes of screen time … and yet the crimson drenching might not even rate among the top five most objectionable moments in the film.
First off – how have I lived my life not knowing the surreal joy of French veterinary school? Is it too late? Look, I already have a head start: “Le chat”, “le chien,” … and many others, I’m told. What do I need to do to get in on the hazing? And what hazing it is! Vegetarian teenager Justine (Garance Marillier) finds out the woman she requested for a roomie is actually a gay male, but none of that matters when terrorists roust all the first years out of bed at midnight, literally toss all the mattresses out the window, and drag their initiates dressed exactly in what they slept in down to the basement to party! Hey! Those ski-masked jerks aren’t terrorists at all; they’re third years.
The first third of Raw is hazing … and an alarming moment in which Justine is forced to eat some unknown bit of meat (rabbit liver, perhaps?) to be part of le club. In a plea for civility, Justine appeals to her older sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf), a third year and also a vegetarian. Alex denies the vegetarianism and practically stuffs the rabbit down her sister’s throat, setting up two new story lines: Justine’s unique relationship with meat and Justine’s unique-r relationship with her elder sister. I don’t believe you’ll be able to guess where these story lines go … nor would you want to.
Have you seen two women literally have a pissing contest? Now I have.
Raw is a bit on the gimmicky side; can’t say the performances were expert, nor did the story (in retrospect) flow perfectly. It was more as if the film knew the mileage it would get out of the shocking moments
and avoided finding brilliance among the valleys. This film is like forcing you to dive into a frozen lake – it ain’t for everybody, you don’t have to try it to know you won’t like it, but for those who dig a sensory jolt to their systems, oh yeah. And Raw has the best final scene/shot I’ve seen in many months.
I have quite the love/hate relationship with foreign film. Even recently, I stared blankly at highly acclaimed and certainly not American releases like Ma vie de Courgette and The Salesman and wonder, “what are you people thinking?” There was heart in both films, sure, but neither made me want to race to the internet to tell people what I’d seen. And then there are films like the French-Belgian Raw, which makes me wonder how I’d done without this perspective, without this art, without these scenes which would never had slid through Paramount or Universal or Disney. Foreign film needs to exist if for no other reason than to remind Americans that there’s something else out there … and occasionally, it’s awesome.
♪Oooh, Raw, a surprise
What kind of sick production
Went before my eyes
Justine’s peers
In school to save some lives
See sisterly antics
Then break out in hives
Raw, huh, good God y’all
Who is this film for?
Absolutely no one. Say it again, y’all
Raw, huh, good God y’all
Who is this film for?
Absolutely no one♫
Rated R, 99 Minutes
D: Julia Ducournau
W: Julia Ducournau
Genre: School days!
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: People with a fairly sick sense of humor
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: The sheltered
♪ Parody inspired by “WAR”
