By: Andrew Wing

Titane (French: [titan], lit. ‘Titanium’) is a 2021 body horror film written and directed by Julia Ducournau. The French-Belgian co-production stars Agathe Rousselle (French journalist, model, and also the co-founder of feminist magazine Peach) in her feature film debut as Alexia, a woman who, after being injured in a car accident as a child, has a titanium plate fitted into her head. Vincent Lindon (won Best Actor at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival for his role in the film The Measure of a Man), Garance Marillier (known for her role in Ducournau’s previous film Raw), and Laïs Salameh also star.

The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 13, 2021, where Ducournau became the second female director to win the Palme d’Or, the festival’s top award, as well as the first female filmmaker to win solo. It received critical acclaim and was selected as the French entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, but did not make the shortlist. At the 47th César Awards, it was nominated for four awards, including Best Director for Ducournau and Most Promising Actress for Rousselle. At the 75th British Academy Film Awards, Ducournau received a nomination for Best Director.

THE GOOD

The movie that really made me fall in love with film was Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. I honestly think it’s arguably the best movie ever made, but before actually watching it for the first time, I remember hearing about how well it did at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the Palme d’Or. Now as I have gotten more into the world of film, I know how big of a deal winning that award is, so when I saw that Titane won it at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, I knew I had to check it out. Also, it had a perfect trailer in my book as it shows you a ton, but still doesn’t tell you too much about the plot, so I was amped for it. With that said, let’s dive into this review and find out if it was worthy of winning the Palme d’Or!

Trust me when I say this, remember the name Julia Ducournau. This is only the second feature film from Ducournau, her first being Raw. Raw is also a body horror film that was recently streaming on Netflix, but it was certainly a movie unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Like with Raw, Titane is also unlike anything I’ve ever seen as we get a ton of unusual fetishes, extreme violence and a handful of moments that will make you squirm. It took me until about the opening scene for me to realize that this was definitely a step up from Raw. It really felt like Ducournau further defined what makes her one of the most unique voices in cinema right now which is all the more impressive considering this is only her second time doing this. Her direction is remarkable here as this film is so confidently executed. It is magnificently unique, daring and one of the most batshit experiences I have ever had with a film. It is one of those movies that doesn’t come around very often and I treasured that so much that I loved this movie.

Not only did Ducourneau direct, but she also wrote the original screenplay for the film. I absolutely loved the screenplay as this movie is ridiculously insane. The screenplay is amazing. As insanely violent and gnarly as it can get at times, and sometimes cynical in the first-third, the film actually has a surprising amount of heart, believe it or not. It’s even wholesome in a sense as it’s a story of these two tortured souls connecting in a strange way. There is even some dark comedy in the film that works so well in some scenes. It really tied together the movie as a whole and Ducourneau was fully aware of the right dose of comedy that was needed to make this movie feel a tad self-aware. Continuing with her excellent screenplay, the majority of the fun with this film is not knowing what to expect and all the surprises you get. I am not going to discuss the plot more in depth because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say the ending is a perfect ending in my book. It was exactly how this movie was supposed to end.

I am a critic who has seen a ton of movies, but I would be lying if I said I fully understood all the ideas going into this movie and I don’t even have words to describe it. Despite me not knowing everything she was going for, I still have to give props to Ducournau for pushing the envelope with the themes she went for here. The film is about brutality, sexuality, and even gender identity, and I’m sure there are even more genres at play here that I might not even know about or missed. And with the Academy Award nominations that came out last week, I was a little bit disappointed. I would’ve loved for the Academy to go outside the box and nominate her for Best Director or Best Original Screenplay because her craftsmanship here was outstanding and one for the ages. All of her sensibilities were absolutely on point from the tone, to the flow of the story, and everything was in such good hands.

Yes, Titane is gripping, entertaining, and fascinating, but what makes it what it is is the fact that this movie is just beautifully acted. So with that said, it’s about time we talk about the two lead performances because holy s**t. First with the star of the show, actress Agathe Rousselle. I was blown away at the fact that this is her feature film debut as an actress. Her performance was perfect as she plays a character that lacks humanity, and I honestly couldn’t imagine another person in this role. The number of emotions she conveys with so much silence was unfathomable as she barely even speaks in this movie. Now to her co-star, Vincent Lindon. Vincent Lindon is amazing in this. His character is so aggressive, desperate, and damaged and his chemistry with Rousselle was flawless. He even has some scenes that might make you shed a tear or two. Oh and one more thing, the man is incredibly jacked.

Lastly, I loved the look of Titane. The cinematography we got here from Ruben Impens was top tier. It was so well shot, so much so that it was very tough to look away from at times. Add in his brilliant camera work and the lighting choices, I felt like I was watching this thing wide-eyed the entire time. And I can’t forget to mention the music. Oh, the music! I loved every choice made by Jim Williams, and trust me when I say there are some songs in this killer soundtrack that’ll start making you bop your head.

THE BAD

Simply put, this movie is fu**ed up! It is extremely gruesome and violent at times and just be prepared that there is a lot to stomach here if you are going to take my suggestion and check it out. You will know in the first third of the film if you are going to be able to stomach it or not, but if you can, definitely do it because it is truly exhilarating. Also, as I say in the good section, there is no denying that I didn’t have a full grasp on this movie and everything it was going for, and you might not either. Yes, it was frustrating at times, but I honestly felt thankful to be watching a movie so challenging because it gave me a memory with how wild of a ride Titane is.

And last thing to note is that this is a French film. Therefore, the film is entirely in the French language, so if you are someone that can’t do subtitles, then this isn’t the movie for you.

THE VERDICT

Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning film Titane is a bonkers, WTF movie that I had one hell of time watching! Ducournau delivers one for the ages as she perfectly executes her multi-layered and uncompromising vision behind her purely cinematic direction and unbelievable screenplay. It also features some masterful, deeply-committed performances from both Agathe Rousselle and Vincent Lindon.

I have it coming in at #3 for my best films of 2021 behind Licorice Pizza (see my full review here) and Dune (see my full review here). I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone, but if you consider yourself a cinephile and are prepared to have your mind blown, you just have to see this one! Now streaming on Hulu!