Movie review: «Titane» – Tasteless orgy in sex and violence

Drama/thriller/horror

Director:

Julia Ducournau

Actors:

Agathe Rousselle, Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier

Premiere data:

5. november 2021

Age limit:

15 years

«A provocative glorification of violence.»

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This is director Julia Ducournau’s second film, and it is clear that she has talent, but she should find someone else to write the script for her. Both of her films suffer from being bland and uninterestingly told.

Killing orgies

Her first film, “Raw”, is about cannibalism, while in “Titane” the main character has an insatiable need to kill. As a child, Alexia (Agathe Rousselle) was seriously injured in a car accident and had a titanium plate implanted in her brain. As an adult, she commits murder without an obvious intention and after a dramatic night when the orgy of murder is so careless that she is dangerously close to being revealed, she finds herself forced to change her identity. Alexia anonymizes her appearance to resemble a lost son, and seeks out a father (Vincent Lindon) in bottomless grief who is willing to believe in everything to alleviate the longing for his son.

Keeping the new identity intact is becoming increasingly difficult, as her actual gender is in danger of being revealed. Alexia finds out that she is fertilized, in a rather unorthodox way, and the pregnancy develops at a breakneck pace.

“Titane” is full of absurd ideas and clever inventions, but the ideas are neither sufficiently developed nor meaningful. On the contrary, it becomes a mess that does not add much to either the film experience or the reflection afterwards.

The film that makes Canadians faint is finally ready for Norwegian cinemas

The film has been given a 15-year limit in Norway, but some scenes are so brutal that it is difficult to keep an eye on the screen. It is a timely discussion whether it is necessary to show extreme violence without purpose or essence. The violence sets the tone for the film, but “Titane” could have aroused the same feelings without making his stomach turn.

The qualities are drowning

The balance between violence and essence was more present in the director’s debut, “Raw”, where violence was used more actively in storytelling. In “Titane” we are left with unanswered questions, which is due to a half-finished script.

“Titane” could have been an exciting experiment if Ducournau had had more on his mind. Now the film ends up more as an empty provocation than a sound work of art. The ideas are many, but the insight is narrow. This despite the fact that the actors are well instructed and the aesthetic expression is sensual and gifted. The qualities drown in inventions that should have been written off long before admission.

Ducournau has the potential as a director, but must stop wasting time and talent on films that give the audience nothing but nausea and distaste.

Thoughtful about Norwegian cowboy

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