It's always exciting going along to a movie that's preceded by tabloid reports of people fainting while watching it, such is its extreme shock value.
In the desensitised modern world where terrorism and extreme violence pervades mainstream media, it's a rare nostalgic treat to get caught up in the hype of a film so disturbing some actually consider it dangerous.
Raw follows a young vegetarian who undergoes a carnivorous hazing ritual at vet school, awakening in her a savage hunger for meat that quickly leads to cannibalism.
Although its treatment is more typical of art-house European dramas than lurid horror, make no mistake - this is a genuinely horrific film.
The cannibalism scenes are put together with excellent visual and sound effects, giving them an awful realism and huge impact. But Raw's shocks aren't just limited to depictions of people eating people; there are animal dissections, humiliation rituals, weird peeing and skin rash scenes along with a waxing scene that is remarkably hard to watch.
As well as all the nastiness, this is a thoughtful, insightful film that's deeply fascinating.
Writer and director Julia Ducournau displays in her first major film a cool assuredness other filmmakers take decades to develop. Her teen lead actress, Garance Marillier, gives a brilliant, nuanced performance and keeps Raw grounded and unsettlingly relatable.
There are interesting layers to the film with what can be read as commentary on conformity, body image, lust, femininity, the family unit and - yes - meat, among other things.
Raw's final revelation is far less meaningful than it could have been, but this is nonetheless a unique, extreme slice of cinema well worth a watch for the more adventurous.
Four stars.
* Raw opens in New Zealand cinemas on Thursday, April 20.
Newshub.
