Alpha Review: Julia Ducournau Switches Gears
in Devastating Body Horror Family Drama
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL - IN COMPETITION
Words by Alex Secilmis 21 May 2025
in Devastating Body Horror Family Drama
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL - IN COMPETITION
Words by Alex Secilmis 21 May 2025
While I’m no specialist in the subtleties of applause, Alpha’s standing ovation at the Grand Théâtre Lumière showed all the signs of a mixed reaction. Despite a relatively lengthy 12 minutes of acclamation, there was sheepish clapping from many in the orchestra seats, contrasted by vigorous cheering at the front right of the balcony. Any concerned fans should note that Julia Ducournau’s second and previous film, Titane, also divided critics despite its Palme d’Or win. Still, as a bleak and unflinching AIDS analogy, Alpha is a film bound to alienate a lot of viewers. For those willing to get on its wavelength, it’s a devastating, affecting examination of empathy in the darkest of times.
Leaving behind the sharp-edged audacity of Raw and Titane, Alpha is a moody, meandering film with Ducournau at her most restrained. The director takes her foot off the gas, swapping vehicular body horror for a family drama about a 13-year-old girl’s relationship with her overburdened mother and her drug-addicted uncle, against the backdrop of an unnamed epidemic in the 90s. We meet the titular character (played by Mélissa Boros) at a house party, getting a large letter “A” tattooed on her arm with an unclean needle. Her mother (Golshifteh Farahani), a doctor, understandably panics. When her estranged uncle Amin (Tahar Rahim) comes to stay, mid-heroin detox, the pair both start to exhibit concerning symptoms.
The signature Ducournau horror element, in addition to many unsettling close-ups of needles piercing skin, lies in the nature of the unnamed virus. The sick are slowly turned to stone, and their blood to red sand. The film’s muted tone makes the rare moment of violence strike that much harder, but for the most part, Alpha lingers in the subdued dread of its protagonist's transformation into a pariah. Blood from her unhealed tattoo drips onto the volleyball in gym class and fills a swimming pool, leaving her to be feared and shamed by her classmates.
Alpha is carried by a trio of tender, candid performances. Mélissa Boros is sensational as a young girl coming to terms with mortality too soon, the experience bringing her closer to her outcast uncle. As Amin, Tahar Rahim moves between sweetness and desperation on the turn of a dime, and Golshifteh Farahani is equally compelling as the hardened mother trying to hold down the fort, scared of losing her brother and daughter in one fell swoop.
With the force of a muffled scream, Ducournau’s third film is brutal in its simplicity and heartbreaking in its interrogation of compassion. One can only wait for what’s next from one of the most exciting directors working today.
Leaving behind the sharp-edged audacity of Raw and Titane, Alpha is a moody, meandering film with Ducournau at her most restrained. The director takes her foot off the gas, swapping vehicular body horror for a family drama about a 13-year-old girl’s relationship with her overburdened mother and her drug-addicted uncle, against the backdrop of an unnamed epidemic in the 90s. We meet the titular character (played by Mélissa Boros) at a house party, getting a large letter “A” tattooed on her arm with an unclean needle. Her mother (Golshifteh Farahani), a doctor, understandably panics. When her estranged uncle Amin (Tahar Rahim) comes to stay, mid-heroin detox, the pair both start to exhibit concerning symptoms.
The signature Ducournau horror element, in addition to many unsettling close-ups of needles piercing skin, lies in the nature of the unnamed virus. The sick are slowly turned to stone, and their blood to red sand. The film’s muted tone makes the rare moment of violence strike that much harder, but for the most part, Alpha lingers in the subdued dread of its protagonist's transformation into a pariah. Blood from her unhealed tattoo drips onto the volleyball in gym class and fills a swimming pool, leaving her to be feared and shamed by her classmates.
Alpha is carried by a trio of tender, candid performances. Mélissa Boros is sensational as a young girl coming to terms with mortality too soon, the experience bringing her closer to her outcast uncle. As Amin, Tahar Rahim moves between sweetness and desperation on the turn of a dime, and Golshifteh Farahani is equally compelling as the hardened mother trying to hold down the fort, scared of losing her brother and daughter in one fell swoop.
With the force of a muffled scream, Ducournau’s third film is brutal in its simplicity and heartbreaking in its interrogation of compassion. One can only wait for what’s next from one of the most exciting directors working today.