We had all been waiting with bated breath to see what Julie Ducournau would create next. Beginning with her cannibalistic Raw and her unhinged Titane, her next film took a slightly different turn. Alpha is, like Ducournau’s previous films, a blend of genres. The body horror elements are truly disturbing, the coming of age and exploration of unbreakable bonds are blended into this relentless drama, as that is what the film is at its core, a drama.
When 13-year-old Alpha returns home after a party with a tattoo on her arm, her mother, a doctor becomes concerned that she may have contracted a blood born virus where its victims gradually turn to marble.
It has already been widely discussed that the virus in Alpha is reminiscent of the AIDS crisis and it is in no way subtle. From the cracked dust laid ground to the disturbing sandstorms that rage in the finale, there are meanings layered into this story.
There are three key performances, with each relationship explored, sometimes even just through a devasting emotional scene where two characters embrace and breakdown crying, or through flashbacks which provide greater context and a better insight. There is the bond between brother and sister, one trying to desperately save the other, the strained relationship of a mother and daughter and the confusingly laid out story between uncle and niece. These isolated pairings, are harrowing and filled with pain and yes, to a point love. Each of the three leads are outstanding, packing in the emotional punches. But as a whole, the film crumbles with confusion and lack of understanding what we’re meant to be grasping at.
To call this a film a body horror cheapens the entire film, but to focus on the tragic elements would be the better focus and fairer way to describe it. Those suffering from the virus and seeing those care for loved ones without being able to do anything is as devasting as any other story featuring a horrific incurable disease. But while we watch Maman try to save Uncle Amin over and over, the film starts to slip past into stagnated territory. Thankfully the scenes with Alpha dealing with school, whether it’s the prejudice about her bleeding tattoo or her and her classmate sneaking away to make out in the toilets, the film takes a break from the confusing timeline Ducournau has created.
Though the emotional and devasting moments are the ones that stick with you, as well as the sight of someone’s crumbling back breaking, Alpha is feels like a very tone and overarching subject that Ducournau’s previous. Don’t go in expecting anything her previous films as you may be disappointed.