Prudish Justine is insecure and wary of starting her study of veterinary medicine. The campus is large and the initiation gross. Her tougher older sister is no help at all. Luckily, she has Adrien, her roommate and gay best friend. To Justine’s horror, the initiation involves eating raw rabbit kidneys. Soon afterwards she develops a terrible rash and an uncontrollable lust for meat which proves the start of a bloody transformation from nerdy goody-two-shoes into lusty vamp. Horror films worth their salt use gory metaphors to highlight social phenomena. Seasoned viewers will see a critique of our dealings with animals and current beauty ideals behind the blood, vomit and hair. Cameraman Ruben Impens (De helaasheid der dingen, Belgica) captures all this in bloody, bestial, beautiful glory. Writer/director Julia Ducournau has won many prizes for this, her debut feature, including the FIPRESCI prize at Semaine de la Critique in Cannes.
Film details
Productielanden
Belgium, France
Jaar
2016
Festivaleditie
IFFR 2017
Lengte
98'
Medium/Formaat
DCP
Taal
French
Première status
None
Director
Julia Ducournau
Producer
Jean des Forêts, Julie Gayet, Nadia Turincev, Jean-Yves Roubin, Cassandre Warnauts
Screenplay
Julia Ducournau
Cinematography
Ruben Impens
Editing
Jean-Christophe Bouzy
Production design
Laurie Colson
Music
Jim Williams
Sound design
Mathieu Descamps
Principal cast
Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, Rabah Naït Oufella, Laurent Lucas, Joana Preiss, Bouli Lanners, Marion Vernoux
Production company
Petit Film, Rouge International, FraKas Productions