Titane

Titane

A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who's reunited with his missing son after 10 years.

  • Released: 2021-07-14
  • Runtime: 108 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, Horror, Thrillers
  • Stars: Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh, Mara Cissé, Marin Judas, Diong-Kéba Tacu, Myriem Akheddiou, Bertrand Bonello, Céline Carrère, Adèle Guigue, Thibault Cathalifaud, Dominique Frot, Lamine Cissokho, Florence Janas, Frédéric Jardin, Olivia Venner, Thibault Villette, Nathalie Boyer, Mehdi Rahim-Silvioli, Théo Hellermann, Anaïs Fabre
  • Director: Julia Ducournau
 Comments
  • juliemmca - 4 January 2023
    French surrealist induced fever dream
    How many times can one repeat the question "What the heck am I watching?" before it becomes redundant?

    In this strange piece of French surrealism, Ducournau first pushes the boundaries of art house cinema and thereafter shatters them over one knee, leaving her viewer in awe and feeling slightly nauseous.

    Despite it being pretty much shock over substance, it remained deeply enthralling in a "I can't seem to look away" way. The beauty and the folly of the created characters is that they were pretty much unlikable. On another note, we do get a giggle-worthy close-up of Vincent Lindon's clenched butt cheeks.

    I know I will probably grow fond of this movie, given time. For now, however, I definitely need to go play with my dog or something to shake off some uneasiness.
  • Coventry - 1 October 2022
    The Palme d'Or has lost its value and significance
    What does "Titane" have in common with films like "Parasite", "Amour", "Elephant", "The Pianist", "Pulp Fiction", and "Barton Fink". You guessed right; they're all winners of the Palme d'Or head price at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. What else does "Titane" in common with the other films? Well, absolutely nothing, because all the others are genuine cinematic masterpieces that deserved to win a great price, whereas this film is nothing but a confusing, chaotic, and pretentious mess.

    I honestly can't figure out why the Cannes' jury decided to let "Titane" win. Maybe because it's a French film at a French festival? Maybe because the director is a woman? Maybe because it's hip to pretend liking so-called elevated horror movies? Or maybe - and this is the likeliest option - those jury members saw a true masterpiece and I'm missing the point entirely once again.

    "Titane" feels like David Cronenberg meets Takashi Miike, but then times infinity. It's body horror to the extreme, with the lead girl - Alexia - having a severe fetish for dancing sensually on rooftop of vehicles, and actually having sex WITH cars. We can only assume her weird fetish originates from a terribly car accident she was involved in as a child, which also caused for her to go through life with a metal plate in her skull. She's also a relentless serial killer, and to remain at large she takes the identity of a boy that went missing a decade ago. She moves in with her new father in his fire department station and must desperately conceal she's pregnant from a rusty old car.

    In case this summary already makes you go WTF, just wait until you witness the full film. There's plenty of more senseless and incoherent nonsense where this came from. Admittedly, there are a handful of very powerful and genuinely shocking moments in "Titane", as well as good performances and a thoroughly uncanny atmosphere. Still, the good moments cannot compensate for the overload of pompous guff. I can't stand movies in which none of the characters can act or reactive rationally or even half-normal, nor wannabe art-house flicks that don't properly finish storylines or provide any sort of explanations.

    In all fairness, the Palme d'Or should have gone to Paul Verhoeven's "Benedetta".