• Titane is the sophomore effort from Julia Docournau (Raw– 2016). Vincent Lindon (playing Vincent) stars opposite of Agathe Rousselle (both Alexia and Adrien) in 2021’s Palme d’Or winner.
  • Docournau’s film is a breath of fresh air—wholly unpredictable.
  • She (both this and Raw) feels like the distant relative of David Cronenberg’s work. Indeed, when Alexia makes violent love to an automobile, one can feel Docournau channeling Crash (1996).
  • In the marvelous opening (after the scenes of Alexia as a child and the accident), Docournau’s camera weaves around the exotic dancers (Alexia, now as an adult, included) at the auto show. The film never quite captures this sort of artistry again. There are other sequences though that are worthy of praise like the slow motion dance sequence by Vincent Lindon bathed in a sea of purple lighting. Also, the “Light House” song by Future Islands is an inspired scene and needle drop.
  • Ultimately, this horror/thriller is space enough for Ducournau to again explore gender politics—and shock and awe along the with this fascinating fable of two lost souls coming together.
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 2021.