Titane

Am I the only one who got a lot of Les Misérables vibes? A lonely aging man, a pretty young orphan. A found family that got weird at the end? No? Cool cool cool.

Anyway... I was terrified and amazed the whole time. Loved it.

In the Olympus of bizarre relationships, with Cronenberg, Tsukamoto or Wittock, Ducournau has a seat, with a film that can only be read under the surface. It's not so important what is shown but what is suggested around sexuality, gender, acceptance, toxic masculinity and all-consuming femininity. So rich that references are sometimes imperceptible (Hitchcock's "Vertigo"). A film that invites to dive in and drown.

One of the strangest and most beautiful movies about two people who have nothing in common with each other but manage to form an unhealthy bond.

Vincent Lindon delivers one of my favourite performances of the movie, and of 2021.

Watching this movie, I didn't really understand why they chose it for the awards it has won. It really is a great movie, but... why?

And then, now, hours after I've watched it, I still find myself thinking about the things in this movie. And I understand why this movie is such a happening. The metal body, the sex in the car, the feminine dance in front of the men, the father and son relation... I'm just glad that this movie exists.

Interesting how a movie fucked-up on so many levels could win the Palme. “Titane” lacks the same visceral warmth and energy as Ducournau’s previous feature film “Raw”, and instead goes for a darker and more stylish approach while retaining the same sharp sense of black humor. I’ve read enlightened interpretations of every little plot detail, but honestly, I thought of it as a rather simple story where hyperbole and shock value are mere tools to make the audience reflect on trivial yet universal themes. Unconditional love is explored not as a pure and abstract value, but rather as the primal need of imperfect human beings affected by trauma. What started as Alexia’s story slowly turns into Vincent’s, who finally gets a second chance to love his child for what he was.

Interpretations aside, “Titane” is, just like “Raw”, a work that speaks to film geeks rather than aiming at delivering poignant social commentaries or representing specific categories. Like its protagonists, it should be taken and loved for what it is: a damn entertaining genre film where body horror, psychological drama, and self-conscious black humor blend into each other.

This is absolutely unique and unbearably intense. It made me squirm so much and I had no clue where it's going to take me. I probably won't watch it again but I'm glad something like this exists. Do not miss this one and go in as blind as you can.

Wow what can I say, actually finished watching it speechless, I thought after the first couple of scenes oh no, I don't think I will be emotionally attached to the main character, I was wrong she was amazing, and I don't think if someone wrote the script down would i think it could be executed or even watchable, so many questions

Ok, that was definitely a wonderfully disturbing trip. A heartbreaking story riddled with visual and emotional pain and suffering, for both, the audience and the protagonists. But somehow also safety and intimacy. I'm not sure if I can even grasp the whole thing properly. It was definitely something different that I wasn't prepared for. Like a fever dream where you can't really tell whether you're feeling something good or something bad. I have to watch it more than once to really get into it, but maybe I let some time pass first.

It’s funny, when you break the elements of this film down on the page, it reads like a trashy B-film.
In reality it’s anything but that; this is essentially what you’d get if you’d let Nicolas Winding Refn direct a script that was written for David Cronenberg.
The results are great, the sound and visuals are absolutely incredible.
It’s also very good at building suspense, often accompanied by great acting and editing.
The story is fairly straightforward and grounded with lots of interesting layers about sexuality, gender roles and family.
Because of that, the whole ‘sex with a car’ and [spoiler] pregnancy/birth [/spoiler] stuff feels a little tacked on and pretentious to me. I’d buy that in a surrealist and abstract film, but it isn’t trying to be that kind of film for the most part, nor are those aspects meant to be just symbolic. You could have that scene just play out with a man, and it wouldn’t make much of a difference. I don’t know, I just thought it was a bit laughable and up its own ass as is.
The rest of it is really solid.

7.5/10

Lucky to have an early Belgian theatrical release and see this one so quickly. I think it’s very cool that something insane as Titane can win the Palme d’Or in Cannes nowadays. Titane is crazy and fun, but not exactly a masterpiece imo. I liked the first hour way more than the second because there’s this massive tone shift halfway which I still don’t quite understand and maybe it was all just a bit too much in the end? However Titane is at least an improvement on Grave/Raw and definitely a beautifully-made movie with stellar performances and a very exciting Palme d’Or winner!