Walk outs in film are a dime a dozen, Bad acting , Terrible script or maybe the vibe is all off, it's all part of the Hollywood game. When 20 people walked out of RAW in Paris last year at it's first screening it was for none of these reasons. The reason 20 people walked out and two fainted is because RAW is one of the most intense films to come out of the European state in quite awhile,
The crime of RAW is not that it is provocative it is that has the intelligence to smooth it over with focused direction and smart writing thanks to the helm at both ends, Julie Doucornow in her debut.
Justine,played by an excellent Garance Marillier is a strict vegetarian in first year in veterinarian school On the first night her dorm is raided by senior students and so begins the process of a week long hazing exercise, One afternoon she is forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney. The results are almost immediate as she discovers within herself a craving for meat and as with the title preferring the raw variety. With all these events happening at the same time she struggles to find her place in school. Juggling students, family, teachers with a crippling disease I found my self drawing similarities between this and Brian De Palma's CARRIE.
Justine, at a loss slowly succumbs to cannibalism but you won't see any zombies or Italian inspired cannibals here. The second act leads us to the reasons all those people walked out and missed the payoff and satisfying end. At heart a cannibal film but also and more importantly a story of young woman trying to find her feet and the most blistering of circumstances.
An original film from a first time director and something you can surely sink your teeth into.
