For many, college is a time of self- discovery. It's really the first time away from parents, allowing for much more freedom and individuality for many. "Raw" answers what would happen if your new found independence led to the discovery that you loved the taste of human flesh.
Justine, a shy and smart girl who has been raised a vegetarian, stood outside vet school expecting her sister to come meet her. Her real introduction to her sister is hours later, after she's been woken up in the middle of the night along with every other freshmen and led to a packed, pulsating party, showcased in one long take. In fact, she sees her sister's shaking ass before she even sees her face. After this overwhelming introduction to the college, her rush week begins. Here she is forced to eat a rabbit's kidney as part of the hazing, and, despite getting an awful rash as a result, her craving for meat begins to spiral out of control from here. This may seem like a huge transformation for such an introverted character to undergo, but Garance Marillier is surprisingly realistic in her performance, showing all of the guilt and disgust and discomfort that arises from this sudden awakening.
What Justine's cannibalistic fetish results in, however, is not a schlocky horror movie in which she begins to hunt down college kids and eat them, but a movie about the pressure to fit in while also feeling the need to be herself. It's about Justine's rivalry with her sister, despite being the only person that truly understands her, and vice versa. It's about how her first time not being monitored or sheltered by her parents drives her to go wild. It's about addiction and its consequences. It's a weird movie by its nature, and a lot of its weirdness serves the symbolism of the story, but towards the end the shock value and strangeness go so over the top to the point of being inadvertently comedic, such as the strange gathering of people on the roof with that song playing in the background, and the fight between the sisters on that roof. However, the rich color palette, graphic and striking imagery, and the intense electronic soundtrack all contribute to a dreamlike atmosphere filled with unexpected symbolism, from the first eerie, empty, ultimately shocking wide shots to the final disturbing revelation.
Justine, a shy and smart girl who has been raised a vegetarian, stood outside vet school expecting her sister to come meet her. Her real introduction to her sister is hours later, after she's been woken up in the middle of the night along with every other freshmen and led to a packed, pulsating party, showcased in one long take. In fact, she sees her sister's shaking ass before she even sees her face. After this overwhelming introduction to the college, her rush week begins. Here she is forced to eat a rabbit's kidney as part of the hazing, and, despite getting an awful rash as a result, her craving for meat begins to spiral out of control from here. This may seem like a huge transformation for such an introverted character to undergo, but Garance Marillier is surprisingly realistic in her performance, showing all of the guilt and disgust and discomfort that arises from this sudden awakening.
What Justine's cannibalistic fetish results in, however, is not a schlocky horror movie in which she begins to hunt down college kids and eat them, but a movie about the pressure to fit in while also feeling the need to be herself. It's about Justine's rivalry with her sister, despite being the only person that truly understands her, and vice versa. It's about how her first time not being monitored or sheltered by her parents drives her to go wild. It's about addiction and its consequences. It's a weird movie by its nature, and a lot of its weirdness serves the symbolism of the story, but towards the end the shock value and strangeness go so over the top to the point of being inadvertently comedic, such as the strange gathering of people on the roof with that song playing in the background, and the fight between the sisters on that roof. However, the rich color palette, graphic and striking imagery, and the intense electronic soundtrack all contribute to a dreamlike atmosphere filled with unexpected symbolism, from the first eerie, empty, ultimately shocking wide shots to the final disturbing revelation.