Julia Ducournau returns to the spotlight with Alpha, her third feature following the Palme d’Or-winning Titane and the raw cannibalistic coming-of-age of Raw. This time, the French filmmaker trades metallic auto-erotica for a slower-burning body-horror set against the shadow of an unnamed epidemic. The film stars the astonishing Mélissa Boros as the titular 13-year-old Alpha, whose single-mother household (anchored by Golshifteh Farahani) shatters after an incident involving a crude homemade tattoo. That small mark starts a scary chain of events involving a strange illness that slowly turns people’s bodies into something like stone or dust.
The film is set in a world that feels a lot like the late 1990s, with fears of a spreading disease that no one fully understands (it strongly reminds people of the AIDS crisis, though it never says the name). Instead of lots of blood and gore like in her earlier films, the horror here is slower and sadder. People cough up white powder, their skin cracks like marble, and bodies start to break down into fine sand. It’s creepy in a quiet, heartbreaking way, showing how fear can destroy families and relationships.
At its core, the film explores caretaking’s double edge—what it means to love someone whose body is betraying them, and how fear of contagion poisons intimacy. The tattoo starts as a teen rebellion, but it turns into a symbol of bigger fears around illness, stigma, and losing people. It shows how everyday things—like eating dinner or going to bed—can become full of tension and sadness when trust breaks down. It’s a bold swing at exploring the 1980s AIDS epidemic through a child’s lens, complete with bullying, isolation, and the slow erosion of hope.
That said, the film isn’t perfect. It’s quite long (over two hours), and sometimes it jumps around in time or gets lost in dream-like parts, which can make it feel confusing or slow. The big message about the disease is clear right away, but the story drags in places and doesn’t always keep the same energy. Some people may find it too gloomy without enough payoff. Even with those issues, Alpha is brave and emotional. Ducournau doesn’t go for easy scares or happy endings—she shows real pain and tries to say something deep about love during hard times.
Overall, this is a bold movie that’s not for everyone. If you like thoughtful horror or stories about family struggles, it’s worth watching, even if it feels heavy. Ducournau keeps pushing herself, and while this one doesn’t hit as hard as her past work, it shows she’s not afraid to try something new and personal. It’s a film that leaves a mark—just like that tattoo.
Screening at this years French Film Festival from Sun, 22 Mar.
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