The 2016 French-Belgian film, Raw, follows a young girl, beginning her transition to university, where she will study as a veterinarian. Everyone in Justine’s family is also a vet, as well as a vegetarian, however once a hazing ritual forces Justine to eat raw rabbit kidneys, she uncovers an insatiable appetite for flesh – and not just the animal kind. Raw first premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival before being released in the United States a year later. The film receiving positive reviews praising the screenplay, but it was also met with some controversy because of its graphic imagery.
Because of the disturbing content, Raw is rated R, and fits into the horror genre, and so its audience is predominantly mature audiences with a taste for grisly and uncomfortable movies. The film won and was nominated for a handful of awards, globally, including a nomination for the Australian Film Critics Association award for Best International Film (Foreign Language). The film grossed $3.3 million world-wide, and as horror is such a universal genre, it can be appreciated through many cultures, but the gory side of Raw is not the only theme, which enhances its global appeal further.
One of the main themes in Raw is fitting in, as Justine struggles to integrate into her new environment away from her family. She is young for university, as her intelligence advances her to veterinary school at the age of 16, and her struggles are further highlighted through the scenes that include the hazing. Hazing is also a big part of the American college experience and involves putting newcomers in situations, with or without their consent, that aims to ridicule, or embarrass them – usually executed by older students. This further enhances the fact that Raw encourages the interconnectedness of cultures through film. Coming of age is also another theme prevalent in the french film; however, this is symbolised through the young girl’s decent into cannibalism, as it becomes more and more of an obsession to be like other people.
In terms of cinematography, the film is shot in a remote French countryside, which has a similar feel to those landscapes in places such as the UK, and because of the remoteness of the shots, there are no specific landmarks. Because of this effect, it feels like the film could take place anywhere – the only distinction that it is, to some, a foreign film is the fact that the language being spoken by the actors is French. Further, the actors themselves are very ordinary looking people of mixed races, with ordinary names, which audiences can relate to as they feel like ‘real’ people, and further appeals to global viewers.
And so, because culture is not unidirectional, Raw can be viewed globally, and although it is made in France and the language is not one that is spoken by many, it appeals to many audiences.
(Twenty-Second of August 2019)
References
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in omnia paratus 