Raw
Focus World | Release Date: March 10, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
31
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Rolling StoneDavid FearMar 16, 2017
If "Get Out" reminds folks that you can smuggle intelligent social commentary and timely conversation-starters in to theaters via explosive genre packages, then Ducournau's feature debut doubles down on the notion. In terms of the female-body politic, it's an art-horror dirty bomb. Read full review
100
MTV NewsAmy NicholsonMar 11, 2017
Ducournau has made a beautiful film about terrible horrors. Read full review
91
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerMar 17, 2017
If Raw is hardly subtle in its depiction of burgeoning womanhood, from the social to the sexual, Ducournau delivers the film’s parable with a candor that suits it perfectly. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubKatie RifeMar 9, 2017
The film gained an unfortunate reputation as a gross-out cannibal shocker on the festival circuit, and while that categorization is not entirely, technically incorrect — this is a piece of body horror, and an intensely visceral one — it detracts from the striking imagery and layered symbolism of Ducournau’s uncommonly assured debut feature. Read full review
91
The PlaylistJordan RuimyJun 1, 2016
Although the film is rooted in arthouse film territory, and is particularly inspired by the films of David Cronenberg and David Lynch, Raw turns out to be its own wild animal. Read full review
90
SlateJeffrey BloomerMar 11, 2017
The most delicious part of Raw is its rich metaphorical life. Rather than playing like a gross-out sideshow, the movie has viscera-streaked things to say about the terrors of young womanhood, sisterly initiation, French racism, the gruesome traditions of veterinary science, and the uneasy bond between women and gay men. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisMar 9, 2017
Raw, Julia Ducournau’s jangly opera of sexual and dietary awakening, is an exceptionally classy-looking movie about deeply horrifying behavior. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangMar 9, 2017
Julia Ducournau, making a stellar feature writing-directing debut, fosters the kind of disquieting intimacy with her characters that leaves us continually uncertain of whether we should fear them or fear for them. Read full review
90
Village VoiceApril WolfeMar 9, 2017
Raw isn’t derivative — it’s fresh, funny, and grounded in reality. Underneath all the blood and guts, this is the story of a woman whose body demands love in extremity and the only person who’ll ever understand her fully: her sister. Read full review
90
We Got This CoveredDavid JamesOct 13, 2016
It’s a wonderfully bizarre movie set in a world that at first glance might be our own, yet quickly slides off the rails into gonzo territory. Read full review
90
ScreenCrushBritt HayesOct 3, 2016
To say that Ducournau’s cinematic introduction is assured would be an understatement; it’s a shrewd, insightful, and surprisingly funny film that feels like the work of a more accomplished filmmaker who has refined their talents over the course of many films and years. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerMay 23, 2016
It’s rare to see such confidence in a first feature, yet Ducournau seems to know where she’s going at all times, keeping the narrative lean and mean while utilizing an array of stylistic techniques – slow-motion, sequence shots and tons of on-screen prosthetics – that never let up until the witty, and inevitably grisly, final scene. Read full review
90
Screen DailyJonathan RomneyMay 23, 2016
The young cast, from the newbie leads to an army of go-for-it extras, are terrific, and Marillier is something else – ferociously expressive in a performance that’s no-holds-barred on every front. Read full review
90
VarietyCatherine BrayMay 23, 2016
Raw is a deliciously fevered stew of nightmare fuel that hangs together with a breezily confident sense of superior craft. Read full review
88
Washington PostAlan ZilbermanMar 23, 2017
Few films are both genuinely erotic and off-putting enough to inspire the occasional walkout. Raw succeeds at both. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 16, 2017
Like all good horror films (though it's more of a psychological thriller with a teeming, festering wealth of body-horror preoccupations), this one takes its central theme — cannibalism — as a way into a variety of other matters, other indicators of a society and a psyche under extreme duress. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireMar 10, 2017
It may not sound like it on the surface, but Raw is absolutely a celebration of female power — of realizing who you are, what you want and how to go after it, albeit with brutally bloody results. Read full review
83
IndieWireJude DryMar 11, 2017
Ducournau tears down the walls of a genre so often identified with male filmmakers. (Like the father of body horror, David Cronenberg.) Shrewdly using the art-horror format to upend the traditional teen Bildungsroman, “Raw” makes it impossible to look away — as much as you might want to. Read full review
80
Film ThreatRay LoboAug 1, 2021
It should not go unnoticed that Ducournau gives viewers some amazing scenes that capture the poetry found within the grotesque. Read full review
80
EmpireKim NewmanApr 3, 2017
A classy French-Belgian horror with an unusual female perspective on monstrous taboos. Shocking but not sensationalist, this is a strong cannibal movie worth chewing over. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 23, 2017
Raw is a lot of things: a terrific feature debut by a promising filmmaker; an effective metaphor; an acting showcase; and, not least of all, a gross-out horror film. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonCath ClarkeMar 15, 2017
Watching Raw is a bit like seeing a toddler crawl toward a four-lane highway. You can’t tear your eyes away, but at same time you want to squeeze them shut. This is a film that doesn’t just put you through the wringer; it scrapes your insides out. It left me trembling for hours. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawMar 11, 2017
What is very impressive about Raw is that absolutely everything about it is disquieting, not just the obvious moments of revulsion: there is no let up in the ambient background buzz of fear. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMar 9, 2017
This French-language horror film is shockingly well made for a debut feature: Julia Ducournau, who wrote and directed it, really knows her stuff and is clearly bound for mainstream success, if that’s where her appetites take her. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldMar 30, 2017
A coming-of-age tale like you’ve never seen, Julia Ducournau’s Raw left me intrigued, mildly nauseated and extremely curious about what passes for recreation at French veterinary schools. Read full review
75
Boston GlobePeter KeoughMar 16, 2017
When Ducournau keeps the viewer off balance and doesn’t lose her own, she shows signs of being an outstanding stylist and storyteller, balancing mood, composition, startling images, slow-burning suspense, and sardonic humor. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyMar 11, 2017
Raw is unsettling and repulsive and, believe it or not, occasionally funny. It’s got audacity and style, and it packs an undeniably wicked punch. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineChuck BowenMar 5, 2017
Throughout Raw, Julia Ducournau exhibits a clinical pitilessness that’s reminiscent of the body-horror films of David Cronenberg. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Emily YoshidaMar 6, 2017
Raw is certainly nasty, but its gore is strategic and sparse. It is, however, a very stressful film to watch from beginning to end, even before the real feasting gets underway. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMar 15, 2017
Even though there’s a great deal to admire in Ducournau’s debut outing, Raw will mostly appeal to the taste buds of horror connoisseurs. Skittish consumers should consider other dining options. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliMar 20, 2017
It relies on gross-out scenes to earn the right to be called “disturbing” and seems more interested in delivering schlocky shocks than suffocating the viewer with suspense or dread. Read full review
50
The New YorkerAnthony LaneMar 6, 2017
The curious thing is that, as with many big-budget horror flicks, this small French-Belgian movie feels too pleased with its own outrage; the grosser it grows, the less interesting it becomes. When the carnage was over, I went out and had a steak. Read full review
50
The Film StageEthan VestbySep 19, 2016
Not managing to be as icky as it wants to be, Raw makes one long for the days of exploitation films that compensate for the lack of technical craft with pure, idiotic chutzpah. Read full review
0
ObserverRex ReedMar 11, 2017
Word to the wise: Start saving the vomit bags from your airplane flights. With movies like this, you’re gonna need them. Read full review
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