Alpha sees the director of Raw and Titane return with another perplexing provocation
You know you’re going to get challenged by whatever French director Julia Ducournau‘s decided to serve up for us. Her debut film, Raw, is what we call in the business A Tough Watch. As for her follow up, Titane? Look, there’s no easy way to say this: somebody fucks a car in that movie. Titane won the Palme d’Or, so whatever she’s up to, we clearly want more of it. To that end, here’s Alpha, the charming story of a 13-year-old girl getting her first tattoo.
Alpha Trailer
What’s the plot?
As the official synopsis ever-so-briefly tells us:
Alpha, a troubled 13-year-old lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.
Which is accurate, yes, but doesn’t give us much. We do know that Alpha is a body horror sort of affair, which is pretty par for the course for Ducournau, and set against the backdrop of a new and virulent bloodborne disease that’s slowly turning people into marble. It’s a metaphor for something, no doubt.
Who’s in it?
- Mélissa Boros as Alpha, with Ambrine Trigo Ouaked as Alpha at the age of five.
- Tahar Rahim as Amin, Alpha’s junkie uncle.
- Golshifteh Farahani as Alpha’s mother, a doctor.
- Emma Mackey as the nurse.
- Finnegan Oldfield as the English teacher.
- Louai El Amrousy as Adrien.
- Marc Riso as Benny.
- Jean-Charles Clichet as the sports teacher.
- François Rollin as the headmaster.
When’s it out?
No word of a local release as yet, but Alpha hits US cinemas on March 27, 2026.
What’s the vibe?
Critics have been really divided on this one, and while Ducournau happily plays with transgressive and potentially divisive material, reviewers have generally showered her with plaudits. I love what she’s done so far, so I’m in the bag for this already, but I’m curious to see what’s caused the critical furore.
