Julia Ducournau’s ‘Alpha’ Misses the Mark with Disjointed Body Horror

 

Julia Ducournau, the Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker behind Titane and Raw, returns to the screen with Alpha—a body horror tale that, according to critics, stumbles through an incoherent and overwrought narrative. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, the film was widely considered one of the competition’s biggest disappointments, despite an earnest lead performance from Mélissa Boros.

Set in a surreal, alternate version of early-2000s France, Alpha centers on 13-year-old Alpha, a Moroccan-French girl who shocks her mother by coming home with the letter “A” tattooed on her arm. This rebellious act spirals into a nightmarish plot involving a mysterious disease that turns its victims into white marble statues. While the setup holds eerie potential, the film’s execution feels frustratingly disjointed.

Alpha’s mother, a doctor played by Golshifteh Farahani, is overwhelmed as her hospital collapses under the weight of bizarre infection cases. The world outside teeters on chaos, yet inside, doctors and nurses go about their business with unsettling calm. This contradiction undercuts any real tension and seems to gesture toward social commentary—perhaps on AIDS, Covid, or societal apathy—but never lands with clarity or emotional impact.

The film’s attempts to link the disease with themes of social decay, drug addiction, misogyny, and homophobia are muddled and, at times, baffling. Viewers meet Alpha’s emaciated, drug-addicted brother, Amin, a figure seemingly designed to evoke both pity and horror. He’s just one of several characters who feel more like symbolic props than fully realized individuals.

Despite Ducournau’s reputation for visceral, genre-bending filmmaking, Alpha lacks the thematic cohesion of Raw or the provocative energy of Titane. Its tonal inconsistency, emotionally overwrought dialogue, and lack of narrative precision make for a tedious viewing experience. The metaphor-heavy script, dialed-up emotion, and weak satire create a film that feels more exhausting than enlightening.

While Mélissa Boros delivers a sincere and grounded performance as Alpha, even her efforts can't save the film from its own excesses. In the end, Alpha is a bewildering entry in Ducournau’s filmography—ambitious in scope but painfully undercooked in execution. If anything, it highlights the need for the director to return to the razor-sharp clarity and restraint that made Raw such a standout.