Grave

Eine Schwesterliebe zum Anbeißen. Ein scheinbar schockierender und origineller Ekel. Psychologisch unfähig, dramatisch flach, mit Zynismus wird eine falsche Klugheit vorgetäuscht. [Cannes] (19.05.2016)

First of all, don’t go to Raw expecting horror. To present it as a brutal horror film that makes the audience faint is almost insulting. If anyone passed out while watching it, it must have been some old fart who would have passed out regardless, Raw or no Raw. Nevermind, I could have ignored this “scam” if the film was interesting and somehow stimulating. If only! The first-time director seems to be trying to say something profound about society, but does it with bullshit that stands on very shaky foundations. In order for her to take the plot where she needs, events lose their logical consequence and none of the characters behave like real people (the problematic use of gay secondary characters is only the tip of the iceberg), which is quite a problem for a film that wants to say something about people and that also takes place in the real world, and not in an alternative reality, like in The Lobster. This is self-absorbed, gratuitously provoking art that’s totally empty inside. The advanced première at the hipster cinema Bio Oko, in Letná, was really fitting. (05.04.2017)

Mutti, wie viele Deziliter Blut fließen während einer Menstruation aus mir heraus? Und Peter, ist es eine gute Idee, seinen schwulen Kumpel flachzulegen? Und Schwester, darf ich ein Stück deiner Hand essen, um herauszufinden, ob du wie Curry-Hühnchen schmeckst? Wie man sehen kann, bringt das Leben junger Mädchen viele brennende Fragen mit sich. Raw gibt darauf keine direkte Antwort, bestätigt jedoch die Tatsache, dass Personen, die sich von anderen unterscheiden, es immer schwerer haben als die Schafe in der Masse. Mobbing, sich entwickelnde Sexualität und ähnliche Herausforderungen des Erwachsenwerdens dürfen natürlich nicht fehlen. Und dann ist da natürlich noch der Kannibalismus. Die Regisseurin verarbeitet dieses Thema jedoch relativ sensibel, also erwarten Sie keine Gore-Orgien aus der "neuen französischen Extreme": Man erhält höchstens einen angeknabberten Knochen und das Verspeisen eines abgeschnittenen Fingers - aber der Blick ihrer Besitzerin bei ihrem Schock nach dem Erwachen ist wirklich sehenswert. Die Aura einer unermesslichen Brutalität um den Film herum hat sich zwar aufgelöst, aber dennoch ist es gelungen, eine schöne, fast kunstvolle Dramatik mit präzisem Soundtrack zu schaffen. Und das ist definitiv nicht wenig. (70%) (30.05.2017)

Who would have thought that this co-production film would be just my taste? (I couldn't resist the pun) Unlike similar horror films I'm used to from the overseas production, it was more of a psychological drama, although a diehard vegan would probably disagree with me and struggle with nightmares. The pace wasn’t exactly break-neck but I didn't get bored at all because I was enjoying the main character’s psychological transformation. (03.03.2020)

The film Raw will definitely have its fans because it is very well made and not afraid to show something that is really ugly. It's not a film that's full of violence, but you'll definitely find perversion here. Moreover, it's not a film without a story, it's a film that has a plot that goes somewhere. And that's what's nice about it. Even so, you may find the nastiness a bit self-serving at times. (19.03.2018)

"Sister, what shall we have tonight?" And why not, sometimes you need this kind of sick bizarreness to wash your tired soul with some of that explicit nastiness. And since I'm an omnivore, I didn't mind it and instead tried to look for the positives. It's definitely got rising action, it's definitely well filmed, and you definitely won't be bored with it. Honestly though, it works much more as entertaining trash. I didn't find a critical work with an attempt at resonance – although I wasn't really looking for one, either. I simply enjoyed it. (10.09.2018)

I have to admit that I wasn't very interested in the beginning of the film. After the story got going, the film drew me into its action and I had a great time. An ordinary coming-of-age film it is not, rather a bloody and unusual look into a phase of life called adolescence. I didn't sympathize with the protagonists, but I still rooted for them and waited to see what else would happen to them. The film probably won't be for everyone - there's a lot of blood - but the mix of the two genres works well and may appeal to different audiences than the film originally intended. (28.08.2023)