Alpha Review
Fans of cinematic brutality rejoice, as Julia Ducournau returns to the screen for the first time since 2021’s provocative Titane. She turns her attention to family and disease in her new film Alpha.
The title refers to the name of a rebellious 13-year-old girl (Mélissa Boros), living in the backdrop of a dangerous outbreak of a bloodborne disease that turns its victims into marble. After getting an infected tattoo with a dirty needle at a party, Alpha’s mother (Golshifteh Farahani), a doctor dealing with infected patients, gets her tested as both wait nervously to see if she has contracted the disease. At the same time, Alpha’s uncle Amin (Tahar Rahim), a heroin addict, comes to live with her as he struggles with the illness.
The story’s parallels with the AIDS crisis are heavy-handed, as public panic fosters prejudice that sees Alpha further isolated from her peers and society as people fear the unknown. Elements of the scenario will echo some of the more hysterical chapters of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the focus on wellness being connected to virtue rings truer to the earlier outbreak.
At the same time, Amin’s addiction is shown in flashbacks that reveal a similar indifference shown toward addicts, as we see Alpha’s mother has been fighting for her sibling for a long time. The stone effect, where those infected slowly turn into marble, is haunting to look at, as we see abandoned hospital wards filled with people in various stages of turning to stone, with the dead becoming statues frozen forever. Like so much of Ducournau’s work, it’s beautiful and terrifying all at once.
The messages are sincere, if often difficult to appreciate in a crowded narrative that doesn’t stop to take in the emotional impact of what is happening. The many ideas on show (including a third-act twist that leans toward the supernatural) don’t quite gel as they should, as the film fluctuates between horror, drama, and social commentary. Such surreal visuals contrasted with the grounded themes mean one aspect occasionally undermines the other.
Nevertheless, there are some solid performances to keep the film moving. Boros’ lead is precocious while still displaying the vulnerability of someone so young (her meek “I’m only 13” when faced with the prospect of infection underlines the stakes elegantly). Farahani is an excellent tribute to those who help while others run, along with a brief but interesting appearance from Emma Mackey as her hospital colleague.
In the right role, Rahim is always watchable. The star of the 2009 classic A Prophet lost a reported 20 kilos for this role, which is evident in his gaunt expression and emaciated frame. Such commitment is laudable, and he is an ominous presence in the story, even if the role is a bit more one-dimensional than you might have hoped for such a talent.
After two films that felt like nothing else out there, Ducournau’s biggest crime with Alpha may be making a film that feels familiar. Visually inventive but narratively predictable, it will be a disappointment to those with high expectations of the filmmaker, but an interesting if flawed journey for everyone else.
★★★
In UK cinemas from November 14th / Mélissa Boros, Golshifteh Farahani, Tahar Rahim, Emma Mackey / Dir: Julia Ducournau / Curzon / 15
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