Titane - Tumblr Posts

Reblog and put in the tags the last movie you watched that wasn’t in the English language.

Titane (2021)

This week for my film club we watched one of my friend's favourite films, the uniquely provocative Titane.

We sometimes pick topics and then vote on a film that fits the theme and this was the winner for a topic I chose: "Jekyll and Hyde films", or more specifically: films you first expect to be about one thing/genre, to go a certain way and leave you feeling a particular emotion but which completely upend that assumption and turn out to be about something quite different and leave you feeling something much more unforeseen.

This fit that bill *perfectly*, deftly switching from a distinctive but potentially predictable psychosexual horror to something quite, quite different and really very beautiful. Transporting our protagonist from a resoundingly unlikeable path into one of the most unusual and uniquely touching depictions of unexpected tenderness. It opens up so much discussion around the themes of identity, gender norms, acceptance, progress and unconditional love and for a film most famous for one lurid aspect in particular, does it in a contrarily sensitive and emotional way.

The use of colour, music and the sound design are fantastic (I physically had to look away during one scene - and not the one anyone might expect!) And Agathe's and Vincent's acting is really quite exceptional, especially Agathe in such a physically demanding, minimal dialogue role. It's aesthetically dynamic and deliciously French with a weirdly wholesome heartbeat.

Like many films I watch for these clubs (I attend a couple outside of work and co-run one in work) this is 100% not for everyone, but if you can stomach the infamous parts it's a beautiful exploration of living outside of societal norms and finding peace in unexpected places.

[T]he shape of the scar had to have something to do with identity, as there is a question of that in the film. The scar is shaped like a spiral, a snail, which is a direct homage to Madeleine’s chignon in “Vertigo,” which is also shaped like a snail. “Vertigo” was an important reference for me here, especially through Vincent’s fantasy of being able to sculpt his own son back through her and the way he models Adrien — shaving his head, the clothes, the nose, all that.

From Hitchcock to the Macarena, “Titane” director on how monstrosity and humor feed her body horror

Thirty-one days of my favorite horror movies in no particular order. More queer horror? More queer horror.

Day Sixteen - High Tension/Haute Tension (2003)

Honorable mention below the cut to a few other titles that came from the New French Extremity wave, since there's a few that I'll watch over again at least once a year.

Martyrs (2008)

Livid (2011)

Raw (2016)

Titane (2021)