TITANE

Spoilers to follow - so if, like me, you would rather see this film with no understanding of what's to come, please skip the next paragraph.

The film follows the story of young woman Alexia, who after having sex with a car falls pregnant. She is herself a serial killer, and after a murder gone wrong is forced to go into hiding. After problem-solving her future, she changes herself to look like a missing boy and goes to live with the boy's father, who thinks he has finally found his long-lost son. This seems like a great plan, as long as the dad doesn't discover his long-lost son is a wanted serial killer, pregnant with the child of a car. If that synopsis doesn't give you some insight into what a mindfuck this movie is, I don't know what will.

I've referred to the nuanced humour within the film above, which only adds to the intelligence of the pacing and tone of this movie. Where some moments are intense and suspenseful, the film conducts a full flip on you, transitioning masterfully into a new mood and dimension of the character. It's one of those rare narratives where you really can't tell where this film is going to go.

The film deserves a certain honour for what it puts you through. And critics are correct, it does put you through the works. Director Paul Thomas Anderson has said, "'Titane' is worth seeing. I don't know entirely how I feel about it, but, my God, you are in the hands of a real filmmaker. I was holding on tight for dear life, and that is a terrific feeling." And I would say that sums it up. Look, I didn't feel terrific in the cinema when I didn't have enough hands to cover my eyes and my ears during the more violent moments of the film. But to say this film puts you through something is an entirely accurate statement. When you buy your ticket and take your seat, you are about to undergo an experience. That is a pretty special reputation for a film to garner. It still does have its flaws. I found the third act a little slow, and to begin with felt a little uneasy about the utilisation of a titanium plate implant in conjunction with the plot. After reading some other source material, there are great discussions surrounding this plot point and the film's dialogue on trauma and humanity. Shared trauma seems to be another theme within the narrative as the two pinnacle characters work through theirs together.

So, yes. I guess like Paul Thomas Anderson, I'm really not entirely sure how to feel about this film. I did find appreciation in it. I probably couldn't watch it again, and I'm not sure I could recommend it - rather to warn people to buckle up. Sam, my boyfriend, put it excellently upon leaving the cinema when he said, "It's a weird Frankenstein of Lanthimos-type humour mixed in with a dash of Gasper Noé and a sprinkle of Mrs Doubtfire." If that sounds like your kind of movie... let me rephrase - if that sounds like your kind of experience, then buckle up!