French filmmaker Julia Ducournau (Titane) is one of today’s boldest and most original horror filmmakers, and the trailer for her latest movie proves she could be delivering her most upsetting film to date. Alpha is the title of the recent movie by the modern body horror master, and the recently released U.K. trailer offers a chilling glimpse at her new film project.
Written and directed by Ducournau in her third film effort, Alpha sees a 13-year-old girl living with her single mother. Alpha returns one day with a mysterious tattoo on her arm, and her mother believes that the girl may have just contracted a bloodborne disease that’s ravaging the entire world. The film stars Golshifteh Farahani as the mother, Tahar Rahim as Alpha’s uncontrollable uncle, and Mélissa Boros as the teen with the tattoo. Finnegan Oldfield and Emma Mackey play supporting characters. The film has been acquired by Neon (they also distributed Ducournau’s Titane), though a U.S. release date has yet to be announced.
With Just Three Films, Ducournau Has Established Herself as Modern Horror’s Most Uncompromising Voice
The 41-year-old filmmaker from France has been active for more than a decade, first making an impression at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival with the short feature Junior. The very distressing short already hinted at Ducournau’s vision for body horror, as it followed a young kid undergoing a severe physical transformation. It won the Petit Rail d’Or at the festival, putting Ducournau in the spotlight as a potential new voice for horror. And then she made Raw, and blew everyone’s minds.
The 2016 film saw Justine going to veterinary school and trying out meat for the very first time in her life in a ritual held by the other students. Justine, a strict vegetarian, seems to like the taste, and she can’t control herself. Eventually, she develops a craving for human flesh, and things spiral out of control. The cannibalism horror film was acclaimed by critics, and once again proved Ducournau’s unique vision.
2021’s Titane was Ducournau’s boldest film to date – a gripping body horror epic about a woman with an erotic relationship with a car. After Alexia literally has sex with a vehicle, her life takes a turn for the worse. She’s revealed to be a serial killer targeting men who are fascinated with cars. Titane was also very well-received by critics and audiences, and it earned Ducournau the Palme d’Or at the 2021 edition of Cannes (she became the second female director to win the prestigious award since the festival’s inception).
Alpha looks to be a divisive addition to her filmography. A riveting journey through the global panic of HIV, and one girl’s journey to confront something she can’t possibly comprehend. It is currently the director’s lowest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes, with 51% on the Tomatometer. This marked decline from her previous entries (Raw sits at 93% while Titane is at 90%) could mean that Alpha is just not a critics’ favorite, but it doesn’t mean Ducournau has missed the target with her latest movie.
- Release Date
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August 20, 2025
- Runtime
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128 minutes
- Director
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Julia Ducournau
- Producers
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Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer