Alpha — Review

After winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021 with her sophomore feature Titane, it was no surprise that Julia Ducournau’s follow-up film, Alpha, would be one of the most anticipated films at the festival in 2025. What was surprising, however, was that the film was met with a wave of lackluster reviews upon its premiere. Was it possible that the daring auteur behind Titane and 2016’s Raw had directed her first misfire? While I agree with the criticism that this is perhaps her weakest film to date, I’m inclined to disagree with the notion that it is a bad film by any means.