A young woman, studying to be a vet, develops a craving for human flesh in this 2016 coming-of-age cannibal horror. 

Recent Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau’s debut feature garnered a cult following almost immediately after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2016 when reports of audience members fainting during screenings came out. With unique aesthetic touches and a feminist, coming-of-age story at its core, Ducournau combines family drama with cannibal gore.

In Justine’s (Garance Marillier) family everyone is a vet and a vegetarian. She’s a gifted student and ready to take on her first year in vet school, where her older sister also studies. There, she gets no time to settle: hazing starts right away. Justine is forced to eat raw meat for the first time in her life. Unexpected consequences emerge as her true self begins to form.

Screened in French with English subtitles.

Julia Ducournau  |  France  |  2016  | 99 minutes