The body horror genre — the cinematic subcategory that frequently features mutations, mutilations and other spine-chilling metamorphoses with regards to the human body — has had quite the year, what with the success of Oscar-nominated "The Substance" as well as equally freaky flicks like "Nightbitch" and "Alien: Romulus." And if you want to delve even further into that type of film, add "Titane" to your watch list ASAP. But you'll have to act fast, as the title will be leaving Hulu on Saturday, Feb. 15.
What is 'Titane' about?
Written and directed by Julia Ducournau — who had her filmmaking breakthrough with 2016's "Raw" — "Titane" is a 2021 French psychological drama that centers on Alexia (Agathe Rousselle), a woman who has quite an unusual connection to automobiles. (Vincent Lindon, Garance Marillier and Laïs Salameh also star.)
For one, Alexia survived a car crash as a child, which left her with a titanium plate fitted to her head. As an adult, she works as a motor show model and is revealed to have an erotic fascination with cars — a late-night, ahem, encounter with a Cadillac that sets off a truly shocking series of events. Oh, and did we mention that she's also a serial killer?
Why you should stream 'Titane' before it leaves Hulu next month
One of the best movies of 2021 that you might have missed, "Titane" is a delightfully disturbing watch, one that Variety critic Peter Debruge called "a cross between David Cronenberg's 'Crash' and the uterine horrors of Takashi Miike's 'Gozu'" in his review of the film.
Other critics concurred with their own praise; on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the movie currently holds a stellar approval rating of 90%. (Just note, if you're prone to wooziness at the sight of blood and gore, this one might not be the movie for you!)
The body horror flick earned Ducournau the coveted Palme d'Or when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021, making the filmmaker only the second female director to ever win the top award and the first female filmmaker to ever win it solo. It also received four César Award nominations, including Best Director for Ducournau and Most Promising Actress for Rousselle, as well as a BAFTA nod for Ducournau's directing.
You can catch "Titane" on Hulu until Feb. 15; after that, you'll be able to stream the French thriller for free on the Kanopy streaming service or you can rent or buy the title on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play or YouTube. And if all that hasn't convinced you to watch it, you can see what else is new on Hulu in January 2025.
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