"Titane" has been hyped as a bizarre and original entry into the horror genre but its premise is nothing new (think of a messy mash-up of David Cronenberg's 'Crash' and 1977's "Demon Seed"). Anyone who has followed horror or science fiction films for the last five or ten years will find nothing unique or unsettling here. The film seems desperate to try and shock viewers by portraying excessive scenes of violence but it frequently goes wayover the top; as an example, there was one segment of the film I actually found myself laughing at in which the character repeatedly attempts to break her nose in order to change her appearance. Like many of the scenes in "Titane," it's taken to such extremes that it eventually just becomes absurd.
During the first 30 minutes or so of the film we're introduced to a dancer, Alexia (Agathe Rousselle) who seems to physically identify with cars and we're led to believe she might actually be partly mechanical herself. For reasons that are never explained, she often kills a series of lovers using a large large metallic knitting needle-type instrument after having sex with them. After setting fire to a house to murder several people inside (including her father), she decides to change her appearance to a male in order to avoid being apprehended by the authorities.
At this point the filmmakers' original plot seems to have run out of steam and "Titane" becomes a completely different film altogether. It segues into the story of an older paramedic/fireman who takes Alexia under his wing as he's convinced she's the son he's been grieving over for years. The character is beautifully played by Vincent London and his very poignant performance is by far the best thing in the film. We learn at this point that Alexia is also pregnant with what appears to be something mechanical; she begins to excrete motor oil rather than blood or bodily fluids. Other visual effects lead us to believe that her unborn baby is not human. As her pregnancy progresses it becomes more and more difficult for her to bind her breasts and protruding belly in order to pass as a believable male (although she was never really very convincing in the first place). During these scenes "Titane" seems to relish in not only showing the character in various stages of physical pain, but one tedious shot after another of her naked and scarred body.
MAJOR SPOILERS HERE: After the film's lengthy build-up, the ending totally cheats the audience. Vincent delivers the infant while our character is bleeding a gallon of motor oil, which for some reason he doesn't seem to find particularly unusual. We're shown only the back of the infant for about three seconds, and it appears to have a metallic spine. Vincent cradles the child and tells it he will be its father. The end credits roll.
Is the conclusion meant to be surreal after we've watched a film that seems to have been graphically literate? Is there a message here? At this point I really didn't care, as I was just glad it was over so I could leave the theater.
"Titane" could have made a fascinating short film at 15-20 minutes long, but there's just not enough material here to fill up the demands of a feature. There are too many needless scenes that are clearly just padding to fill up the film's almost interminable 108 minute running time. Besides not bringing anything particularly different to the table, it doesn't provide a satisfying conclusion after shamelessly baiting its audience for two-thirds of its running time.
During the first 30 minutes or so of the film we're introduced to a dancer, Alexia (Agathe Rousselle) who seems to physically identify with cars and we're led to believe she might actually be partly mechanical herself. For reasons that are never explained, she often kills a series of lovers using a large large metallic knitting needle-type instrument after having sex with them. After setting fire to a house to murder several people inside (including her father), she decides to change her appearance to a male in order to avoid being apprehended by the authorities.
At this point the filmmakers' original plot seems to have run out of steam and "Titane" becomes a completely different film altogether. It segues into the story of an older paramedic/fireman who takes Alexia under his wing as he's convinced she's the son he's been grieving over for years. The character is beautifully played by Vincent London and his very poignant performance is by far the best thing in the film. We learn at this point that Alexia is also pregnant with what appears to be something mechanical; she begins to excrete motor oil rather than blood or bodily fluids. Other visual effects lead us to believe that her unborn baby is not human. As her pregnancy progresses it becomes more and more difficult for her to bind her breasts and protruding belly in order to pass as a believable male (although she was never really very convincing in the first place). During these scenes "Titane" seems to relish in not only showing the character in various stages of physical pain, but one tedious shot after another of her naked and scarred body.
MAJOR SPOILERS HERE: After the film's lengthy build-up, the ending totally cheats the audience. Vincent delivers the infant while our character is bleeding a gallon of motor oil, which for some reason he doesn't seem to find particularly unusual. We're shown only the back of the infant for about three seconds, and it appears to have a metallic spine. Vincent cradles the child and tells it he will be its father. The end credits roll.
Is the conclusion meant to be surreal after we've watched a film that seems to have been graphically literate? Is there a message here? At this point I really didn't care, as I was just glad it was over so I could leave the theater.
"Titane" could have made a fascinating short film at 15-20 minutes long, but there's just not enough material here to fill up the demands of a feature. There are too many needless scenes that are clearly just padding to fill up the film's almost interminable 108 minute running time. Besides not bringing anything particularly different to the table, it doesn't provide a satisfying conclusion after shamelessly baiting its audience for two-thirds of its running time.