Titane

Art by Greg Ruth

If Nux from Mad Max: Fury Road had a villain origin story, one need not look any further than Julia Ducournau’s TITANE - an adrenaline rush of a movie worthy of its Palme d’Or win and the top billing at this year’s TIFF Midnight Madness.

Titane starts with a bang from the opening titles, Ducournau’s direction is akin to a F1 driver effortlessly shifting gears mid-race - from then on the movie’s pace is constant and unrelenting. When the movie stops and breathes (and surprisingly there’s quite a few tender moments throughout the film) the tension ratches up as you wait for the bomb to go off. And does it go off. Several times.

That ticking time bomb is Julia played by newcomer Agatha Rouselle who plays the role of a damaged loner/adrenaline junkie/stripper working for late night tips. Her presence on screen fluctuates between Michael Myers and Jason Statham, the sheer unpredictability of her character lends itself to Titane’s bat shit crazy plot. Try retelling the story to your friends, seriously.

Titane is an action movie first, but through a series of gear shifts - it develops a heart and turns into a lubricated fairy tale gone wrong story. It’s got surprising depth and Julia Ducournau is not afraid to pump its brakes and slow down the action before it goes 90 m/ph again. Titane feels like the best kind of Grindhouse movie to watch at a drive-in, it’s going to be an absolute crowd pleaser when watched with the right people, and yes the Midnight Madness crowd will absolutely eat it all up.

4/5