I’m a little obsessed with looking at the films of Julia Ducournau through the lens of David Cronenberg because, unlike so many other younger/newer generation filmmakers, David Cronenberg seems to be a fan of Ducournau’s work. I don’t know if he’s just being nice in his older age but I have to imagine his praise means the world to her (he's never held his tongue when it came to being critical of other filmmakers in the past).
David Cronenberg is a major influence in my life. I discovered his films when I was a teenager - Julia Ducournau, focusfeatures.com
She’s got a really strong visual sense. I know she’s said how much of an influence my filmmaking has been, but it’s basically in the sense of unlocking her own sensibility, which is unique. She’s got a really strong visual sense and a sense of the absurd, the extreme. Her films are totally not like my films - David Cronenberg, indiewire
The opposite recently happened with John Carpenter expressing his disdain for The Substance…
I like The Substance but it has to feel awful having one of your heroes despise your work. But at the same time it has to be frustrating for Carpenter having his name associated with a movie he dislikes.
Ducournau’s latest film Alpha is about 5 years too late. It’s a movie about a mysterious contagious disease that turns people in to marble. That’s not all the film is about. Alpha delves in to everything from drug addiction and family drama to childhood bullying and repressed memories. Naturally this can be seen as another Covid-sploitation movie but even if it came out in 2021 or 2022 I’d probably still be a little cynical towards it. We all lived through covid. We get it. A covid movie with heavy symbolism and metaphors seems a little pointless to me. What’s unfortunate is that from now on, any modern film about a contagious disease will be called a covid movie even though Covid wasn’t the first contagious disease.
What I did find somewhat interesting was how Ducournau pulled from some of Cronenberg’s lesser known works, images and scenes (there are still some nods to his more popular movies). I was warned that Julia Ducournau didn't emulate Cronenberg this time around like she did w/ Raw, Titane and her early shorts but I didn’t see it that way.
It’s an interesting coincidence that Alpha's ending is similar to Crime Of The Future with The Passion Of Joan Of Arc tear drop.
Crimes Of The Future / Alpha
Instead of Videodrome or Scanners, Ducournau seems to pull from stuff like eXistenZ and later period Shorts like The Death Of David Cronenberg.
Crimes Of The Future / Alpha
eXistenZ / Alpha
Amin's body transformation in Alpha is similar to Seth's transformation in The Fly
The Fly / Alpha
The drug addiction aspect from Alpha definitely pulls from Naked Lunch as well.
Naked Lunch / Alpha
Naked Lunch / Alpha
Again - this wasn’t my thing but I can see how others might like this. I love a good comparison but Julia Ducournau doesn’t seem to have a voice of her own yet. Shes starting to take the Cronenberg worship a bit too far. That’s not to say Cronenberg owns body horror or the horrors of body transformation. He just seems to be the only person Ducournau pulls from.
