In the films of director Julia Ducournau, characters undergo extreme physical transformations. In Raw (2016), it’s cannibalism; in Titane (2021), a fusion with metal; and in Alpha, a mysterious disease transmitted through blood turns people into statue-like stone figures. Though immobilized and contorted, those stone figures lying in sickbeds possess a strange, poetic beauty. What resonates most in Alpha is the relationship between Alpha, a teenage girl who believes she’s been infected, and her uncle Amin, a drug addict suffering from the disease. Tahar Rahim, known for A Prophet (2009) and Monsieur Aznavour (2024), delivers a transformative performance as Amin, losing a dramatic amount of weight to embody the slowly deteriorating character. Though an addict and nearing death, Amin remains fundamentally good—flawed, but impossible to hate. With its visceral themes and stark imagery, Alpha is undeniably intense and unflinching. Yet at its core, it’s a powerful melodrama that urges us to hold on to our humanity, even in an intensely chaotic and dehumanizing world. (SEO Seunghee)