Julia Ducornau is very much the woman of the hour at the moment, having bagged the top honours at the 74th Cannes Film Festival with her body horror nightmare Titane. Only the second woman to ever win the Palme d’Or, we’re certain Ducournau has a bright future ahead of her, and we can’t wait to see what twisted nightmare she brings us next. But in the spirit of celebrating, the kind folks at UniFrance have made Ducournau’s first-ever film – her short Junior – available to watch on Youtube, absolutely free of charge.
Made after she graduated from the French film school La Fémis, Junior stars Garance Marillier in the titular role, who was just 13 at the time and would go on to take the central role in Raw (she also appears in a supporting role in Titane). The film was selected for Semaine de la Critique at Cannes in 2011, where Raw would also play in 2016 and receive the FIPRESCI Prize.
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The themes in Junior will be familiar to anyone who has seen Ducournau’s later work, examining the physical and psychological impact of puberty upon women, and the grotesque metamorphosis of the human body. If you can’t wait for Titane (which will be released by Altitude in the UK and Neon in the US), this should tide you over – check out the full short film below.
