---
title: "Titane: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/titane/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/titane"
critics_score: 78
critics_reviews: 28
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Titane (2021): what the critics said

Critics' score 78 from 28 reviews: 22 positive, 6 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics come out shaken and won over. The reviews are firmly positive, with no outright dismissals among the 28, and the praise gathers in the same two places: Agathe Rousselle’s almost wordless, punishing physical performance, and the tenderness that grows between her Alexia and Vincent Lindon’s Vincent underneath all the body horror. Several critics are surprised to find the film sweet. Ruben Impens’ high-contrast cinematography, the colour and the sound design draw repeated notice.

The reservations are consistent too. A number of critics find the characters thinly drawn and their motives vague, which makes the emotional turn harder to accept, and several say the middle stretch sags after a ferocious opening. The spread is narrow for a film this extreme, running from lukewarm to rapturous with nothing hostile. The coolest voices are Screen Daily’s Jonathan Romney, who finds it provocative but silly, and Deadline’s Anna Smith, who thinks it falls short of Ducournau’s Raw.

## Sight and Sound — BFI

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2021. Festival review. 

The critic considers the film a full-throttle masterpiece that exceeds expectations. They single out its astonishing performances and the tender, human relationship at its heart.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/titane-is-a-full-throttle-masterpiece-road-rage-violence-queerness-julia-ducournau)

## IndieWire — David Ehrlich

Rating A-. 13 July 2021. Festival review. 

Ehrlich praises the film as a daring, moving blend of body horror and found-family fable, while noting that its characters can feel vague. He singles out Ducournau’s skillful balance of shock and tenderness, along with Vincent Lindon’s performance and the film’s vivid visual style.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/titane-review-julia-ducournau-1234650972/)

## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

Strong finds the film audacious, seductive and impressively boundary-pushing, despite its more freeform narrative. She especially praises Agathe Rousselle’s intense physical performance and the film’s striking command of colour and sound.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/titane-first-cannes-film-festival-review)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2021. 

Chang finds the film a daring, emotionally affecting triumph, despite its occasional self-infatuation and slickness. He especially praises Agathe Rousselle’s virtually wordless performance and the unexpected tenderness of her character’s bond with Vincent.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-09-30/titane-review-julia-ducournau-palme-cannes-film-festival)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Rating Critics Pick. 13 July 2021. Festival review. 

Debruge finds the film daring and compelling, though its logic and final reveal can be difficult to follow. He praises its boundary-pushing body horror and Ruben Impens’ velvety, high-contrast cinematography.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/titane-review-1235018105/)

## Radio Times — Beth Webb

Rating 4/5. 

The review describes the film as gut-churning and inventive. It singles out Ducournau’s body horror as its strength.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-5kveui/titane/)

## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen

Rating 4/5. 13 July 2021. Festival review. 

The review presents the film as a brilliant, exhilaratingly wild ride. It singles out its extreme violence, gender fluidity and provocative car-sex premise.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/titane-2021)

## The AV Club — Katie Rife

Rating B. 30 September 2021. 

Rife finds the film ferocious, twisted, and unexpectedly sweet, though its broad characters and ambiguous motivations make its emotional turn difficult to swallow. She singles out Ducournau’s provocative body-and-gender commentary and wicked sense of humor.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/horniness-for-cars-is-just-one-outrageous-aspect-of-thi-1847771215)

## Empire — Hanna Flint

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2021. 

Flint finds the film brash, thrilling and weirdly poignant, despite a meandering middle and increasingly absurd plot turns. She praises its vivid sound, horror and colour, along with the intense central performances.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/titane/)

## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown

Rating 3/4. 14 July 2021. 

The review finds the film bold and sensorially rich, but says its later sections lack the energy of its opening. It praises the imagery and sound design, especially the film’s exploration of bodily transformation and anxieties about inhabiting the body.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/titane-review-julia-ducournau/)

## The Guardian — Mark Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 December 2021. 

Kermode finds the film a visceral, unsettling fable about unconditional love that delivers for viewers with an appetite for extreme cinema. He praises Agathe Rousselle’s extraordinary physical performance and the film’s glowing visuals and throbbing soundscape.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/26/titane-review-julia-ducournau-palme-dor-cronenberg-agathe-rousselle)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Boyd van Hoeij

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2021. Festival review. 

The critic sees an ambitious, richly cinematic film whose queerness and genre-bending make it exciting and affecting. He praises the central bond between Alexia and Vincent, while noting that Vincent’s relationships could have been developed more fully.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/titane-review-cannes-2021-1234979892/)

## The i Paper — Christina Newland

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2021. 

Newland finds the film shocking and bizarre, but ultimately more tender and thoughtful than its provocations suggest. She especially praises the moments of connection between Alexia and Vincent, and Lindon’s tender performance.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/titane-review-julia-ducournaus-palme-dor-winner-is-shocking-and-bizarrely-tender-1365173)

## Vulture — Alison Willmore

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 October 2021. 

Willmore finds Titane a fascinating, confounding film whose grotesque imagery gradually forms a compelling meditation on bodily autonomy. She especially praises its portrayal of the claustrophobia of unwanted pregnancy and the characters’ struggles to control their changing bodies.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/titane-movie-review-julia-ducournau-palme-dor-winner.html)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2021. 

Brody finds the film daringly original and physically compelling, though its character psychology and relationships remain thinly sketched. He especially praises Ducournau’s vivid use of bodily extremity to carry the drama.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/titane-reviewed-the-body-horror-of-family-life)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2021. 

The blocked page does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It provides no details about what the review praises or criticizes.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/movies/titane-review.html)

## Screen Daily — Jonathan Romney

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2021. Festival review. 

Romney presents the film as a provocative but decidedly silly follow-up. The standfirst singles out its excess and conceptual ferocity, while acknowledging its sheer silliness.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/titane-cannes-review/5161572.article)

## Collider — Rafael Motamayor

Rating A+. 14 July 2021. 

The critic calls the film an astonishing, convention-defying achievement that is simultaneously grotesque, funny, and tender. He especially praises its hypnotic cinematography and electrifying score, alongside its unusual portrayal of human connection.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/titane-review/)

## The Skinny — Xuanlin Tham

Rating ★★★★★. 13 October 2021. Festival review. 

Tham finds Titane thrilling and ultimately devastatingly human. The review singles out its portrayal of fierce kinship between two lonely people and its vivid, mythic imagination.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/lff-2021-titane)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic calls the film unforgettable and a major achievement for Julia Ducournau. They praise its striking images and unpredictable shocks, as well as its frank treatment of sexuality and agency.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/titane-review-julia-ducournau-3123770)

## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 December 2021. 

Sandwell praises the film as singular, unforgettable and unexpectedly tender despite its disturbing horror. He singles out the wild, emotionally powerful ending and Agathe Rousselle’s remarkable performance.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a38548716/titane-review/)

## /Film — Hoai-Tran Bui

Rating 8.5/10. 1 October 2021. 

Bui finds the film’s unpredictable shifts exhilarating, though its sentiment arrives late and its middle drags. She especially praises the tender bond that forms between Alexia and Vincent beneath the body horror.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/621270/titane-review-the-best-thing-about-this-wild-bloody-horror-show-is-its-tender-heart/)

## Paste — Brianna Zigler

Rating 8.5/10. 22 September 2021. 

Zigler finds the film’s grotesque, boundary-pushing story ultimately centers on unconditional love and acceptance. She praises Agathe Rousselle’s commanding feature debut and the film’s exploration of gender, isolation, and the human body.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/julia-ducournau/titane-review)

## HeyUGuys — Adam Solomons

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. 

The critic finds the film eventful and entertaining, recommending it to genre fans and newcomers while warning it is not for the faint-hearted. They praise Agatha Rousselle’s early scenes but find the return to an earlier subplot imperfect.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/titane-review/)

## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2021. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film fiercely unsettling and not for everyone, but ultimately powerful. Agathe Rouselle’s startling physical performance is singled out for praise.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/titane-2021-film-review-by-andrew-robertson)

## Deadline — Anna Smith

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2021. Festival review. 

Smith finds the film ambitious and intriguing, though not quite as strong as Ducournau’s Raw. She praises Vincent Lindon’s performance and the film’s exploration of grief and denial.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/07/titane-review-cannes-julia-ducournau-agathe-rousselle-1234792406/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 30 September 2021. Festival review. 

The critic finds the film unruly but ambitious, original, and a lot of fun. They praise its visual panache and grisly excess, while noting that its themes never cohere around an effective central metaphor.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/titane-film-review-julia-ducournau/)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2021. Festival review. 

The accessible page contains no review text, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available from the supplied page.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/titane-the-new-flesh-is-thriving-living-rent-free-in-julia-ducournaus-fcked-up-metallica-brain-cannes-review-20210713/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/titane.md