Julia Ducournau has made a name for herself as a provocative director, whose skill in crafting unforgettable genre pieces was rewarded with the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for her latest Titane, only the second woman to ever earn that distinction.
As part of this year’s SXSW Conference and Festivals, she sat down with Holly Herrick of the Austin Film Society to discuss her roots and her films.
For Ducournau, it all begins with family. Growing up with parents who were both doctors, she was actually exposed to the arts at an early age. An enormous VHS collection meant a nightly screening that grew her love of cinema. Ironically, while they were apprehensive about her decision to pursue a career as a writer, there was only one occupation off limits to young Ducournau: doctor. She now reflects that she might have made a fantastic psychiatrist, no surprise to viewers of her work.
After studying literature, she decided to go to film school (at the prestigious La Fémis) with the goal of becoming a screenwriter. She played around with making small student films and realized that the hands-on process of filmmaking is a type of screenwriting in its own way. Conversely, writing has an element of directing in it as well.
During film school, she enjoyed the freedom and opportunities she was provided but learned to appreciate how to accept criticism. When the artist has a strong idea of what she wants to convey, criticism isn’t deflating but a way to make the work better. And while the directorial students were top dogs on campus, the screenwriters were the nerds, and she appreciated the perspective that gave her.
“I obviously don’t care for shock value at all.” Anyone who has sat through Titane or her previous film, Raw, will have to sit with this statement for a while. To Ducournau, the ideas she’s exploring go beyond dropped jaws.
Take her latest. She’s interested in the contours of our own bodies. In Titane, the main character’s contours are spilling out onto the world. By the end of the film, we see her becoming human, giving birth to the next evolution in humanity. (Yes, this is a half-metal baby conceived after engaging in sexual congress with an automobile, but still.) In order to show someone becoming human, she had to start with someone very inhuman. Ultimately, she sees her films as quite optimistic, as her characters become aware of their freedom.
When asked about the state of cinema, she wouldn’t sugarcoat, noting the future comes down to our capacity to adapt. It’s the same with all art. Audiences too often don’t have the ability to see provocative films for what they are. Ducournau isn’t a cannibal, like the lead in Raw. She doesn’t want to have sex with a car. The inability to see nuance is understandable: The world is a dark place and people want a break. To Ducournau, art brings us together and makes us talk. We can’t let it disappear. If art is canceled, it’s the end of civilization.
Featured Session: Julia Ducournau
Creating Film & TV Track
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This article appears in March 10 • 2023.