You have to see “Titane” to believe it.

Winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and revered as one of the most shocking films of 2021, Titane, follows the untamed and unpredictable Alexia. At a young age she has a metal plate implanted in her head, which becomes a seeming catalyst for unsettling behaviors such as an attraction to cars and becoming a serial murderer.

And yeah. I’ll just leave it there because you’ll have to see rest of the film to believe it. And you really should go into this spoiler-free.

To put it mildly, Titane is a bold, uncompromising, and complex journey balancing between moments of shocking and squirm-inducing body horror and sentimental relationships we build along the way. The film’s ability to be so compellingly original and unafraid to dive into dark and unforgettable places is overwhelming.

There are so many metaphors and meanings that you can peel back within this film, but a more on the nose element is its drastic juxtaposition between the male and female protagonists — where the female is volatile, violent and brash and the male counterpart is softer and more emotionally raw.

I love when we turn stereotypes on their heads in a more intense way, where we can watch characters develop and emotionally grow. And well, if there is any words to describe Titane, intense is definitely one of them.

For my best friend who joined me (and had ZERO knowledge about the plot. I’m so sorry, Sam), she would say that “WTF” is a more fitting description.

And yes, I must mention that the film is not for the faint of heart.

Director and writer, Julia Ducournau, has no problem amping up harsh sound effects to make moments of violence even more cringeworthy — if you have seen her film, Raw, you know what I mean. Apparently it is common for viewers to gasp and potentially squirm throughout the film. This was the case for Samantha and I admit I even cringed a little. I will never look at a hair pin/needle the same again.

But hey, we don’t need all film to be easy viewing. Not every film has to be enjoyable.

In fact, these original stories that challenge us and our take on reality are the ones that are the most noteworthy. So for that, bring it on.

Final Thoughts: Titane is provocative, thought-provoking, absurd and a darkly original vision that only a mastermind like Ducournau could pull off.

Oh. And as a side note, my best friend was so “shook”, that I promised her she could decide the next movie.