At 16, Justine is a brilliant and promising student and a strict vegetarian. But when she starts at veterinary school, she quickly encounters a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world. Desperate to fit in during the first week of hazing rituals, desperate to fit in at whatever the cost, she strays from her family’s principles when she eats raw meat for the first time. Justine will soon face the terrible and unexpected consequences of her actions as her true self begins to emerge.

For thoughts on Raw, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Scream Factory brought Raw to Blu-Ray domestically for the first time in 2021 with a splendid 1080p video presentation in 2.39:1. The image is clean with the bold color palette radiating off the screen both in the lighting and elements of the production design such as body paint. The film deploys splashes of colors within the environment and the ruby red blood which makes for a beautifully grotesque image. The black levels are largely deep and inky with no exceptional digital noise and only fleeting macroblocking.

Flesh tones are natural with an unsettling amount of detail present in close-ups, especially when characters have a craving. The makeup effects are viscerally crisp and clear, as well as the fabrics of clothing and ridges of the production design. The practical effects blend well for a consistent experience. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the exterior shots of the quad. This Blu-Ray is an admirable representation of this movie.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a stellar DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original French with optional English subtitles. This is far from an action film, but the handful of sequences when things get especially thrilling or rowdy are supported favorably. The various sound effects provide a fantastic engagement to the low end of the track. The environmental sounds of the school effectively engage the surround speakers. When the characters are being led to their initiation ceremony or attending class with live animals, some nice ambient details flesh out the setting in a more three-dimensional way. Dialogue never struggles prominence with every word rendering crystal clear in the mix. Music always comes through with the utmost fidelity. The audio track is a terrific presentation for a feature that is more sonically complex than you might expect.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Julia Ducournau and Film Critic Emma Westwood provide a very informative commentary track in which Westwood essentially interviews the filmmaker to gain insight into narrative choices, thematic underpinnings, working with the performers, and more.

Raw – À Votre Goût: A 14-minute interview between Writer/Director Julia Ducournau and Film Critic Emma Westwood that acts as a continuation of the commentary track with explorations of the movie and Ducournau as a filmmaker.

Australian Premiere and Q&A with Julia Ducournau: A 48-minute festival Q&A from 2016 with Monster Fest director Kier-la Janisse and director Julia Ducournau.

Genre Matters – Women Genre Filmmakers: An excellent 57-minute panel with festival director Briony Kidd, producer Marisa Brown, and directors Julia Ducournau, Heidi Lee Douglas, Mattie Do, Donna McRae, and Isabel Peppard.

Julia Ducournau On…: A three-minute conversation between Julia Ducournau and film critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas in which the two discuss technology on film, audience reactions, influences, and more.

Deleted Scenes: A five-minute selection of unused footage is provided.

Theatrical Trailers (4:11)

TV Spots & Teasers (1:00)

Promo Video (1:44)

Final Thoughts

Raw is an intense viewing experience, yet director Julia Ducournau is never going for simple shock value. There is specificity in every choice that she makes, and the way she tackles desire and self-discovery knocks you sideways with every horrific development. Garance Marillier is fearless in the lead role, and she is supported by a very talented ensemble. This is certainly not for everyone, but those who can handle the gore will appreciate the thematic weight of the story. Scream Factory has provided a Blu-Ray disc that sports a great A/V presentation and a nice array of supplements. If you are at least mildly intrigued by the synopsis, give this one a shot. Recommended

Raw is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Scream Factory has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.