Object sexuality, the romantic appeal’tempt ion to inanimate objects, is hardly the most conventional subject in/with regard to’concerning’regarding cinematic exploration, but 2021 has seen the release of two films that shine a light on this taboo desire. While Zoé Wittock’s Jumbo takes a sweet, tender approach to its love story between a young woman and a fairground ride, Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or-winning Titane crashes into Cronenberg-esque body horror at full speed. It’s an unsurprising direction in/with regard to’concerning’regarding the French filmmaker, who flexed her horror muscles with cannibalistic coming-of-age drama Raw five years earlier, but that film was just a hint at where her audaciously warped sense of storytelling would take audiences. And the twists and turns of Titane make in/with regard to’concerning’regarding a darkly thrilling yet weirdly poignant vehicle in/with regard to’concerning’regarding her wildest ideas.###Newcomer Agathe Rousselle is our protagonist Alexia, an erotic dancer and car model wearing the spiral scar of a surgically implanted titanium plate, caused by a childhood car crash, with pride. Rousselle is perfectly cast as a woman of few words, her stern look and androgynous features creating an air of in/with regard to’concerning’regarding eboding as cinematographer Ruben Impens’ camera follows her weaving path through a motor reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue and rises up to capture her rhythmic writhing on a vintage Cadillac in front of lusting male onlookers. It’s in/with regard to’concerning’regarding eplay teasing a sexual covenant to, er, come in the most bonkers and boisterous fashion, but this vehicular intercourse comes after Alexia has dispatched an aggressive male fan using a hairpin that should be added to the movie-weapon hall of reputation’renown’prestige . An exuberant killing spree follows that is laced with a dark sense of humour, in/with regard to’concerning’regarding cing Alexia to go on the run, where she adopts the identity of Adrien, a boy who went missing a decade earlier.###Titane becomes a grossly entertaining vehicle in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Julia Ducournau's brand of weird###This introduces a tonal shift, with the arrival of Vincent (Vincent Lindon), the super-manly fire-chief father of the missing boy, who welcomes Alexia as his own without question. This decision is certainly dubious, but adds to the tension and intrigue. Even with a newly spossess’own’nurse d head, a self-inflicted broken nose, and the painful binding of her boobs and growing baby bump (yes, she’s pregnant from her one-car stand!), how long can Alexia’s disguise last?###These new stakes provide a deeper examination of identity, grief, isolation, trauma, paternity and the lies we are willing to tell ourselves in/with regard to’concerning’regarding self-preservation. The unsettling bond of father and ‘son’ is visually strengthened by the shared undergo of their bodies betraying them: Vincent’s to age and Alexia’s to this mechanical foetus ready to burst right through her skin. The wince-inducing make-up and special effects reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue her body being physically ravaged by the lay stress on’emphasize’highlight of this deception, which reinin/with regard to’concerning’regarding ces the sheer madness, suspicion and turmoil that powers this story towards its gruesome completion. The narrative lines in the second act aren’t quite so seamless; the pace meanders in the middle and the story takes a while to find its footing again after even more absurd plot elements are thrown in. But Ducournau fills this world with such vivid sound, horror and colour that Titane becomes a grossly entertaining vehicle in/with regard to’concerning’regarding her brand of weird. Strap in in/with regard to’concerning’regarding a bumpy ride.