Blood is only the beginning for Marion Le Corroller Speciesfirmly following the path established by Julia DuCorneau but bringing her own thoughts to the horror genre of the female-male body. Built on the beautiful scene of the screaming queen from Mara Taquin, who comes out of her shell in ways that will not be revealed here, Le Corroller’s film goes into the bad sci-fi paranoia that feeds the first films of David Cronenberg and throws a large dose of social satire that remembers the song of Nicolas Ray. Larger Than Life.
It begins with a dark but broad comic premise set in a fast food joint called Bloody Burger. Under pressure to keep things moving, the server has a fixed rictus grin for every customer, but the smile fades when he gets into an argument with an annoying TikTok person, who threatens to fire him if he doesn’t give him his favorite Royal King burger. Finally, the server crashes; a red mist literally falls from his eyes and knocks the skater to the ground, where he smashes his head down repeatedly and viciously.
The style is almost dead, with a Coralie Fargeat-like complexion, but Sanguine quickly turns into its own thing with the arrival of Taquin as Margot, a medical student at a nearby hospital. Margot is eager to learn but finds herself drinking too much in the ER department – which expects every doctor to treat 25 patients a day – especially her boss, Professor Virgile. Very much in the tradition of Cronenberg’s villains, Professor Virgile is one step ahead of Margot, correctly predicting that she came to medicine after the needless death of a parent, which is why her profit margin is so low. “Stop treating all patients like your mother,” she advises casually, but sensibly.
Margot’s room is dark and dirty, like a cell with anti-suicide windows, and the mattress shows unsightly traces of what looks like blood. Still, he puts on a brave face and fits in well with the group, befriending his free-spirited neighbor Louis (Sami Outalbali). One of Margot’s first cases is a pregnant stock market trader with insomnia and a bad rash on her back. Margot goes to call Professor Virgile, but the woman runs away without him. Soon after, Margot starts having some of the same symptoms, starting with unexplained bleeding that starts slowly – until the morning she wakes up covered in clothing. Louis diagnoses hematidrosis, a harmless condition caused by stress, but as cases of inexplicable violence increase dramatically in the area – all accompanied by spots, rashes and other unpleasant skin conditions – Margot begins to see a pattern.
It takes a while for the story to return to the burger bar, but it does so in a funny and completely unexpected way that adds depth to the pulpy scene, drawing parallels between fast food and modern health care in a very poignant way. The key to its success is the convincing character of Taquin, who gives the film its English-language title (rather than the French original, Sanguine). The supporting cast, too, add an air of authenticity that helps with the suspension of disbelief when Margot realizes what’s really going on.
But Le Corroller is in charge here, orchestrating the frenetic chaos to an unusually bleak climax that delivers fully on the premise. If anyone has the rights to remake Larry Cohen It is aliveyour guide is here.
Title: Species
Festival: Cannes (Midnight)
Director/screenwriter: Marion Le Corroller
Actors: Mara Taquin, Karin Viard, Kim Higelin, Sami Outalbali, Stefan Crepon
Sales: WTFlms
Working time: 1 hour 22 minutes
