Belgian horror with clear references to Du Weltz and the Franco-Belgian genre in general.
What is immediately striking about the film is the very refined aesthetic where gray and black tones but also moldy yellow are the masters in the film precisely to give a sense of gangrene and decadence with also peaks of violence where the red of the blood is clearly evident, and here a trademark of the Franco-Belgian "subgenre" returns.
Oueljah's direction aims to both violence, blood and more dreamlike moments coexist.
The staging leaves ample space for the dirt of the location but at the same time also lets itself go to aesthetic visions, where to tell the truth every now and then it goes too far with somewhat artificial speed-ups and slow-motion shots, but in any case always with a well-groomed staging that has its own eye-catcher.
The way the protagonist is framed is very interesting, it almost seems like she is always being observed precisely for how the camera is positioned, very often behind the protagonist. This is because the presence of her father, the butcher, does not actually leave her, the film also talks to us about the heavy legacy she carries with her.
Moreover, the theme of the double is also present, precisely because the protagonist would like being someone else.
A flaw of the film is that it really puts a lot of irons in the fire, the theme of inheritance, of the double, the rapes that the protagonist suffers, her revenge, and her desire to also have a family and the narrative, although it gives a little to everything, is not always able to follow all the events as best as possible or give them the right depth.
It is however a film that has its charm, interesting also that it all begins with a I give birth and it still ends with childbirth; there are many ideas and desire both to do and to show where, at times, as written, it exceeds perhaps a little by slipping, but it remains an interesting film worthy of the Franco-Belgian tradition which very often gives satisfaction in the horror side.
Director to keep an eye on.