Alpha

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2:11

Alpha

R

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2h 2m

Drama

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56%

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90 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Alpha, a troubled 13-year-old lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.

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Critics Consensus

Strong performances and a visually striking finale notwithstanding, Alpha ultimately frustrates with its unwieldy structure and imbalanced blend of fantastical and realistic elements.

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Katie Rife

RogerEbert.com

1d

1.5/4

At times, 'Alpha’ plays like a Cronenbergian after-school special, in which the visual metaphors are overplayed, and the drama is broadly sketched to teach a moral lesson.

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

2d

Softer and gentler than either of its forbears, “Alpha” hums with a dreamlike unease, a movie less concerned with sensation than with genuine feeling.

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Keith Phipps

The Reveal

2d

3.5/5

Alpha is Ducournau’s most restrained film, one short on some of the stylistic bravado of her previous work. But there’s a studied intimacy that mostly works as an effective substitute.

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Joseph Tomastik

Loud and Clear Reviews

8h

2.5/5

Alpha has good performances and traces of good ideas, but they’re buried under aimless direction that just leaves you with an unpleasant taste.

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Andrew Parker

The Gate

10h

7/10

Although the film is named after a young girl, she’s only one part of a larger story that’s at its most interesting and dynamic when it’s following the film’s adult characters.

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Todd Jorgenson

Cinemalogue

1d

The bleakness and despair intensifies throughout this muddled psychological thriller, which maximizes discomfort with a harrowing setup that doesn’t substantially escalate the suspense or the emotional stakes.

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Ghederick Eshmont

1d

Julia Ducournau is amongst the world’s best filmmakers, though Alpha has some jagged edges & misfires, it’s still quite mesmerizing

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James

1d

Interesting Story that goes to Lynch-land

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HG H

@HGH93 3h

It had at least held my attention till it didnt at the end. At that time, I was ready for it to wrap up but instead made me more confused for my troubles.

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Anthony F

@BokehMonster 1d

Big fan of Julia Docournau's work. Alpha delivers very deep moods, characters, and themes with what has become her trademark of excellent casting and the perfect touch of cinemtagraphy, FX, and drama. All that said, Alpha isn't a perfect movie and some of the narrative devices don't fully land. Some of these risks and unanswerable questions follow their own surreal logic that I don't believe need to be addressed; however, a few moments are confusing or sloppy, and will turn off the average viewer. Personally, I think these holes are worth the sense of wonder the overall endeavor of Alpha aims to achieve, and the performance/direction of Tahar Rahim as Amin was incredibly fresh and worth the ride. Go see it if you can.

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Zachary

2d

Alpha uses surreal imagery and plot elements to depict how trauma can affect a family over time.

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Grady H

@Grady380 Mar 15

The evolution of genius Ducournau is stunning. A painful and beautiful film, leaving behind some of the shock she’s renowned for to further investigate family and cultural loss.

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Julia Ducournau

Director

Emma Mackey

Infirmière

Golshifteh Farahani

Maman

Tahar Rahim

Amin

Finnegan Oldfield

Professeur d'anglais

Mélissa Boros

Alpha

Alpha: Exclusive Movie Clip - What Happens to You, Happens to Me

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Alpha: Trailer 1

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Alpha: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

Alpha, a troubled 13-year-old lives with her single mom. Their world collapses the day she returns from school with a tattoo on her arm.

Director: Julia Ducournau
Producer: Éric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
Screenwriter: Julia Ducournau
Distributor: NEON
Production Co: Mandarin et Compagnie, Kallouche Cinéma, Frakas Productions
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Sexual Material|Some Underage Drinking)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 27, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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