Alpha

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Alpha

R

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2h 2m

Drama

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57%

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83 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

13m

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

18h

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

1d

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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Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

12m

As someone who was sick as a teenager and nearly died, the film tapped into some specific emotions that I’ve hidden pretty deep and am always shocked when they resurface.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

1h

Alpha has multiple themes that are disjointed in this ‘fever dream’ drama about a 13-year-old girl, her single mother, and the mother’s drug-addicted brother. The movie has visually striking symbolism about the AIDS crisis but a very flimsy story.

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Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

2h

8/10

It’s weird to say considering Julia Ducournau’s previous films, but her latest is a lot—[just not] in the same sense. With loud music, gorgeous marble-skinned special effects, and extreme anguish, Alpha isn’t for the faint of heart.

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Ghederick Eshmont

3h

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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Zachary

12h

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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