Allegory

Palme d’Or winner Julia Ducournau showed how deftly she could employ genre and metaphor with her first two features, 2016’s cannibal-themed “Raw” and the 2021 automotive body horror “Titane.” But based on early reactions, the French filmmaker’s third feature, “Alpha,” proved an even higher concept. “Alpha” stars newcomer Mélissa Boros as the film’s titular 13-year-old protagonist, who is coming of age in a world plagued by a mysterious blood-borne virus that turns people into hardened, statue-like figures coughing up clay sand. Despite seemingly being aware of the risks, Alpha participates in needle-sharing one…