Little White Lies #91

The latest issue of LWLies is particularly close to my heart – or, more accurately, my right thigh. After seeing Julia Ducournau’s incendiary, Palme d’Or-winning Titane at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, I returned to London waxing lyrical about it, and pretty soon my colleagues David and Adam were in agreement – we should make it the cover film for our November/December issue.

Smash cut to a month later: I’m sitting on a clingfilm-covered bed in a London tattoo studio, wearing my Fast & Furious-branded pyjama shorts and feeling suitably self-conscious as my friend Sophie tattoos my leg with one of her bespoke designs for our Titane cover. All the while, the cameras are rolling to capture the event for posterity.

In the spirit of the film, we knew we wanted to do something bold for this issue, tied into the themes of transformation and body modification that Titane whole-heartedly embraces, and when David came up with the idea of a tattoo cover, I volunteered. I already had ten tattoos at the time, so it wasn’t something new for me – though this is the first time quite so many people will have seen quite so much of me, which is vaguely terrifying. Even so, I’m proud to have some part of this glorious film become a part of me.

Beyond this being the first issue of LWLies to involve inking human flesh, I’m also moved by how our team of writers and illustrators rose to the challenge and produced an issue that reaches beyond the salacious headlines to get to the metal heart of this extraordinary and unique film. It’s an exploration of cinema and self, from our family to yours. Buckle your seatbelt – it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

Little White Lies is a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. Combining cutting-edge design, illustration and journalism to deliver an alternative perspective on the movie-going experience.