If you think you’re ready for The Substance, you’re not. Director Coralie Fargeat has crafted a wild and unstoppable masterpiece that topped the heights of horror classics like The Fly, Black Swan, and Possession.
Demi Moore delivers a tour de force performance with Elisabeth Sparkle, a middle-aged star of a popular TV workout show. Her crippling stardom takes a further hit as she gets fired. She then proceeds to inject herself with a mysterious substance that births a younger and “more beautiful” version of herself – Sue (Margaret Qualley). It comes with a price, as she has to switch back and forth between her and her new self every 7 days. Bad news for Elisabeth, to what extent will she go to achieve the perfect sexy version of herself?
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With strong, substantial, social commentary comes even stronger body horror that left the audience gasping in shock, to the point of laughing in ridicule. It really is ridiculous, as Fargaet pushes any expectations out of the window. It’s gross, gory, and confrontational. Her writing is well-paced and brings the premise to unforeseeable lengths, it doesn’t stop there even when you expect it to. Certainly deserving of winning Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and the rave reviews it has received. The use of extreme close-ups is effective and shows her strong directorial strength. From the score to the editing to the production design, the technicality of this film is infallible. Moore’s twisted and career-defining performance will blow your minds off. Horror performances are long overdue to be recognized by the Academy, and come March, she definitely deserves a spot in the Best Actress lineup.
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As an avid fan of body horror, no film has made my gut wrench and kept me on the edge of my seat like The Substance did. It brilliantly dismantles female beauty standards both socially and internally. Does the horror lie in its gruesome bodily transformations and violence, or an ageing woman’s insecurity of herself, and the entertainment industry’s exploitation through the male gaze?The Substance is screening in theatres now.