A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.
"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?"
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Manuel São Bento
9/20/2024
8 / 10
The Substance delivers an intense, visually mesmerizing commentary on the entertainment industry's obsession with youth and outward beauty. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley offer remarkable, maybe even career-best performances, with Dennis Quaid excelling in his role as well. Coralie Fargeat explores how aging stars, particularly women, are discarded when they no longer meet the industry's strict beauty standards. Moore's character, haunted by the memory of her former fame and beauty, goes down a dark path in pursuit of a "better" version of herself. The story is also a sharp critique of power dynamics, with white men controlling who's in front of the spotlight, while women are pitted against one another for validation.
The film's production is equally impressive, especially the makeup and prosthetic work that elevates its body horror elements. While the first half of the movie is more subdued, the gore ramps up significantly as the plot unfolds, culminating in a chaotic "fourth act" that will leave audiences bewildered. The fast-paced editing, paired with an impactful score, heightens the tension and surrealism of the narrative. Though there's a part of me who prefers a version of the film that ends before the wild final act, the overall experience is an unforgettable, audacious exploration of vanity, control, and desperation in the entertainment world.
Rating: B+
For a film that’s laser-focused on the human body, it’s gloriously on point that THE SUBSTANCE begins with a freshly cracked, bright yellow egg yolk.
Eggs are the ‘giver of life’, right? They’re the origin of all of us. Gleaming and plump, the yolk suddenly gets pricked – not by a fork, but a syringe.
That’s the first juicy visual metaphor of many in this meaningfully bonkers body horror, for which French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat picked up the prestigious Best Screenplay prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
To call the film ‘bold’ is a weapons-grade understatement. It’s an audacious, jaw-dropping examination of what screens & billboards demand of women (especially as they age), and how laughably impossible it is to meet those demands. Well, if you didn’t laugh, you’d cry. After watching THE SUBSTANCE, you might do both.
Here's our deep dive for good.film: https://good.film/guide/holy-sh-t-the-substance-is-a-weapons-grade-takedown-of-the-male-gaze
Demi Moore's performance in The Substance is so potent that it's hard to tell what's more intoxicating; her inevitable Best Actress win or Coralie Fargeat's razor-sharp screenplay that's already got the Oscar in the bag.
