Directed by:
Coralie FargeatScreenplay:
Coralie FargeatCinematography:
Benjamin KracunComposer:
RaffertieCast:
Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Hugo Diego Garcia, Oscar Lesage, Joseph Balderrama, Vincent Colombe, Matthew Géczy, Brett Gillen, Matthew Luret (more)Plots(1)
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it’s called The Substance. It changed my life. With the Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time – one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each… Easy right? If you respect the balance…what could possibly go wrong? (Cannes Film Festival)
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Reviews (8)
A cautionary tale about the fact that rules are meant to be followed; especially when it comes to a miracle drug that you are about to inject into your body. At first, I was a bit miffed that I didn't detect an effort on the director's part to build atmosphere and try to scare the viewer, instead, she unleashes "just" an entertaining straightforward satire. But once the inner psychological struggle between the heroine's lust and rational will starts to manifest itself physically (I vividly remembered my attempts to quit smoking), The Substance takes on a crazy edge. There are several times when you think that this film will probably end soon, because it has already reached a point where other horror films only get to the final scene... but then Coralie Fargeat always injects another shot of body horror gunk into the film's veins and takes the ride up another level. This woman's got balls. I'm a little surprised it got the screenplay award at Cannes, because it kind of does what it wants in the finale, the rules of the fictional world are only loosely outlined; I would have expected more success with midnight screenings than with critics, but obviously miracles do happen sometimes. The Substance probably won't be my favourite horror film of the season at the end of the year, I always give preference to serious horror and dread in that regard, but at the same time it has to be said that few films have INSTANT CLASSIC written all over them in such big letters.
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Someday when I'm explaining to someone what "nice but shitty" means, I'm going to put this movie on. Or at least half of it, so they don't have to watch it for those excruciating two and a half hours. Coralie Fargeat had already disappointed me a lot with her previous film Revenge, but the two films have a lot in common. They look beautiful, there's imaginative play with colour, and in this case there's even some pretty stylish references to Kubrick, Cronenberg or Carpenter, the slow motion shots of TV performances are more than effective and damn sexy, but underneath all the glitz there's a lot of nothing. The Substance is a film that would like to open up interesting themes like the inability to age, the cult of youth in show business, and it also tackles the price of fame and how much anyone is willing to pay for it. But it does all this in a completely banal way that surprises no one and takes an insufferably long time to do so. After about twenty minutes I had already made a list in my head that The Substance will follow until the very end. And just kept ticking it off. Realistically, underneath the audiovisual audacity is a shallow, idealess show full of stupid characters making even stupider decisions and pretending to be surprised by the consequences. It's tiresome to watch, and behind all the pretty pictures, the tastelessness (which isn't so hellish after all), the nudity and the shots of sexy asses in spandex, there's just a perfumed nothingness
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Demi Moore is back! And in a banger like this! When my friend asked me what it was about, I said: something like Death Becomes Her, but more modern, more revealing, more honest, more daring, more raw, more psychological, and most importantly... bloodier! I had an incredible time, but the film also made me think. I don't have to burden myself with ageing at the moment, but it's coming, and I'm surrounded by women who are at a similar stage of life to the main character (just not famous), and I can see that it's a heavy burden. The body isn't as fresh and firm as it used to be, men don't turn on you anymore, and the terrible way it can play with the psyche, and self-esteem, I think that's portrayed perfectly. What are we going to say, the world has always been, still is, and probably always will be putting a huge emphasis on looks. And then a sleazebag like the one played by Dennis Quaid defines you, your worth, and your life: a perfect contrast. For me, the movie experience of the year, which I will, despite the final over-the-topness and absurdity, gladly give a second viewing. [Festival de Cannes 2024]
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Critique of the chauvinist-saturated entertainment industry? One third of the runtime unseen because I can't watch trailers on the screen? Feeling that Coralie Fargeat is openly making fun of me, but doesn't want to laugh at me, but with me? Who wants more, has nothing: The Movie? Everything is here. Someone longs to find lost beauty, someone longs to see a film that has not yet been here. And both should beware of their wishes.
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An artsy trash flick that combines elegant and spectacular modern filmmaking with intense B-movie body horror that forces viewers with a weak stomach to avert their gaze or even walk out of the screening room. With its music-video softcore aesthetics, it’s as if David Cronenberg had shot an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, but The Substance ultimately falls into the category of gory splatter movies like Peter Jackson’s Braindead. As a satire about the self-destructive desire for eternal youth and beauty, it is rather (probably intentionally) straightforward and superficial in terms of its concept, and when it comes to the plot, the film does not really deal with sense and does not hesitate to break its own rules. Everything is subordinated to the film’s constant pushing of the boundaries of expectations and it is boldly shocking on several occasions in the extremes to which it is willing to go. However, it is filmed with extraordinary pulsating energy and, thanks to its brisk pace, throbbing music, polished shot composition and both of the actresses in the lead roles (and the wonderfully creepy Dennis Quaid in a supporting role), it is pure over-the-top entertainment for the thick-skinned that is an absolute joy to watch. It should ideally be experienced together with a large group of other viewers.
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