The Substance (2024)

	Directed by: Coralie Fargeat	COUNTRY France/UK/USA GENRE Horror NORWEGIAN TITLE The Substance RUNNING TIME 141 minutes
	Produced by: Coralie Fargeat Tim Bevan Eric Fellner
	Written by: Coralie Fargeat

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Elisabeth Sparkle	Demi Moore	½
Sue	Margaret Qualley
Harvey	Dennis Quaid
Fred	Edward Hamilton Clark	-
Diego	Hugo Diego Garcia	-

Review

French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat (Revenge) is the woman behind this profound dive into the body horror subgenre, with a considerable satirical edge. Demi Moore gives a hauntingly bold performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a faded 50-year-old film star who, in her struggle to still feel relevant and youthful, accepts an enticing offer from a black market supplier: a serum that promises to transform her into a younger, better, and more beautiful version of herself. The poised and enticingly structured build-up is the mark of a filmmaker with a clear and detailed vision. And although The Substance stands on the shoulders of a number of giants, it does so with confidence as the new torchbearer. Fargeat's tone is sharp, witty, and cold, and the film finds its footing as a curious cross between Cronenberg, The Shining, Frankenheimer's Seconds and Peter Gabriel's "The Barry Williams Show". The interplay between Moore and Margaret Qualley as her younger, idealised self encompasses a range of conflicts that will be recognisable for anyone who has experienced the loss of youth, even if Fargeat seems to think that it's mostly valid for women – and more specifically, women who are famous for their looks. Only towards the very end does the film run out of novel ideas and end up turning somewhat desperately to well-worn visual and thematic tropes in order to wrap things up. The suggestive score is by British electronic music composer Raffertie.