I really wanted to like The Substance (written and directed by Coralie Fargeat). However, she makes Emerald Fennell look like a happy-go-lucky individual (see Saltburn and Promising Young Woman for references).
Her point about the pressure on modern women to stay slim and trim until death is very well done. Relatable scenes to perfectionist types were finely sculpted (pun intended). Demi Moore was fantastic, and yet I don’t think Margaret Qualley’s AI like performance (except for her physicality in ballerina/gymnastic talents) took much talent to portray.
Men are portrayed as all creeps and pigs (and maybe they are in L.A. where the movie was set) with Dennis Quaid banging out the king of all male chauvinists. Additionally, the makeup and special effects people should be rewarded as should the the musical score by Raffurtle.
The fact that this won best screenplay at Cannes is a clear sign of the Apocalypse since I kept waiting for the film to settle into a story. Instead, we witnessed women racing through their weeks, injecting different potions in a Ground Hog’s Day sameness. Hopefully Coralie wanted to mirror modern day life and the brokenness of it all. Perhaps Coralie is trying to say we don’t have time to have our own stories any longer since we’re too busy chasing perfection and FOMO (fear of missing out). This still doesn’t forgive the last twenty minutes of violence and blood which was just an easy way out of the emotional discomfort important enough to lean into and expose.
