The Substance

Earlier this week I watched Coralie Fargeat's The Substance which is currently streaming exclusively on MUBI. This body horror drama/dark comedy shines a disturbingly raw light on the unrealistic expectations for beauty that Hollywood sets for women in the industry. The film stars Demi Moore as aging star Elisabeth and Margaret Qualley as her newer and "better" self, Sue. Dennis Quaid is also featured as the sleazy producer named Harvey, which is almost too on the nose, but it works magnificently. 

I loved this movie and felt that it was extremely well done. The performances given by Qualley and Quaid were superb and should be considered for recognition during award season, but Demi Moore stole the show. She laid it all out there (literally) and delivered the performance of a lifetime and I really hope she gets the recognition that she deserves. The writing and visual aspects of the film was what stood out to me above all else. The lesson shared in the film is about body shaming and the lengths that people will go just to feel beautiful, coupled with the gross contrast between the expectations of men vs women as they age. This is the type of movie where everything falls into place the right way, and the result was a beautiful and masterfully crafted work of art. The makeup, cinematography, writing, sound, and acting performances were all incredible and this movie should receive lots of recognition come awards season. 

This is a movie that everyone should see, especially men. I will warn you though, this movie is extremely graphic with tons of nudity and a whole lot of gore and crazy body horror. Put plainly, this movie is gross and hard to watch at times.  If it wasn't, I do not know if the point that Fargeat was trying to make, would have been as impactful.