The Substance

The Substance

Become a better you.

Rating

4.5 (3)

Release Date

9/7/2024

Runtime

141 mins

Overview

A fading celebrity decides to use a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

$17,500,000

Revenue

$76,506,196

Homepage

Visit
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How It Feels

Read from this film's synopsis, keywords and credits, and used to work out what it sits beside.

A grotesque, pitch-black satire about the cost of staying young in a youth-obsessed culture. Demi Moore delivers a career-peak performance as a woman literally consuming herself to maintain relevance.

Mood

UnsettlingAngry

Themes

IdentityMortality

Tone

Satirical

Pacing

Slow-burn

Look

FormalistHigh-contrast

Structure

Linear

Heads up

Body horrorGraphic violence

Recent Reviews

stormaciousd

Look, I just don't like to be grossed out. I know it's body horror, and it is intentional. I get it. They were successful, and I applaud them. I don't have to like those parts though. Despite that, it was on the road to four stars until Monstro Elisasue. The end was wild.

I'm excited for the love it has gotten during award season, even if it's not for me. The practical effects and are incredible. Demi and Margaret are both excellent, and I love the themes. I just almost talked myself back into four stars, but then I thought about the ending again.

brett

As a big fan of Coralie Fargeat's <I><A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/film/revenge-2017/">Revenge</A></i>, a colorful, incredible, action-packed feature debut, I went into <I>The Substance</i> with an open mind, and then walked away with it splattered everywhere.

Screen Queen Demi Moore plays Elizabeth, a workout celebrity whose career isn't working out to what it used to be. Realizing this, especially after a car accident and eventual dismissal, she signs up for a black market drug called "The Substance" that forever changes her entire life, leading to a complete downward spiral. A regenerated, younger, more beautiful version (Margaret Qualley's "Sue") hatches from inside her, providing her with immediate fame (and incredible jealousy from Elizabeth) but also a tug-of-war between life and death. The two must swap every seven days... or else.

You can see speckles of David Cronenberg's <I>Videodrome</i> and <I>eXistenZ</i> within the film, as well as elements from other horror classics such as <I>Society</i> and <i>Slither</i>, which will excite fans of the Body Horror subgenre.

Kudos to you, Ms. Fargeat, for creating a beautiful, creative film that reminds us of how aging will always remain in power, unable to be unseated from its throne, and how many will do anything to remain as their former selves no matter the consequences.

<B>Final thoughts:</b>
Forget the instructions. Inject yourself immediately.

Popular Reviews

stormaciousd

Look, I just don't like to be grossed out. I know it's body horror, and it is intentional. I get it. They were successful, and I applaud them. I don't have to like those parts though. Despite that, it was on the road to four stars until Monstro Elisasue. The end was wild.

I'm excited for the love it has gotten during award season, even if it's not for me. The practical effects and are incredible. Demi and Margaret are both excellent, and I love the themes. I just almost talked myself back into four stars, but then I thought about the ending again.

brett

As a big fan of Coralie Fargeat's <I><A HREF="https://letterboxd.com/film/revenge-2017/">Revenge</A></i>, a colorful, incredible, action-packed feature debut, I went into <I>The Substance</i> with an open mind, and then walked away with it splattered everywhere.

Screen Queen Demi Moore plays Elizabeth, a workout celebrity whose career isn't working out to what it used to be. Realizing this, especially after a car accident and eventual dismissal, she signs up for a black market drug called "The Substance" that forever changes her entire life, leading to a complete downward spiral. A regenerated, younger, more beautiful version (Margaret Qualley's "Sue") hatches from inside her, providing her with immediate fame (and incredible jealousy from Elizabeth) but also a tug-of-war between life and death. The two must swap every seven days... or else.

You can see speckles of David Cronenberg's <I>Videodrome</i> and <I>eXistenZ</i> within the film, as well as elements from other horror classics such as <I>Society</i> and <i>Slither</i>, which will excite fans of the Body Horror subgenre.

Kudos to you, Ms. Fargeat, for creating a beautiful, creative film that reminds us of how aging will always remain in power, unable to be unseated from its throne, and how many will do anything to remain as their former selves no matter the consequences.

<B>Final thoughts:</b>
Forget the instructions. Inject yourself immediately.

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