I wasn’t sure I’d end up watching The Substance, Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid’s Coralie Fargeat-directed drama/comedy/body horror hit, especially because of the words ‘body horror.’
It was the cast, memorable trailer, colours and social commentary about a fading celebrity’s tribulations that eventually lured me in. I had no expectations of actually making it through to the end, but I did. To my surprise, the words ‘I love it’ left my lips while the movie played.
The hard-to-forget final scenes slightly aside, Fargeat’s film may just be too clever, funny and beautiful to induce nightmares because I slept peacefully post-viewing.
The production design, colours, the edit, performances, sound design and the story are my favourite things. The Substance has a clear and vital message delivered smartly and very creatively.
The reflections that Fargeat’s beautiful movie inspired within me are:
Do your best to prepare for the upcoming phases of your life. Truly love yourself, count your blessings, and society’s impending rejection should surely matter less. And you won’t be so inclined to take some ill-calculated risks.
If you’ve seen it already, I’m curious about what The Substance had you thinking. For everyone else, if the words ‘body horror’ also generally give you pause, I still say try to watch this movie. You, too, may be surprised by your response.
Happy Film Loving,
G
The Movie My Life 
Good to hear this did not disappoint or overwhelm. Exciting review!💄🥂
Thank you, E.F. I appreciate you. 😊🥂
I thought I had a review written, but it seems not. 😦 I’ll try to sit down soon…
I loved it as well. It surprised me in a good way (I have purposely not read or seen anything more than the trailer). The ending is especially “delightful, ” reminding me of a popular Game of Thrones scene. 😀
😁 Take your time, Uri. The day always has many demands, especially of parents. I can imagine why it felt as though you wrote the review already. It’s the kind of movie that commands further thought.
Fargeat, the director, seems to be a fan of excessive use of the red stuff in her movies. The last scene of Revenge (2018) proves this. That specific scene in Revenge is my favourite in the entire movie, if I recall correctly.
I did watch this which is very surprising and did find the body horror, horrible! The scene I remember the most is where she’s getting ready to go on a date. . .
That’s understandable, Jane. That certainly wasn’t pretty, the pre-date scene.
However, somehow, for me, the improbability of the visual horror and the beautiful creative execution of it made me truly lean into enjoying the richness of imagination it must have taken to create it. In a way, for me, it became a dark comedy feast, instead of something scary.
Two scenes stick in mind for me, the one where the younger self first emerges, and the splitting of the back of the catsuit. Beautiful, dare I say! 😁
Oh my, this looks disturbing, but if you say it’s worth it, I might take a chance?!?
‘Disturbing’ for several people, yes. But, it’s just so imaginative and creative that I leant into the joy of that more than anything else. I hope you enjoy it, however much of it you end up seeing. 😁🥂