The Substance

October 2, 2024

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Director

Coralie Fargeat

Released

2024

Country

Run Time

2h 20m

Rating

Format

Film

Artist Bio

Director Q&A

Overview

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?
You. Only better in every way.
You should try this new product, The Substance.
It changed my life.

Demi Moore gives a stunning performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading A-list Hollywood star who’s suddenly fired from her fitness TV show by repellent studio head Harvey (Dennis Quaid). She is then drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug: THE SUBSTANCE. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twenty-something Sue (Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. A perfect balance. What could possibly go wrong?

Deliriously entertaining, provocative and twisted, Coralie Fargeat’s acclaimed, over-the-top body-horror satire (winner of Best Screenplay at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival) turns toxic beauty culture inside out with a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable for the ages.

Reviews

"It’s the casting of Moore, though, and her willingness to denude herself at 61 – emotionally, as well as physically – that gives The Substance a startling connection with its themes. Not for 30 years has she owned a film with anything like this certitude. Watching her confront the Demi Moore in the mirror, and do it so mercilessly, is extraordinary."
– THE TELEGRAPH

"An immensely, unstoppably, ecstatically demented fairy tale about female self-hatred, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance will stop at nothing — and I mean nothing — to explode the ruthless beauty standards that society has inflicted upon women for thousands of years."
– INDIEWIRE

"While horrifying on the outside, Fargeat’s latest hit tells a heartbreaking story on the inside. For that, it’s a must-see this year."
– WE GOT THIS COVERED

"The humanity of Demi Moore’s performance, the greatest of her career, gives Coralie Fargeat’s boldest ideas an emotional backbeat."
– SLANT