#88 - The Substance (2024) Review

Join BP, Coop, Pablo and Justin as we review The Substance, the 2024 satirical body horror film written, directed, co-edited, and co-produced by Coralie Fargeat. It follows a fading celebrity (Demi Moore) who uses a black market drug that creates a much younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley) with unexpected side effects. An international co-production between France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the film had its world premiere on 19 May 2024 at the 77th Cannes Film Festival main competition, where Fargeat won Best Screenplay. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and the United States by Mubi on 20 September, and is scheduled for release in France by Metropolitan Filmexport on 6 November. The film received positive reviews and grossed over $42 million on a $17.5 million production budget. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 00:27 Introducing The Substance 02:14 Overall Thoughts 05:58 Favourite Parts 18:46 What We Disliked 30:00 Trivia 43:42 Ratings 46:47 Thank You

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Fargeat explained that her motivation for creating The Substance came from personal experiences with body image and societal pressure. She began writing the film in her 40s, a period when she was confronting negative thoughts about her relevance and appearance. "I really started to think and hide these voices in my head like, 'Now your life is over. No one is going to care about you.'" In another interview she expanded on her thoughts: "I couldn't say that I experienced it in a real way in my life, but those thoughts were absolutely real in my brain." Fargeat decided that the main character should be an actress to explore societal perceptions of bodies. She also chose to have Elisabeth Sparkle host an aerobics class, inspired by Jane Fo