“Bold, beautifully bonkers.” These are the words Cannes 2024 Jury member and actress Eva Green used when describing French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” and awarding the film the Best Screenplay Prize at the illustrious film festival. Fargeat is known for her 2017 French rape and revenge action thriller “Revenge,” and her latest film, “The Substance,” was not only acclaimed at Cannes but evidently just as audacious.
Described as cosmetic-surgery horror and spine-tingling feminist body horror with tinges of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” “The Substance,” which stars Demi Moore as a washed-up Hollywood beauty who is aging out of jobs at 50. Fired from one of her most essential gigs because of her age, a “gift” arrives with a message at this opportune moment. “Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?” It’s “the substance,” providing the promise and wish-fulfillment fantasy of a younger, more perfect counterpart, played by Margaret Qualley. But of course, all these deals with the devil come with a high price, don’t they?
The film also stars Dennis Quaid (who replaced Ray Liotta, who sadly passed away before he could shoot the movie), Hugo Diego Garcia, and Joseph Balderrama.
In addition to winning Best Screenplay at Cannes, the film screened at the recent Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, and the Munich Film Festival.
Here’s the synopsis from Cannes:
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You. Only better in every way. Seriously. You’ve got to try this new product. It’s called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. It generates another you. A new, younger, more beautiful, more perfect you. And there’s only one rule: You share time. One week for you. One week for the new you. Seven days each. A perfect balance. Easy. Right? If you respect the balance… what could possibly go wrong?
Try this new product, and it’ll change your life, right? It’s a promise that also sounds like a too-good-to-be-true admonition. “The Substance” will be released in U.S. theaters on September 20 via the excellent arthouse streaming service MUBI (which obviously does theatrical, too). Watch the new trailer below.