The Substance first reactions are in for Coralie Fargeat’s body horror follow-up to Revenge, and it’s a familiar story in terms of responses at the Cannes Film Festival for the movie, which stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.
Julia Ducournau’s Titane caused a stir at the festival a few years ago, and it’s fair to say The Substance is doing the same, with critics having some wildly divisive opinions on the film’s decidedly icky direction. It received a 13-minute ovation at its premiere. It’s seen star Demi Moore front and center of conversation surrounding the movie too, having been out of the limelight for some time.
The Substance First Reactions Bring Extreme Views on Extreme Movie
Indie Wire’s David Ehrlich wrote that ”The Substance is absolutely fucking insane and by *far* the best film in Competition so far. an instant body horror classic, equal parts Freaky Friday and The Fly, Demi Moore going full demented. Loved.”
That Shelf’s EiC Jason Gorber wrote, ”I want to believe this started with someone taking Demi Moore’s name literally. Jazzercise body horror film is dark, funny, bloody and brilliant, Qualley brings quality, Quaid hasn’t been this fun in years.”
Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture wrote ”HOLY HELL!!! Coralie Fargeat just dropped one of the greatest body-horror films of all time with THE SUBSTANCE at Cannes. An onslaught of sound, fury & grotesque gore laying waste to our preoccupied obsessions with beauty & self-image. Confronts the inevitably of aging in a manner that will make you nauseous while horror fans take sick pleasure in its overwhelming sound design & practical makeup effects.”
Little White Lies’ Hannah Strong was of a different mind on the film, stating that The Substance was the worst thing I’ve seen at Cannes so far,” and in another post, wrote, ”The Substance is so bad like I cannot express how bad it is.”
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter was fairly balanced, writing, ”The reality of this experiment is that it traps both characters in the same toxic, self-hating cycle as the standards imposed by society. The most compelling parts of The Substance deal with how social conventions turn women against themselves. A stronger version of the film might have dug into the complexities of that truth, instead of simply arranging itself around it.”
What is The Substance About?
The Substance stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid and satirizes youth-obsessed media.
“Have you ever dreamed of a better version of yourself? You should try this new product: The Substance. It changed my life. With The Substance, you can generate another version of yourself, younger, more beautiful, more perfect… Just share the time. One week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days. Easy, isn’t it?
“If you follow the instructions, what could go wrong?”
Coralie Fargeat made a strong statement in 2017’s Revenge, which shows Jen’s (Matilda Lutz) romantic getaway with her wealthy (married) boyfriend (Kevin Janssens) disrupted when his friends arrive for an impromptu hunting trip. Tension mounts at the house until the situation culminates unexpectedly, leading to a violent gore-soaked revenge spree.
Benjamin Kracun (Promising Young Woman) is the director of photography on The Substance, and Fargeat, Jerome Eltabet (Revenge), and Valentin Féron are the co-editors. The score is composed by Raffertie (I May Destroy You), Production Design is led by Stanislas Reydellet (Le Bal Des Folles), and Costume Design is by Emmanuelle Youchnovski (Café de Flore, La belle époque).
The Substance first reactions will no doubt whet the appetite of eager horror audiences, but we’ll have to wait and see when it will be released after being picked up by Mubi earlier this month.
