24/10/2024
so, I watched "The Substance" yesterday. First thing, it's probably one of the best films I have seen this year and possibly one of the few Hollywood films to use horror to address social issues (well not since the 80s/90s boom of horror).
It may be too gross to get any award nominations, but Demi Moore deserves an Oscar, and I don't say that lightly. Her gutsy, literally ras and naked performance is incredible. Margaret Qualley is always wonderful and captivating, so her performance was no surprise.
On the surface, one might think it's meant for fans of body horror, one reviewer described it exactly as I would, it's a cross between A Portrait of Dorian Gray, directed by David Cronenburg, special effects from The Thing and humor SO black, it might swallow matter!
The thing is, the REAL audience for this film is both women over 40 and young girls, both groups being told by the media to always be young and beautiful and what lengths "we" go to in order to keep both. I have friends in their late 20s/early 30s that get fillers!!!!
Anyway, if you can stomach the grossness and IT IS GROSS, there was one scene where I even flinched, it is smart, funny and very insightful on our obsession with youth and beauty.
Dennis Quaid is possibly the grossest thing in the film that isn't a special effect. Oh and the effects are almost all practical and in-camera tricks to that makes things far more tangible. The cinematography is striking.
So ladies, get a barf bag and a pillow to cover your eyes for certain scenes and watch a very smart satire about our society.
