When it comes to aging in the public eye, women get a raw deal. Our society’s beauty standards are already ridiculous, but as women get older they are routinely tossed aside like yesterday’s news. And some will do anything to maintain their youth, even go to dangerous extremes. Coralie Fargeat’s body horror The Substance was all the rage at Cannes for its bonkers look at aging, led by stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.
As seen in the trailer for The Substance, Moore plays an aging celebrity aerobics instructor who is forced out of her gig by her douchebag boss, played by Dennis Quaid. With all hope lost, she grasps for a lifeline: The Substance, a mysterious product that promises to deliver a more perfect, younger, beautiful version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. But there are rules, and Hell to pay if those rules are broken. As you can probably imagine, shit goes haywire real quick.
Fargeat has been known to push boundaries with her work, bringing a mix of gore and dark humor to her rape/vengeance thriller Revenge. With The Substance, Fargeat was awarded the Best Screenplay award at Cannes.
SYNOPSIS: 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 go wrong?
MUBI will open The Substance in theaters on September 20th.
