Definitely the grossest, most way-out-there, and dare-you-to-lose-your-dinner movie to debut within the Cannes competitors up to now, Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge” follow-up “The Substance” premiered within the Palais Sunday evening after a morning press screening that noticed loads of anticipated walkouts. Certainly the identical quantity of repulsed exiters carried over to the premiere public screening, the place Greta Gerwig’s jury received their first glimpse of the in any other case since-secretive movie whose synopses and press notes let you know little. MUBI has distribution rights, which the corporate bought simply earlier than the competition began. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich calls it an “instantaneous basic.”
On this audacious, two-plus-hour feminist physique horror, Demi Moore bares all to play a once-decorated actress quote-unquote previous her prime named Elisabeth Sparkle, now resigned to Jane Fonda-esque health movies. However her time is lastly up. She’s fired for being too outdated, despatched packing residence again to her sparse LA house, with out prospects and solely banker packing containers in tow courtesy of her chauvinist producer (Dennis Quaid). A automotive accident and desperation lead her surreptitiously to a shadowy firm that provides a Gatorade-yellow substance that, as soon as injected, guarantees a “higher model” of your self. After the substance is injected, that new self is birthed in a horrifyingly specific style we gained’t spoil.
That “different” model of Demi’s character is Margaret Qualley, a youthful and perkier iteration of Elisabeth who’s now named Sue and, within the exterior world, turns into a significant on-camera star. However there are numerous guidelines to the substance’s course of that, when violated, create chaos on this trade satire that takes its daring concepts and all-out repulsive visible fearlessness to the furthest potential extremes throughout this movie’s operating time. That is physique horror of the much less bloody form, extra entrails and limbs coming out the place they shouldn’t. Till, after all, it isn’t.
Fargeat’s movie boasts full-frontal, usually intentionally unflattering nudity from each stars, however they’re requested to do far more because the film progresses right into a sickening, uncomfortably hilarious physique horror nightmare amid a Los Angeles right here solid as a plastic, empty world. Can “The Substance” win the Palme d’Or? It’s probably that Julia Ducournau’s 2021 Palme winner “Titane,” one other feminist physique horror film, paved the best way for Fargeat’s daring entry to be within the competitors; that won’t repeat so quickly, however who is aware of.
Try first reactions to the movie out of Cannes up to now.