The Substance

[SocksAndTheCity]

I saw this a few weeks ago at a festival but it's out on general release today and I'll be going again on Monday - I thought it was terrific, if a bit long. Has anybody else been for a look? It's pretty squishy and definitely not for everyone.

Demi Moore is just stunning (as is Margaret Qualley), Dennis Quaid is absolutely grotesque and the end is mental 🤣

I'd love Demi to win an oscar, she was absolutely superb in this film

Demi wins or Oscars a joke.

It was absolutely awful - I was going to turn it off half way through but decided I’d better finish. Mistake! Can’t believe the ‘big names’ in such a shite film but it’s so interesting reading this thread as I feel like I’ve watched a whole different film. I loved ‘Maid’ with Sue if anyone wants to watch something else she’s been in.

I loved it. I've also enjoyed Promising Young Woman and Fresh since watching this too - though no idea if they were directed by women.

Yes, I thought, several times, I'm not going to feel bad about how I look ever again!

I didn't enjoy this at first (I described it as 'lots of needles, tits, crotches, blood, violence and gore', in that order). About half way through, though, I suddenly felt very invested and ultimately really enjoyed it.

But I'm not sure about the message... As ever, it seems to be about how a woman's value hangs on her age and looks.

So pleased Demi Moore got the Golden Globe!

Me too. It’s her first major award in a 40 year career, you could tell it meant a lot to her.

The end tho, couldn't watch it 😂

Delighted she won the Golden globe ! Hope this is a sign of things to come for the Oscars

Demi deserved her Golden Globe - fingers crossed that she gets her Oscar

I couldn't watch the last 20 minutes. I had to turn it off and Google the ending.
I did like it, though. It was different and thought provoking. I wonder if the gore was just a really in your face way of showing what human bodies are. We see surgically enhanced bodies on screen every day but we don't think about what happened during the surgeries.
I read Demi Moore's memoir recently. She's very honest about her struggles in life. I'm glad she won the Golden Globe.

I just watched this and thought it was great. I definitely read it as both Elisabeth and Sue being the same consciousness. However she is treated so differently by others based on her physical appearance, and this influences how she views herself, and how she behaves in each body. So she ends up feeling like two different people, who each hate her other self.

The gory bits were supposed to be funny, I thought, and reflected one of themes of the film, which was the way that women's aging bodies are viewed as disgusting.

At least a nomination.

I also interpreted it similarly. I thought perhaps that Elisabeth & Sue were the same person but their consciousness forked in two when Sue was born (so didn't have knowledge/memories of the other person's action from that point). So they develop different superegos based on how they're treated and look and when they hate each other there's this weird sort of internalised misogyny & hypocrisy.

Thrilled that Demi Moore got a GG and hope she gets an Oscar. Also hope that Fargeat gets a nod for director - surely has to happen after years of criticism for overlooking women?

Totally agree, the worst film I have seen in years. Watched it on streaming and gave up before the end.
Didn't Demi Moore get an award? Unbelievable she spent most of the time lying on the bathroom floor.
Annoyed I wasted nearly two hours of my life on such rubbish!
What was the point of wanting to do what she did if she didn't have any memory of being the younger, prettier version of herself? The film made no sense whatsoever.

This totally.

Without doubt the worst film I have seen in years but from what is being said on here I am in the minority!
In my opinion it was total rubbish from start to finish!

An Oscar nomination for spending most of the film lying on the bathroom floor! 🤣

According to your previous post you watched less than two hours, so you haven't seen it 'from start to finish' though, have you?

It's definitely not for everyone, and I would have left by then too if I hadn't enjoyed it, but I wouldn't be making multiple posts criticising a film when I not only didn't watch it all, but skipped the entire final act?

I'd seen enough thanks, my view is it was rubbish, I hated it. You have a different view and that is fine, you are fully entitled to your view and I am fully entitled to mine.

Oscar nominations day today! I note Demi has been nominated for every single award she’s been eligible for this award season and has won a few, so fingers crossed she can get that Oscar nod as well.

I started a thread on the livestream Oscars announcements that is happening today. Let's see if she gets a nomination.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/films/5258670-oscars-2025-nominations-announcements

Amazing ! Demi got the nomination and it’s also nominated for Best Film and Best Director and Best make up & styling !

Just watched it. I really like the look of the movie and thought Demi and Sue actress were great

I agree there was hardly any benefit for Demi as I thought she'd enjoy and remember the 7 days

But that made it more horror as she got so little out of it, and had no control

This film is going to become a cult classic, isn't it? It would be great if they had "singalong" screenings where people could quote favourite lines and sit there dressed up as the Sue-Liz monster woman - a bit like when everyone wore pink for the Barbie movie.