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 🤣

Watched this last night and tonight. WTAF!

Loved the message on female beauty standards but my goodness - the gore!

Give it a few years and this will definitely happen at the Prince Charles cinema

I was lucky enough to see it again last night at the IMAX with Demi Moore introducing and doing a Q&A, and she was lovely 😀

Dennis Quaid eating shrimp on the biggest screen in the country is not something I want to witness again 🤮😂

Amazing! Did she give any further insights about all the themes etc we've mused on here?

She talked about the violence in the way that women are encouraged to feel about our bodies and the hatred in the language we use to speak to ourselves about the way we look, and how those would look if they were physically manifested and we could see them. Which is what the film aims to do (and I think it's probably not far off).

It's a different way to show the misogyny 'women of a certain age' (her words) experience; we know it's not news to anybody in itself - least of all women - but the film is supposed to be more about how women feel than what men think or how they treat us.

She also said she found parts of it difficult to watch because she was criticising her body too in the nude scenes, but the script was such a revelation she wanted to do it. And apparently Margaret Qualley is lovely.

I should say that's what I remember and how I interpreted it; it was all very exciting and I l've likely forgotten bits 😁

Yes how many cosmetic surgeries has Demi had??

Just watched it with dh 😲

Absolutely bizarre. The ending wtaf!!

Demi also did a Q&A at the Cine Lumiere the other day in London. Her Oscar campaign is going great guns and I see she’s the favourite to win.

I've already seen The Stylist. It feels as though I watched it years ago because I barely remember it (yes, it was that memorable). I remember that I didn't really enjoy it - certainly not as much at The Substance. But each to their own, eh?

Am I the only one who thought it was absolute drivel?

Agree with this 100%

@Filmfan10 you could say that The Stylist was also quite derivative, referencing films like "The Silence of the Lambs". It's kind of the way films work - taking their influence from each other.

But I really shouldn't allow myself to be drawn into comparing female film makers in this way because there are too few women getting films on. I'd prefer to celebrate the success of both these women and hope to be able to see more work from both of them.

I saw The Stylist too, and whilst I barely remember it my notepad says it was dirge; leaden, poorly edited and with plot holes you could drive a truck through. There are plenty of films made by women that I've enjoyed far more, but each to their own, as @VictoriaSpungecake says - I didn't like Titane either (and I remember thinking I was the only person who didn't).

There's a whole thread of films just down the page that people enjoyed despite them being panned by others. Nobody likes everything (and some people liked Back To Black, which is one of the worst films I've ever seen).

Saw this today and absolutely loved it. So glad I went with a friend because trying to describe it to her would’ve been a challenge. ‘ Bloody’ brilliant. 🤭

I was puzzled how someone with a decrepit leg could move so fast. Also how Sue hadn't noticed the food before she left the apartment?
But like dh says it was all mad anyway.

I've downloaded this one so intend watching it tonight.

buckle up, you're in for a bumpy (and brilliant) ride!

Ha yes am prepared and hopefully won't be disappointed. Didn't manage to watch it last night but definitely tonight! I shall return with my verdict. 🤔

Ok was that a fiver well spent? Errr nearly 🤔

I was glued to it up until the big blue dress scenes began. The monster made Elephant Man look absolutely gorgeous 🤢

The final 30 minutes or so were getting a little boring for me and went on far too long. More than a little really. Glad it was in the comfort of my living room so I could pause a few times for a break and not miss anything 🙄. In the cinema it might have been somewhat painful to sit that long 🫤

The film/story wasn't quite what I expected as I thought it was more about cosmetic surgery going badly wrong. Not something I would recommend highly and wouldn't watch again in a year or so as I would and have done with other movies.

Demi Moore did a good job though.

I was glued to it up until the big blue dress scenes began. The monster made Elephant Man look absolutely gorgeous 🤢

Monicker, you’re not wrong there! 😆

Watched this today. Thought there were some good bits in there, but generally overrated. Not nearly as clever as it thinks it is and about as subtle as a brick to the face. Schlock with an intellectual veneer but no actual, er, substance. God, all the themes and points it was making were just sledgehammered home.

Seems quite polarising, going by this thread!

I thought DM was great but probably not Oscar worthy stuff. It felt like a mix up of Black Swan, the Fly, Requiem for a Dream and The Shining. Enjoyable for sure.