The Substance
Hamza Khan

Review by Hamza Khan

The Substance 2024

★★★★½

Watched Oct 18, 2024

The most fucked up film of 2024

Coraline Fargeat knocks it out of the park with this disturbing contemplating film. It's about 'accepting yourself' artfully explores the pursuit of youth and offers scathing social commentary on women. The film is rich in symbolism and foreshadowing, conveying a clear and impactful message. I love how Fargeat delivers the message, with a flawless screenplay. I truly loved The stylized visuals, intriguing use of color, and deliberately inspired frames and style from iconic directors and their films such as (Shinning, space Odyssey, carrie, psycho) while Fargeat forging her own unique style with this. The film's body horror is no joke, I had to cover my eyes at times! It was gruesome and disgusting.

The cinematography left me speechless, watching it makes you think, I wish I had seen this in a theater. The camera work was absolutely stunning the close-up shots, were flawlessly done, at times terrifying, gory, even disgusting, yet utterly brilliant. The timelapse sequences and overhead shots, with the camera following or in constant motion, were BEAUTIFUL. This is exactly the kind of visual artistry I love.

Acting wise-
Demi Moore's performance is absolute PERFECTION in every scene. She embodies the character flawlessly, evoking sympathy, fear, and every emotion in you for her. Possibly the best performance of the year so far.
Margaret Qualley brings her A-game, showcasing her incredible talent. She's as captivating on-screen as she is gorgeous, completely owning the climax. What a standout!
Pretty girls should always smile

While this film may not be a rewatch favorite for many, I'm definitely going to revisit it. I genuinely loved this film, and it's undoubtedly one of the best of the year.
Kudos to director for crafting a visually stunning, intellectually stimulating, and deeply unsettling film.

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