The new body horror film is mesmerizing the entire audience.
Have you ever thought of watching a horrible, traumatic, and yet perfect movie? That’s the description that many use for The substancethe new tape of Demi Moore which promises to leave you speechless thanks to its severe social criticism and its impressive horror scenes. But beyond its initial impact, what is the meaning of violence in this film? Here we tell you.
After conquering international critics with its premiere at the 2024 Cannes International Film Festival, The substance It has emerged as one of the most controversial and eye-catching films to watch in the remainder of the year. Its cast, which not only puts Margaret Qualley Not only does it bring Moore back to the big screen, it makes it a must-see for one generation at a time. But what has made it an icon among those who have already seen it is its solid and grotesque story that brings a powerful and uncomfortable reflection on social aesthetics.
Why did you create it?
In a recent interview with ELLE, Coralie Fargeatthe mastermind behind the script and direction of The substanceshe talked about how the idea for the film came to her and, more importantly, what impact she wants it to have on audiences around the world.
As a 48-year-old woman, with a career already established in French and international cinema, Fargeat seems to be already at the point of uncertainty and doubt regarding her role in the world and the future for her person and professional life.
With thoughts like “it’s over. My life is over. I’m going to be erased from society,” the director explains that The substance It was born from a need to reflect and make visible the grieving process that many people, especially women, go through at a certain point in their lives.
“It was like a super depressing breakdown in my personal life,” Fargeat explained of the grief that compelled her to tell Elisabeth Sparkles’ story.
What does the tape mean and why is it so violent?
Recognizing her grief and the prejudice that exists in the world towards middle-aged women, Coralie wanted to find an authentic and powerful way to convey her honest message about this generational turning point.
That is why, without hesitation, and after making the successful horror film: Revengewhich has a feminist subtext, Fargeat knew she had to represent that fear and violence she was experiencing at that time through a unique and grotesque story by means of body horrorand of course, with it, show the largest amount of uncomfortable scenes to see in a film.
“The violence in the film was really a way to get out all the violence I felt inside of me. I felt the need to express all this about how you are seen and what your body is like. You keep comparing yourself and evaluating your worth based on that. And I said, ‘Well, this is the right time for me to take the horror genre to express this violence,’” she explained in the interview.
As the director put it, the only path that called her to create this story was the perfectionist, clean, bright and super-detailed aesthetic that we see in every general scene, close-up and even camera movements of the competitive journey between Elisabeth and Sue.
But beyond the aesthetics, the script behind The substance carries a deeper, more lethal meaning, at least emotionally, for women around the world:
“The violence in the film was really a way of getting out all the violence I felt inside of me…”
Apparently, The substance It is a film that, from human analysis and reflection, aims to make visible the great impact that exists on a person from the prejudices, criticisms and high standards of beauty that have prevailed in society for many years, appealing to the nature of imperfection in the human body and aging.
“I really wanted to express that when you are a woman, your body is anything but natural in the public space. It is constantly scrutinized, judged, analyzed, fantasized, sexualized. And you can’t ignore it. Also [define] how we are allowed to invest in the world,” Fargeat said.
With this meaning, the French director explained that her reasons not only seek to portray in a fictional and dark way the grief of middle age, but she also wants to break taboos regarding the way people should look:
“[El mundo] It is a super powerful prison that prevents us from occupying space. This inequality is so internalized and the weapons that are internalized are the strongest. For me it was important to show this reality that is still taboo to talk about, to put it out there with this amount of guts, blood and violence and say: ‘Look at this!’”
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