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The Substance (18)

The Substance

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Wednesday 23 Oct 202419:30 Book Now

Following success at Cannes including a Best Screenplay win, Coralie Fargeat’s spectacularly grotesque horror satire on female body standards arrives in the UK, with Demi Moore in her most incredible role yet.

At 50, former Hollywood icon Elisabeth Sparkle has been reduced to fitness TV, and constant critiques of her looks by executives, the media, and herself, and jumps at a mysterious drug that resurrects her perfect younger form. However, this only alienates her from herself further – and not sticking to its program has unmentionably awful side effects. Drawing on the nightmarish visual traditions of Lynch and Cronenberg, writer-director Fargeat (Revenge) combats the grotesque ways older women are evaluated with brilliant, obscene cinematic invention. Throughout, Moore shines in a moving and astonishingly fearless display, showing levels of physical and emotional vulnerability few younger actors manage.