“The Substance” is almost ready to be consumed.
The body horror thriller, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and quickly became one of the must-see movies of the fest. You’ll be able to see the movie when Mubi releases the movie in theaters on September 20. But before that you can watch the brand-new teaser trailer, above. Fair warning: you might have a nervous breakdown while watching.
In the film Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, a former Hollywood A-lister fired from her workout show by her producer (Dennis Quaid). She then turns to the titular substance, which promises to produce a totally new you, for a little while at least. Margaret Qualley plays the new version of Sparkle. What could go wrong?
This is the sophomore feature from French filmmaker Fargeat, whose first movie was 2017’s excellent “Revenge.” Since then she has directed an episode of “The Sandman” for Netflix. It’s good to have her back.
One of the most talked-about films at Cannes, “The Substance” went on to win the festival’s best screenplay award. Our own review out of Cannes called it “great fun, pushing itself to greater heights and increasingly ludicrous lows at every turn as it riffs on the perils of youth and aging. It’s a lurid, loud and lewd film that comes at you.” According to various reports, the standing ovation that greeted “The Substance” at Cannes lasted either 11 or 13 minutes, depending on who you believe.
Mubi secured the North American rights for “The Substance” prior to its rapturous Cannes reception (they’re also distributing in United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Latin America).
“The Substance” opens on September 20. Watch it if you dare!
