The Substance 4K 2024

Substance' is a movie that all women need to see. But will it succeed. That's the big question. The five people next to me left about halfway through the show. The last 30 minutes of the movie is basically what cinema exists for. It's not a movie, it's complete insanity. Real body horror. A spectacle that's sure to knock you out.

Have you ever wished you were a better version of yourself? Demi Moore's character does. After all, as a once very popular actress, she's being fired because of her age. But she can't deal with the fear of being forgotten, of being replaced and living daily with the uncertainty that your best days along with all your youth are gone.

Coralie Farja, the director of this performance, is an insanely brave woman. The last time such emotions were evoked was Aster with 'Solstice'. She has created a grotesque masterpiece that will be very hard to top. You think it can't get any more twisted, that this is the end of the story. But no, there are increasingly absurd extremes to the overall narrative that make your jaw drop.

The plot raises the universal dilemma we all face regarding aging and self-esteem. And the sexy duo of Demi Moore and Margarett Queally leaves an abiding message for us to remember: learning to love yourself, no matter what age or stage of life you're in, is the greatest transformation of all.

Standing ovation! Pretty girls should always smile!