People are going to say The Substance is the grossest movie in recent memory (it is) and that it knows how on the nose it is (it does), but after seeing it I don’t really understand how these things build it into some body horror masterpiece or the best of the year. I see the appeal of the Kubrickian world Coralie Fargeat has injected into a shiny modern LA, and Demi Moore gives a really brave performance that carries a lot of commentary in itself. I was just extremely let down by not only how thinly conceived and repetitive it is (I seriously think the central concept doesn’t make any sense?) but mostly its handling of what it’s like to navigate patriarchal beauty standards. I would’ve had more fun if it could decide whether it wanted to empower the female body or use it as a punchline - there’s one scene where Demi Moore is getting ready to go on a date but can’t leave the house because of how ashamed she is of her ageing body, it’s the one time I felt an earnestness that really struck a chord with me. But then it’s a campy comedy with hollow shock value and shallow stereotypes that I don’t think is a “take down” of anything besides the women we are meant to see ourselves in. If the body horror and Margaret Qualley using a sledgehammer is enough for you then have at it, I certainly enjoyed those bits, I just didn’t quite see the cohesive vision everyone else is seeing in this.