THE SUBSTANCE

Der neue Film von Coralie Fargeat ("Revenge") ist feministisch-satirisches Body-Horror-Kino.

"An immensely, unstoppably, ecstatically demented fairy tale. Fargeat's mad experiment is equal parts "Freaky Friday", "All About Eve", and Andrzej Żuławski's "Possession"… Those with the stomach to stick it out will be rewarded with the most sickly entertaining theatrical experience of the year!" David Ehrlich, Indiewire

Einst war Elisabeth eine gefeierte Schauspielerin. Jetzt reicht es nicht mal mehr für eine eigene Fitness-Sendung. Sie sei zu alt, heißt es. Da kommt ihr ein spezielles Mittel ganz recht, mit dem sie ein neues jüngeres Ich namens Sue erschafft. Der Haken an der Sache: Die beiden Versionen teilen sich die Lebenszeit – und Sue hält nicht sehr viel vom Teilen.

"THE SUBSTANCE is the best and maddest film of the year (so far)... as a pulsing, pumping blitzkrieg of pure entertainment, this is a never-ending delight... A sledgehammer parable for the Ozempic generation, THE SUBSTANCE, with all confidence, is an instant classic." Nick Howells, London Evening Standard (2024)

"Taken at its premise, THE SUBSTANCE appears to be merely a well-trodden exercise in satirizing Hollywood's contribution to patriarchal beauty standards. But just as her breakout Midnight Madness debut "Revenge" uniquely reframed its horror sub-genre, Coralie Fargeat once more transforms a familiar feminine allegory by injecting an audacious tone of carnivalesque camp that ratchets its ingredients to perversely mythic heights. Seemingly intermingling bits of Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray", Jerry Lewis' "The Nutty Professor", and Paul Verhoeven's "Showgirls", Fargeat's stylish execution and deliriously breakneck momentum further cements an identity all her own. The result is an unforgettably twisted parable that features exceptionally embodied performances from Moore and Qualley, and outrageous body-horror on the order of FX legends like Screaming Mad George." Peter Kuplowsky, Toronto International Film Festival 2024

"THE SUBSTANCE received overwhelming critical acclaim when shown at Cannes. Called a cartoon grindhouse Stanley Kubrick or "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" meets "Showgirls", others recognised John Carpenter, "Requiem for a Dream" and Brian De Palma influences laced throughout its blood-soaked aesthetic.
Drawing on stylish flamboyance and accessible visual extremes, Fargeat's primal screamer highlights a perceptive filmmaker with something important to say. Helping her put that strong message across are two of the most extraordinary genre performances this year. Fearless Demi Moore rockets back into the probable Oscar limelight as fading celebrity Elizabeth Sparkle who uses a black market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. An epic, and audacious masterpiece." Frightfest 2024

"Oscar Wilde, J.M. Barrie, even those blokes who wrote the Bible… all have admonished against the pursuit of eternal youth. Yet none have done so in quite such uncompromising fashion as the gloriously grotesque horror show that Coralie Fargeat here presents with THE SUBSTANCE.
Demi Moore is at a career best bringing a meta pathos to the role of Elizabeth. Margaret Qualley is both dazzling and disturbing, reversing patriarchal power dynamics as Sue and toying with any male character stupid enough to be dragged into her orbit. And Denis Quaid – well, he's taking liberties as the cartoonishly loathsome TV boss, Harvey.
Fargeat forgoes any kind of subtlety in her dissection of systemic misogyny, instead opting for broad brushstrokes, each character as transgressive as the next, intense close-ups and high angle shots inflating the caricatures. With hyper-sexualised iconography that makes the opening scenes of Julia Ducournaus "Titane" look like "Toy Story", and body-horror prosthetics that'd make Cronenberg cringe, by the time the film's spectacular finale comes to a close, you'll be ready for a cold towel and a stiff drink – this one is not for the faint of heart." Matt Bloomfield, New Zealand International Film Festival 2024

CREDITS

deutsche Synchronfassung & englische Originalfassung mit deutschen Untertiteln

• Regie: Coralie Fargeat
• Frankreich, USA, UK 2024
• 141 Min.

• DCP
FSK 16
• Deskriptoren: www.fsk.de

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