The Substance

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2:25

The Substance

R

Released Sep 20

2h 21m

Horror

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

342 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Verified Ratings

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong?

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Critics Consensus

Audaciously gross, wickedly clever, and possibly Demi Moore's finest hour, The Substance is a gasp-inducing feat from writer-director Coralie Fargeat.

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Rachel Syme

The New Yorker

For my money, one of the best things you can do this season is to run to see the French director Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance while it is still playing on the big screen.

Oct 21, 2024

Full Review

Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Falls into the category of films that men like to claim as feminist.

Oct 8, 2024

Full Review

Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

Extraordinary... This is daring and stylish.

Oct 8, 2024

Full Review

Preston Barta

Denton Record-Chronicle

The unshakeable imagery and the characters' revelations about the savagery of fame, the female experience and the self-inflicted damage to maintain a facade of perfection make 'The Substance' the best cinematic offering of 2024.

Dec 21, 2024

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

Fargeat's sophomore feature is blunt and lacks subtlety, but that's exactly the point of this raging feminist take on beauty standards in the entertainment industry. Features exceptional turns by both Moore and Qualley as well as amazing editing

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 20, 2024

Full Review

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

This movie is not for the squeamish, and that includes me, but I did admire the craftsmanship it took to pull this off, as well as the actors who knew just how far to lean into the satire and black humor of this story.

Rated: B

Dec 20, 2024

Full Review

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Jeff

Very interesting cinematography, but the movie said all it had to say in the first 30-45 minutes. After that it was just more nudity and shock porn Watch if you like seeing a lot of close-ups of Margaret Qualley's bits and/or bloody Cronenberg homages

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

12/05/24

Full Review

The EZ Rider

Kept my attention but it's an assault on the senses and way too long.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/02/24

Full Review

Victor

So great! Stylistically beautiful with many classic horror references! Demi was perfectly cast. The sound design and special effects were on point too!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/28/24

Full Review

j

So shallow so meaningless such a waste of time & talent

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

11/27/24

Full Review

Reese Torre

So bad I wish I could get my money back

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

Full Review

Derrick H

It was provocative but the ending was strange.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/19/24

Full Review

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Coralie Fargeat

Director

Demi Moore

Elisabeth Sparkle

Margaret Qualley

Sue

Dennis Quaid

Harvey

Hugo Diego Garcia

Actor

Gore Abrams

Actor

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The Substance: Trailer 2

0:24

The Substance: Trailer 1

2:25

The Substance: Teaser Trailer

1:00

The Substance: Teaser

0:39

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Synopsis

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You, only better in every way. You should try this new product, it's called The Substance. IT CHANGED MY LIFE. With The Substance, you can generate another you: younger, more beautiful, more perfect. You just have to share time -- one week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days each... Easy right? If you respect the balance... What could possibly go wrong?

Director: Coralie Fargeat
Producer: Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan
Screenwriter: Coralie Fargeat
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: Working Title Films
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Gore|Language|Strong Violent Content)
Genre: Horror, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 2024, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $15.5M
Runtime: 2h 21m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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