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Iconic 1990s American actress Demi Moore, mostly known for Ghost and Striptease, is starring for the first time in a feature film at the Cannes Film Festival. The Substance is a feminist horror film by French director Coralie Fargeat, it was presented in competition on Sunday, May 19.
Speaking about her character in The Substance at the Cannes Film Festival, Demi Moore stated, “What I find amazing is that she wasn’t afraid to reveal herself or to be ridiculous. It was a leap into the unknown, and she did it without holding back.” She echoed this sentiment in a press conference, adding, “It was the best of challenges. I always seek out material that pushes me out of my comfort zone.” Although she never felt “erased” due to her age (61 years), she admits, “This very raw experience, which required me to be vulnerable and to expose myself physically and emotionally, allowed me to accept myself better as I am.” She further added, “We are not against men, just against jerks.”
Dennis Quaid, her co-star in the film, summarized her performance, “It’s the beginning of a third act in Demi’s career, and it’s inspiring.” In The Substance, the titular element allows the person who injects it to produce a “better version of themselves: younger, more beautiful, more perfect.”
For Elisabeth Sparkle, a fitness television star ousted at the age of 50, played by Demi Moore, who is astounding as she artificially ages, the temptation is great. Thus “Sue” is born, American actress Margaret Qualley, equally convincing as both angelic and demonic. She follows in her footsteps, facing a crude producer embodying patriarchy, Dennis Quaid. The only condition to avoid mutual danger is that they must share their time equally in the external world. However, Sue always wants more.
Having directed her first horror film about rape, Revenge, in 2018, Coralie Fargeat focuses this time on the female body, “problematic when it is not perfect or too large, and as it ages.” Moreover, “it has a massive impact on women’s lives and conditions many things in society. Our bodies define us, generate inequalities, and violence, even from ourselves. We are almost forced to hate our bodies in some way and can become our own torturers,” explains the 48-year-old director, interviewed by AFP.
Fargeat illustrates her point “hyperbolically” with needles and blood, “symbols of the violence women endure.” The meticulously crafted visuals, the gory explosions, both nauseating and comedic, and the actresses’ performances sustain The Substance, which runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes. “They were incredible; they took significant risks,” praises the director. “You can feel that the film is embodied; something happened between them.”
Why did a French director set her story in a fictional Hollywood? Why did she film in France, but in English with American stars? Because the United States has, more than France, “this culture of genre films, of excess, of non-realism,” with which Coralie Fargeat “grew up.” Genre films first offered her “an escape from daily life” and later allowed her, as a director, to “create (her) own codes” and develop the artisanal dimension she appreciates.
Cannes has recently been receptive to horror films addressing femininity, exemplified by Julia Ducournau’s Titane, which won the Palme d’Or in 2021. Would Coralie Fargeat dream of a similar fate? “Of course, it’s something one dreams of, the most beautiful reward. It’s also one of the film’s messages: we seek to be loved,” she responds. “Yet, we know it’s not in our hands. Just being here is already such a wonderful thing. Still, naturally, I would be the happiest if the film was recognized.”
With AFP
