Closing Night Gala | The Substance
Directed by Coralie Fargeat
United States
2024
140 mins

Synopsis

The buzziest film out of Cannes, where it won the Best Screenplay Award, The Substance stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid in a gloriously blood-splattered and hilariously satirical feminist body horror.

Bid farewell to the Sydney Film Festival at the Closing Night Gala at the State Theatre. Find out which films take out SFF's top prizes at our awards ceremony, then enjoy a screening of Cannes hit The Substance.

Moore plays the former Hollywood star Elisabeth Sparkle, now relegated to presenting a workout show, though at least it’s a stable job. But ratings are everything, and when sleazy TV exec Harvey (Dennis Quaid) decides that new blood – or fresh meat – is needed, Elisabeth turns to a mysterious medical procedure involving The Substance. Soon there is a young and beautiful version of Elisabeth called Sue (Qualley). All that is needed for both to co-exist is a careful maintenance of the equilibrium – time has to be shared equally: Elisabeth gets one week, then Sue gets one. But when the balance is disrespected, the repercussions are both grave and irreversible. Fargeat made her debut with the memorable 2017 thriller Revenge, and she adeptly ratchets up the tension in this extremely clever and risqué tale of excess and vanity, eliciting squirms and laughs.

This magnificent shocker heralds the squelchy, sick-making birth of a new horror maestro
u2605u2605u2605u2605u2605 Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
  • Year
    2024
  • Country
    USA, France, UK
  • Director
    Coralie Fargeat
  • Producer
    Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat
  • Cast
    Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Demi Moore
  • Screenwriter
    Coralie Fargeat
  • Cinematographer
    Benjamin Kračun
  • Editor
    Jérôme Eltabet
  • Genre
    Horror, Women Directors, Festival Award Winners, Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Cannes Selected
  • Company Credits
    Australian Distributor: Madman Entertainment
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