Revenge director Coralie Fargeat’s new body horror satire, The Substance, screened at the Cannes Film Festival back in May to highly positive - and more than a little shocked - first reactions (see below), and the first trailer has now been released online.
The film focuses on an acclaimed actress turned celebrity host of a daytime exercise program (Demi Moore) who gets replaced by a younger star, sparking a confrontation between the two women that ultimately turns violent.
Specific plot details had been under wraps, but THR spilled a few beans in their coverage of the trailer.
It seems Moore's character, Elizabeth Sparkle, makes use of a secret cloning procedure and the titular substance known as Activator to produce a younger, more perfect version of herself, Sue, played by Margaret Qualley.
"The problem is Elisabeth’s two selves can’t get along as the Activator requires her to spend one week in one body and then one week in the other."
The Substance reportedly features some pretty extreme gore, but the scene that's sparked the most discussion is a brutal fight between Moore and Qualley's characters - complete with graphic, full-frontal nudity.
“I had someone who was a great partner,” said Moore of her co-star. “We were obviously quite close at some moments… and naked. But there was also a levity [in shooting those scenes].”
Moore also noted that the film “pushed me out of the comfort zone,” but she felt that the nudity “was necessary to tell this story” and that Fargeat approached the scenes “with a lot of sensitivity, establishing a common ground of mutual trust.”
The movie currently sits at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes with 44 reviews counted.
Check out the red band trailer for The Substance below, along with the reviews and reactions.
"Have you ever dreamed of a better version of yourself? You should try this new product: The Substance. It changed my life. With The Substance, you can generate another version of yourself: younger, more beautiful, more perfect… Just share the time. One week for one, one week for the other. A perfect balance of seven days. Easy, isn’t it? If you follow the instructions, what could go wrong?"
The Substance is set for release on September 20.