The Substance (2024)
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About
The Substance is an absurdist body horror film co-produced, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. The plot follows the story of a fading celebrity (Moore) who decides to use a black market drug that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself (Qualley), unknowingly giving herself horrifying side effects. The film premiered in May 2024 at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and the United States by Mubi in September 2024. Online, the movie amassed an array of positive reviews, while also sparking memes and jokes focused on the usage of "the substance," often comparing old and young celebrities that look alike.
Origin
The Substance's production was announced on January 31st, 2022, by the Deadline[1] news outlet, writing that Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley will star in the French director Coralie Fargeat’s "explosive feminist take on body horror."
On May 17th, 2024, Mubi[2] released the first teaser of the film (seen below), amassing more than 1.6 million views and 2,100 likes in five months.
The film opened in theaters in the United States, United Kingdom, Latin America, Germany, Canada and Netherlands on September 20th, 2024.
Spread
Discussions about The Substance spread online in the months after its highly praised debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival,[3] with a particular focus on the creative and absurd body horror displayed in the film. For example, on September 20th, 2024, X[4] user @C05M1C57R4N63R posted a Family Guy clip (seen below), captioning "The Substance (2024, dir. Coralie Fargeat)," which amassed over 628,000 views and 10,000 likes in a week.
the substance (2024, dir. coralie fargeat) pic.twitter.com/uAC4cgk8mx
— 💽heather (@C05M1C57R4N63R) September 21, 2024
Netizens also started a trend on TikTok filming them before and after watching the movie. For instance, on September 29th, 2024, TikTok[5] user @itsmezumy uploaded a video (seen below) comparing man and woman's reaction after seeing The Substance. The post garnered over 900,000 plays and 130,000 likes in a day.
@itsmezumy La película del año. Nadie se salió de la sala😂#thesubstance #fyp #pty @Jaime Cheribin @Eileen🌙✨☀️ ♬ original sound – itsmezumy
The Substance's official X account started to post memes created by fans of the film. For example, on September 30th, 2024, the account[6] uploaded a version of the Don't Kill Yourself You're So Sexy Aha
meme, recaptioning the phrase as "Noo don't use the substance your so sexy aha." The tweet (seen below) received roughly 9,100 likes and 796 reposts in a few hours.
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Deadline – Demi Moore & Margaret Qualley To Star In Universal/Working Title’s ‘The Substance’; ‘Revenge’ Helmer Coralie Fargeat Directs Her Script
[2] YouTube – THE SUBSTANCE | Official Clip | Coming Soon
[3] Variety – Cannes Goes Apes-- for ‘The Substance,’ Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley’s Flesh-Shredding Body Horror, With 11-Minute Standing Ovation
[4] X – C05M1C57R4N63R
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