Preview: The Substance

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You. Only better in every way. You’ve got to try this product: The Substance. It changed my life.

Demi Moore gives a career-best performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and suddenly fired from her fitness TV show by repellent studio head Harvey. 

She is then drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug: The Substance. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley). 

The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. A perfect balance. What could go wrong?

Deliriously entertaining and ruthlessly satirical, Coralie Fargeat’s Cannes sensation turns toxic beauty culture inside out with a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable for the ages. Explosive, provocative and twisted, The Substance marks the arrival of a thrillingly visionary filmmaker.

This is a preview screening ahead of the film’s release later this month, introduced by Mayhem Film Festival.