There's a fine line between being humorous and simply ridiculous, and writer-director Coralie Fargeat’s newest film manages to occupy both spaces. The movie initially builds up considerable positive momentum, but then it carelessly throws that goodwill away in the final act with an extended, wandering, excessively graphic, and frankly unpleasant display of poor taste. This story, centering on an aging actress (Demi Moore) attempting to recapture her youth through a mysterious injection and subsequently facing the emergence of a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley), who quickly becomes a Hollywood sensation, requires adherence to specific rules—rules that become increasingly difficult to follow as both women compete for attention. As this unfolds, tension arises between them, leading to complications and unexpected turns that grow progressively harder to deal with. However, that’s where the film's successes end. From there on out, it descends into absurdity; while some moments elicit genuine laughter, they are overshadowed by implausible and unexplained events that test viewers' patience. Beyond these issues, the movie suffers from jarring shifts in tone, making it unclear whether it intends to be a serious thriller or a campy satire, much like the French film “Titane” (2021). It also openly borrows elements from other films, most notably visual and narrative cues from "The Shining" (1980) and “Young Frankenstein” (1974), costume designs reminiscent of “The Hunger Games,” and inexplicable music excerpts from movies like “Vertigo” (1958). The film’s obvious message about the dangers of misogyny, while important, feels heavy-handed and could have been toned down. At the same time, there are fundamental questions raised by the narrative that remain unanswered, resulting in numerous puzzling moments. These shortcomings unfortunately overshadow the aspects that do work—at least initially—such as the strong performances from Moore and Qualley, the film’s creative cinematography, and a central idea that could have led to an interesting story with more careful execution. However, these strengths are ultimately negated by how the film falls apart. It's genuinely baffling that “The Substance” received the 2024 Cannes Film Festival award for best screenplay. I appreciate unconventional and eccentric films, but this one undermines those qualities. I was eager to see it, and I was initially impressed by its early segments, but that positive impression was erased by how the movie ultimately played out—a film that ironically relied more on style than "substance."

Source on TMDB