La Substance

I have to admit, with my review of her first film ("Revenge"), I did Madame Fargeat an injustice because at the time I perceived it as a pseudo-feminist rape-revenge thriller with significant logic problems. But now it's clear to me: the "message" is just the starting point - otherwise she mainly wants to have fun and bring her wonderful style to the people, which I really liked it in her first film. This time it was clear from the start: you don't even need to think about suspension of disbelief: the no longer very young television celebrity Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), now lead dancer in a fitness program, is rejected by her producer (Dennis Quaid) because of her age. Then she receives the offer to create a younger version of herself (Margaret Qualley) using the substance referenced in the title. But in order to do this, rules have to be followed and this is becoming increasingly difficult, especially for the younger version - with severe consequences. And that's where Fargeat comes into its own - even more so than with "Revenge". Body horror at its best, which almost makes Cronenberg, Stuart Gordon and Brian Yuzna look like beginners. Other horror films are also happily quoted (including The Shining, Carrie and Freaks) without seeming contrived or pandering. On the other hand this film is not scary in any way, even if there are effects that get quite under your skin (I'm just saying "spinal cord puncture"), instead there's a lot to laugh about because of all the over-the-top action. And huge, huge respect for Demi Moore! It takes a lot of courage to expose yourself and let yourself be portrayed like that!