NZIFF: The Substance

A relentless feminist, body-horror feast, The Substance closes out this year’s festival in style as Coralie Forgeat lays down her marker to take the crown as the new queen of carnage.
Direct from wowing audiences at Cannes, Coralie Forgeat’s magnificent shocker closes out this year’s Festival in style and lays down her marker to take the crown as the new queen of carnage with this wildly entertaining feminist, body-horror feast.

After fading star Elizabeth Sparkles is deemed surplus to requirements as a daytime TV fitness instructor, she’s presented with an offer too good to refuse. Take “the Substance” to incarnate two versions of the self: one is young, crisp, unblemished, and goes by the name of Sue. The other remains the same faded star. Seven days apiece are what each “self” is assigned, one week on, one week off… what could possibly go wrong? Coralie Forgeat forgoes any kind of subtlety in her dissection of systemic misogyny, instead opting for broad brushstrokes alongside body-horror prosthetics that’d make Cronenberg cringe – this one is not for the faint of heart.