October 2024

The Substance: A Star Is Reborn

This article originally appeared in AC Oct. 2024. A subversively entertaining monster movie might not seem to call out for a timeless, romantic feel, but that was the goal for cinematographer Benjamin Kračun, BSC (Promising Young Woman, Beast) and director Coralie Fargeat (Revenge; 2017) on The Substance. The film follows fading Hollywood star Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) as she strives to keep her gig as a TV aerobics instructor. When she learns she will be replaced by a younger candidate, she pays a high-tech company to transform her into a 20-something version of herself through a course of injections. The catch? The new Elisabeth, aka Sue (Margaret Qualley), can only live in the real world for a week at a time while the old version...more