If you love quality horror, I HIGHLY recommend checking out “The Substance” with Demi Moore that is currently streaming on MUBI. Lately, I have been getting weary of commercial TV shows and movies and cancelled my Hulu and Disney subscription in favor of MUBI, Klassiki, Marquee TV and Curiosity Stream (I highly recommend all four!). MUBI offers art and left-of-center cinema from around the world; Klassiki mostly focuses on Eastern European and cinema from former USSR countries including banned films; Marquee TV is a gem for a performing arts lover– anything from jazz concerts to art documentaries to ballet and beyond; and Curiosity Stream has an endless well of documentaries on various topics – from technology and history to science and nature.
Anyway. THE SUBSTANCE. I won't spoil the premise for you. All I gotta say is this movie completely blew my mind with the genius of its message and the artistic means of delivering that message. In the society obsessed with physical appearance, where women very often end up with severe cases of anorexia nervosa, bulimia and body dysmorphia, this film brings up to the surface a lot of ongoing societal issues. We live in a society where women have “an expiration date”, men don't. The physical, the impermanent, the artificial is taking place of spiritual, wise and grounded. I applaud the artists that aren't afraid to tackle this issue head on - in this case Coralie Fargeat who directed this movie and Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley who both delivered the necessary acting skills to pull off a body horror film. Anyway, enough of that! Now go and watch it. :) And feel free to comment here with your thoughts after!