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The Substance (Fargeat 2024)
The Substance is the second film from Fargeat that we have discussed on our podcast. With both this film and Revenge (2017) we were overall very impressed, with The Substance being a big step up especially in terms of style and production design. We are very excited to continue to follow her career. The film addresses topics of gender, aging, and the Hollywood expectations for appearance. The intention is clearly an indictment of specifically Hollywood’s perpetual demand for young women with speciifc appearances. While we largely agree that the film does implicate and comment critically on this, we have concerns about if the film also contributes or adheres to these expectations just as it admonishes them.
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SPOILERS IN THIS EPISODE
The Substance (Fargeat 2024)
Minor Spoilers for:
I Spit on Your Grave (Zarchi 1978)
Carrie (Demme 1976)
All of The Purge films
Severance
The Fly (Cronenberg 1986)
TOPIC INDEX – The Substance (Fargeat 2024) (times are approximate)
0:30 – Introductions
2:30 – Film discussion begins
4:30 – whom does the film implicate?
6:00 – Sociology scene: Mills’ private troubles and public issues
6:30 – SPOILERS section begins
7:30 – split consciousness?
15:00 – does the film implicate women (in addition to the Hollywood system)
26:00 – does the film offer answers?
30:00 – Hollywood or beyond?
35:00 – Fred
38:00 – the alternative man trope
45:00 – does the film implicate us as viewers
54:00 – divided person (spoilers for Severance)
1:03:00 – camera work
1:09:00 Demi Moore
1:15:00 – grading the film using the Collective Nightmares Evolving Rubric of Social Responsibility
Related Episodes
Revenge (Fargeat 2017)
I Spit on Your Grave (Zarchi 1978)
Rabid (Soska Sisters 2019)
Related Films
The Fly (Cronenberg 1986)
Credits
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“Horror films are our collective nightmares.”
Episode 134