‘The Substance’ Teaser: Margaret Qualley Might Be the ‘Perfect’ Version of Demi Moore in Feminist Body-Horror Thriller

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore are teased as playing the same character for feminist body-horror thriller “The Substance.”

The Cannes feature, which premieres in competition at the festival, has already been picked up by Mubi for worldwide distribution. French director Coralie Fargeat helms her sophomore film, following her debut “Revenge” which premiered at TIFF in 2017.

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“The Substance” is titled for a mysterious serum that transforms users into the ideal versions of themselves. The elusive official synopsis reads: “It generates another you. A new, younger, more beautiful, more perfect you. And there’s only one rule: You share time. One week for you. One week for the new you. Seven days each. A perfect balance. Easy. Right? If you respect the balance…what could possibly go wrong?”

The teaser shows Moore intently watching an ad for the substance injection and contemplating undergoing its cellular division. Could Qualley be who Moore transforms into?

Dennis Quaid co-stars in the film, which marks Moore’s first feature at Cannes. Moore has had a career resurgence as of late, starring in “Feud.” Meanwhile, Qualley also appears in Cannes-bound Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” debuting at the festival. Qualley reunites with Lanthimos following the Oscar-winning “Poor Things” for the anthology feature. “Kinds of Kindness” co-stars Qualley’s fellow “Poor Things” alums Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe.

Qualley additionally will star in A24 feature “Huntington,” directed by John Patton Ford. Ed Harris and Glen Powell lead the revenge thriller that follows Becket Redfellow (Powell), an heir to a multi-billion-dollar fortune who will stop at nothing to get what he deserves…or what he thinks he deserves, per the logline.

Qualley further continues her auteur collaborations with Ethan Coen’s “Honey Don’t!,” reuniting after “Drive Away Dolls.” Upcoming film “Honey Don’t!” stars Chris Evans as a cult leader, Aubrey Plaza as a mystery woman, and Qualley as a private investigator trying to unravel it all.

“The Substance” is produced by Eric Fellner; Tim Bevan produced the film for Working Title. The director of photography on the film is Benjamin Kracun (“Promising Young Woman,” “Beast”), co-editors are Fargeat, Jerome Eltabet (“Revenge”), and Valentin Feron. The music is composed by Raffertie (“I May Destroy You”), production design is led by Stanislas Reydellet (“Le Bal Des Folles”), and costume design is by Emmanuelle Youchnovski (“La Belle Epoque”).

“The Substance” will be distributed by Mubi. Check out the teaser below.

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