🥛
***contains spoilers****
Such a good synopsis of the ending and the film’s overarching themes in the personal and the political. Love this freaky film so much!!!
Related Recs
(No spoilers)
I feel like I need to say that I was not prepared for this film. I saw the trailer and thought ‘hell yeah, looks cool’ - but I did not know the extents to where it would go. Deeply terrifying, had to watch fun little youtube videos so I could fall asleep.
Having slept off the sheer fear though, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this movie. Potentially changed the relationship I have with myself.
See it in the cinema if you think you can hack it. However, I have realised that body horror is maybe not my thing lol
Sep 14, 2024
Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? 🧪✨
Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’ was my most anticipated movie of the year. It’s neon, horror, cerebral, has 80’s vibes, and a synth driven soundtrack. Everything I could want in a movie. This movie eviscerated my brain in the best way possible. I left the theater wondering what in the world did I just experience, but knew I wanted more.
The themes of this movie hit home for me as someone who deals with the pressure of unrealistic beauty standards.
Demi Moore gave her all to this movie and her performance blew me away. Margaret Qualley stole the scene every time she was on screen. Dennis Quaid plays a great sleaze ball. The actors understood the assignment.
That being said, if you’re not a body horror fan, this will be a tough watch. I was definitely squirming in my seat 😅 It also ran a wee bit long for me but do I want to see this again in a packed theatre? Yes.
The last movie that made me feel like this was Gaspar Noé’s Climax, and it does have a similar energy to it.
Overall, this movie was pure madness but utter genius and I highly recommend you go into this movie with as little knowledge as possible.
Sep 30, 2024
The countless atrocities committed by the Nazis have been well-documented in the media, but I can’t recall having ever seen a movie that opted to focus on the cold banality of the lives of the Germans who were actively engaged in or complicit with such incredible cruelty. Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin), inspired by Martin Amis’ novel, has decided to tap into this underexplored area, and the chilling result will haunt viewers for days.
Focusing on Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Freidel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller, both perfectly cast), who are raising their family in a well-appointed home directly adjacent to the camp, we watch them go about their relatively mundane existences. They live better than many of their fellow Germans and have local girls working as servants to help keep up the house, but otherwise much of their time is spent tending to trivial day-to-day tasks, aside from the odd bit of Nazi business that Rudolf attends to from his home office.
Nothing here is truly normal however, a point made very clear shortly into the film when the camera changes its view of the family’s yard to expose the guard tower just on the other side of the brick wall that abuts the property. Given the proximity to the notorious camp, its noises permeate every aspect of the family’s lives. The low hum of the furnaces is ever-present, punctuated by screams and gunshots. Frequently trains can be heard bringing more prisoners, puffs of steam appearing over the tree line. Somehow, the Höss’ and their children go about their day as if they don’t even notice it.
To celebrate one of the children’s birthdays, Hedwig’s mother comes to stay. Initially impressed by the large, well-maintained home and garden, she casually wonders aloud if a Jewish neighbor might be imprisoned next door, complaining that she lost her chance to claim her curtains. As the pair sit on the patio and sounds from the camp impose themselves, she turns to glance at the wall, at least a little discomfited. At night, the sounds of suffering disturb her sleep and she looks out the window, only to see ash and bright flames erupting from a smokestack. She leaves the following morning.
While the atrocities next door are felt throughout almost the entire movie, we never see them. Everything is instead conveyed through Johnnie Burn’s meticulous sound design and the effect is powerful, especially in contrast to the mundanity of everything shown. Cinematographer Łukasz Żal’s striking staging avoids overly prettifying the home while still maintaining a painterly artfulness, often using static, embedded cameras to give the proceedings the sort of voyeuristic feel of reality shows like Big Brother.
A movie may not be the best place to figure out exactly how people can react so blithely to such large-scale inhumanity, so Glazer doesn’t really try to do so. It is enough however to be reminded that the behavior is not only something that we as a species are capable of, but that it is necessary for such evil to be enacted. Hopefully the reminder will help to prevent it from happening again. ★★★★★
RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL, SOME SUGGESTIVE MATERIAL, AND SMOKING.
Feb 21, 2024
Top Recs from @lndsy
I’m on an instagram break plus I like you guys more so please enjoy this painting I am proud of. Referencing Bosch‘s garden of earthly delights, specifically the third “Hell” panel ❤️🔥 acrylic and gouache on raw canvas!
Feb 5, 2025
👁
Like I am sometimes haunted by thoughts and thinking too much can be low key scary
Jan 30, 2025
