DirectorCoralie Fargeatput a lot of intention into world-building in her follow-up toRevenge(2017).
What is ‘The Substance’ About?
These locations reappear throughout the film, each time looking slightly different as Elisabeth and Sue physically change.
Image by Jefferson Chacon
Covered in floor-to-ceiling white tile, there is something brutal and unforgiving about the architecture of this room.
Even the bathtub is angular and square.
The bathroom is a focal point in the film’s action.
Image via Mubi
The Substanceconsiders the everyday, repetitivehorror of beauty standards.
In a brutally honest way, itexposes how self-judgment can escalate until it becomes dangerous.
The film pulls off this harsh social critique in many ways, including set design.
The Substanceis in theaters now.
A fading celebrity, Elisabeth Sparkle, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth. The drug temporarily creates a younger version of herself, named Sue, who quickly ascends to the fame Elisabeth once craved.
