Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley Reflect on the Modern Day Obsession with Youth in The Substance Trailer
Demi Moore perfectly embodies an insecure aging Hollywood celebrity in the teaser for the body horror film The Substance. Her character, Elizabeth Sparkle, is seen using a cell-replicating black-market drug to transform into her younger self, played by Margaret Qualley.
The one-minute, 5-second-long teaser, which arrived on Thursday, July 11, aims to underscore the pressure of the male gaze and the obsession with perfection when it comes to female bodies.
More about the teaser and the teaser itself is below!
The Substance teaser — Peppy and Scarred in equal measures
The brief clip begins with Moore intensely gazing into a mirror as Dennis Quaid’s sinister voice plays in the background: “Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?”
The teaser then proceeds to unveil chilling scenes, including an unsettling shower sequence, Dennis Quaid chomping on food aggressively, and drugs being administered, all while words of appreciation from film critics flash on the screen. “Pretty girls should always smile,” Quaid tells Moore’s character, right before her bleeding face is put on display for the viewers.
She is also violently thrown across the room in the following glimpse. The teaser dramatically ends with Moore smearing red lipstick across her face, while Qualley adds a touch of intrigue with a wink and a sly smile.
Watch the The Substance trailer HERE!
The Substance was a 2024 Cannes Film Festival sensation
Produced by five-time Oscar-nominated duo Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, The Substance earned an 11-minute standing ovation at Cannes in May and won the Best Screenplay Award.
The film is written by Coralie Fargeat and is her second directorial effort after her action thriller Revenge. Mubi has acquired the distribution rights for the film for North America and will release it exclusively in theaters on September 20.
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