Open Air | The Substance (Sold out)
The sensation of this year’s Cannes Film Festival was this hyper-stylised body horror film starring Demi Moore as a fitness instructor who goes to extremes in her pursuit of eternal youth, with grotesque consequences.
THE SUBSTANCE addresses a well-known phenomenon in the entertainment industry. Successful women become less loved as the years go by and have to make way for younger, more attractive women. This is also the fate that befalls Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a former film star who has had a fitness show on TV for years. The show’s ratings-obsessed producer thinks it is time to replace Elizabeth with a young, sexy girl. However, Elizabeth is given access to a mysterious serum that allows her to create a younger version of herself. This is how we are introduced to Sue, who miraculously sprouts from Elizabeth’s body. There is one important condition attached to using the serum: every seven days, Sue must return to her old body for a week. But the question, of course, is whether Sue wants to do that.
Director Coralie Fargeat lets the story derail in hilariously gruesome and gory fashion. There are nods to the work of filmmakers like Brian de Palma and David Cronenberg, but Fargeat puts a feminist spin on the body horror genre. Fargeat shows how women are defined by their bodies and must conform to a male-dictated ideal image of youthful beauty. Winner of the Best Screenplay prize at Cannes. (mv)
Programme;
20.45hrs—Short Q&A with Mark Stevens
20.50hrs—Screening of short film
21.00hrs—Premiere of THE SUBSTANCE
Prior to the screening of THE SUBSTANCE, the premiere of an episode from the series "Wijk in beweging (2024)" will take place. This is a series of short film portraits, in which filmmaker Mark Stevens searches for the answer to the question "What cultural, social initiatives are going on among Maastricht youth? This time the Skateschool is highlighted. There will also be a short Q&A with Mark. This project is an initiative of Cultuurmakers Maastricht and the Municipality of Maastricht.