This Week On: 'Will This Movie Give Me An Existential Crisis?': THE SUBSTANCE (Reaction)

[@officialcassreacts]

oh my gosh, you guys. i did 4 re-edits of this one, because i was continually getting demonetized for 'ad suitability' & after that fourth edit - this video is STILL demonetized, so please give this one some extra love engagement for my sanity if you can lmao

[@Ihavenoidea-i3b]

Cass!! I don’t know if you watch anime but I recommend watching Nana!!! It’s a show about two girls who share the same name, age, apartment, but are different when it comes to personalities. Nana (or also nicknamed as hachi/haciko which means the number eight in Japanese since nana means seven) is a hopeless romantic that meets Nana (the other one, who is a musician that is in a punk band) and the two quickly becomes best friends with a hint of romance between them. Nana (the whole show) is a wonderful enigma I recommend so much.

[@Hey_Jamie]

Yes maam 🫡

[@MickeyStartraveller]

Ok here's some love: doesn't it feel better when there's no money involved? Like "old youtube" just for everyone's fun? :)

[@kristhomas4039]

you probably wont see this but I'd really appreciate if you could react to Ninja Assassin as your next movie reaction

[@Elephant2024]

Wow, 4 re-edits. Appreciate all of your hard work and really enjoy your channel.

[@lucasorlando99]

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO GETS WHAT THE MOVIE IS SAYING!! I have seen so many people not realizing Elizabeth and Sue are one. Elizabeth is addicted to being Sue and is putting all of her self hatred onto Elizabeth.

[@arcticwolf6402]

Here's the thing - and I'm not exaggerating when I say this - more than half of U.S. population is really dumb... When you see/meet a random person, your first assumption should always be that they're dumb, until/if proved otherwise. Seriously, we really underestimate how dumb an average person is.

[@Anthony-ip4gu]

I’m kind of agreeing with you. The catch is « you are one » It’s true but also not true. They are one, biologically. They came from the same cell and the same DNA. But they don’t have the same psyche, because psyche is built on how you feel, but also on how other’s looked at you. It was inevitable that Sue was going to hate Elizabeth.. ( sorry for my English, I hope it’s not too bad, I’m French 😅)

[@DirtyDayMix]

they don't share the same consciousness so what is Demi Moore gaining with all this stuff? That's a plothole to me. But the movie is good.

[@Anthony-ip4gu]

@ I think it’s « the lesson » of this movie. You can’t do nothing about aging. The younger self is just an illusion, you can’t control it, and youngsters are mostly mean to older people, like during the TV late show. It’s just a cruel way to discover that aging is not smtg you can fight against.

[@Rash23215]

​@@DirtyDayMix they do share same consciousness......

[@shesscared]

this movieeeeeee >>>>>>>>

[@Elephant2024]

Hoping that Cass and Caitlin do a cross channel collab someday. A horror movie or anything else.

[@lipsihaskev]

Caitliiiiiiin

[@santiagoavelicavillada4977]

@@shesscared omg hiii

[@santiagoavelicavillada4977]

the fact that the last scene made you sad and teary eyed proves you UNDERSTOOD the movie and what was really going on

[@JtheSkater-fo3py]

Yes

[@ffaculescano]

GIRL. Literally not 5 minutes ago I was on letterboxd and saw that you had seen it (and ranked it 5 stars) and I got the reaction vid instantly. Great service

[@b1oodm1lksky]

OMG thank you so much for getting it and understanding the film. So many reactors miss the point of this movie and it's so refreshing to see someone actually understand the message. I shouldn't be surprised because your Buffy reactions are also insightful and amazing and that's how I found you.

[@simplymaterial]

girl the way you predicted so much of this, YOUR MIND!! haha! the more I think about it and rewatch it, the more I just love this film!

[@SinisterSouthernbelleReactions]

❤❤

[@enriquesanchez9016]

I honestly don't think i'll see another reaction as good as this when it comes to this movie, you perfectly understood this film and i love how much empathy you have.

[@millaray9912]

She destroys herself because she hates herself for failing to meet impossible expectations, and she doesn’t have anything else in her life to comfort her. She doesn’t seem to have any friends or family. Her work- her fame- has been her whole life and she doesn’t know how to let it go. I’m glad they gave her that hallucination at the end. They say people often hallucinate something comforting as they die. It’s a wild and crazy movie, but sadness is probably the most appropriate emotional reaction to it. So many of us- probably all of us, really- struggle so hard to accept the changing seasons of our lives, and death ever approaching.

[@ajagoff]

I love that it also touches on how as a young person, the way you treat (or mistreat) your body doesn't ever really make a huge impact until you're older and it all starts catching up to you. Young Sue and her youthful energy totally prioritized herself in the present without thinking of how it would affect Elisabeth, aka, her future self. So many great lessons to glean from this movie. A real treat to watch.

[@TisBoiGoTSkiLLz]

The 45 minute drive to see this in theaters would've actually been worth it. It was the best theater experience I've ever had.

[@SinisterSouthernbelleReactions]

👏👏👏👏

[@simonhoareau4445]

Actually Margaret Qualley is Andie MacDowell’s daughter…and also Jack Antonoff’s wife. She recently played in the series « Maid » or the movie « Kinds of Kindness » (Among others). You also probably know her (indirectly) thanks to Lana Del Rey’s « Margaret ». The song is about her and Jack (Did You Know There is A Tunnel Under Ocean Bvd) 😊 Great reaction as always, btw !

[@kurooni29]

She is also Pussycat, the hitchhiker hippie from "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

[@emosam07]

She's in Poor Things a lil bit recently, too

[@lucasorlando99]

Margaret Qualley is Jack Antonoff’s wife and Lana Del Rey’s song Margaret is based off of her and she’s also the daughter of famous actress Andie MacDowell

[@indianikitlathon8095]

​@@Rash23215 they were defining her by the beautiful song written about her. Kinda have to explain the context, DUUUUUHHHHHHHHH.

[@ManuD4f1renze9]

@@Rash23215her husband helped to make the song and his band was featured in it 🗿

[@kurooni29]

36:46 I saw Margaret Qualley in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" as Pussycat, the hitchhiker hippie.

[@HABO2210]

I don't usually comment on reactor's vids, but I have to say, you're incredibly astute. You managed to decipher every significant movie symbolism/metaphor.

[@stellarjay3320]

36:44 Margaret is the same woman from Lana's Ocean Blvd album!

[@shish420]

Godd it’s so nice to see a reactor who actually understands what the film is serving on a platter and then indulges further. Most reactions are people just squirming and completely missing the symbolism of the entire film. Thank you.

[@NoteToLoser]

To me aside from the obvious themes of aging and how people are treated differently, especially women, especially in the industry, I could see clear themes of addiction. Addicts often feel like there are two versions of themselves. When they're using they self sabbotage with no regard for their body or regular self, when they come down they resent the person they were when using. They want to stop but can't. Elisabeth is addicted to the feeling of being young, attractive, successful, loved. When she's banging her head and saying "stop it stop it stop it" to herself was when it clicked for me. When she screams "control yourself" she's talking to herself, literally I was also getting teary at the end when Elisasue was on stage and just so desperately trying to keep it together, but other people in the cinema were laughing and it made me so mad. I guess that's art in itself. The theme of the movie playing out in real time while watching the movie. I guess it was kinda presented in a comedic way but it just wasn't funny to me. Brilliant movie. I love it so much. I could go on for hours

[@tetamale4280]

with this movie in the theater I cried, I screamed, I laughed, I felt every possible feeling and I left the theater wanting to see the movie again

[@B-Dad]

The problem with Elizabeth and Sue was they needed outside validation to feel good about themselves. Neither had any kind of life. Work was their life. And they wanted to work. Elizabeth could have had a wonderful life. But she wanted the attention that being on billboards brought. She wasn’t satisfied with a normal life. Not even at the end when she was terminating Sue. She still couldn’t let it go despite how much that life had taken from her. LOVE YOURSELF! Realize you are worth it. And if you have to hurt yourself for people to like you they aren’t people worth being liked by. 🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️🤷🏾‍♂️ Everyone worries about what they don’t have but they rarely stop to see what they DO have. It might not be a lot and it might not all be good but it’s all you got. Take care of yourself. YOU ARE ONE!

[@melissayoung465]

You earned a new subscriber in me. My favorite film of the year and this was a wonderful reaction. I've seen many of them lol and I can't believe I've never watched anything of yours because you have Hill House reactions which is one of my favorite series. I'll be watching more of your videos!

[@miguelbelizario6636]

36:47 Margaret Qualley, Jack Antonoff's wife, whom Lana Del Rey refers to in her song Margaret, from her album Did You Know Theres A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

[@Hatsune-Miku_Fan]

I cried to this movie multiple times

[@1pknail]

I recently started thinking about the respective notes on the flowers -- the "were" and "going to." There's no present, no now. Everything is what you were and what you're going to be. Never what you are because what you are is never enough. I also keep thinking about how Sue only has part of a life. Elisabeth had a whole career -- she was an actress, she won an Oscar -- the exercise show was just what she settled for when the roles started drying up. Sue only has the exercise show; she doesn't even have a full name. (Side note: The director chose the name "Sue" because you have to purse your lips to say it and it looks like a kiss.) But Elisabeth still thinks Sue is the more worthwhile version of herself.

[@VeelouC]

I'm so glad you understood the movie this well. I was crying at the end too.

[@inventsable]

Always love seeing you do movies. Appreciate how analytical you've always been

[@Legushka]

Yeah, Sue and Elizabeth remember what the other one did when they were active. Yes, it was all the same person, the same mind, and yes, they (she) remembered everything. When she wakes up, she acts surprised that her younger self took too much, because in the moment, a person may not care at all about what will happen to them tomorrow and what the consequences for their life in the future may be, especially if at the moment they're high and want more (and you can say that Sue was high on being young and beautiful again). Hence all sorts of things like drinking, knowing full well that you'll be dying of a hangover tomorrow, or something like that. We've all experienced that, haven't we? "Hell, I drank too much yesterday, now I feel like shit and my whole body hurts, why was I so stupid and couldn't stop, I hate myself! I'm quitting drinking for good!" And the next week you're out partying and drinking like there's no tomorrow again, and whatever happens is my future self's problem. In the moment, now, at the time of getting high, a person's head is not really working the way it should and they don't care, it's fun right now, and whatever happens tomorrow is the problem of the other "me" in the future. And when that "tomorrow" comes, you sit in agony and curse your "yesterday" self. The problem is that there is no "yesterday" or "tomorrow" you. You are one, the voice on the phone keeps repeating, but Elizabeth doesn't listen. Your "today" self often keeps ruining the life of your "tomorrow" self while hating on your "yesterday" self at the same time. That's what happens when you don't love yourself, when you don't respect yourself, when you don't take care of yourself. But she's also living two different lives in two different bodies, so there's also a big deal of dissociation going on at the end, when she feels like a different person in different bodies, and her dissociation and hatred towards herself allowed for her to become physically split into two bodies at the same time. Anyway, yes, she remembers everything, but she deeply hates herself and dissociates from herself, so in the end there's no hope for her.

[@farawaykin]

i love your reaction, you really took this movie seriously in terms of its ideas and your comments are, while simple, so on point. you actually express yourself much better than most people i talked to about this movie or saw react to it - and that is a lot of people. i really got emotional again even though i've watched bits of this movie so many times now that i've mostly become desenticized to it, i even teared up in the end watching the ending scene with you as if for the first time again

[@animeking8313]

15:25 omg that detail was a nice catch, I didn’t even notice the fact that she was only thinking about being Sue

[@tricatel2015]

This movie is litteraly a fusion between the movies "The Fly" and "Death becomes her".

[@leoparlo]

Amazing reaction to this movie. Love the analysis you did at the end. You gave the respect this movie and the message I agree with

[@xdom1n1cx]

Thank you! Of all the reactions I've seen to this film it is insane to me how there aren't many who actually understand what is being said with this film. Your reaction (as always) was thoroughly entertaining, the number of times I talked back to my phone in agreement with the things you were saying is slightly worrying 😂. Hands down my favourite film of the year, deserves all the awards even down to the sound design, truly a masterpiece 👏 (just a shame the academy will overlook it because of the genre 🙄)

[@greta5238]

Girlie just predicted EVERYTHINGG

[@Homeostase.medicina]

This is the first time I see that interpretation of the ending of the movie. I've never thought that for Elizabeth, going on with the substance was the way to get better and better and that she didn't realized the reason behind people's repulsion because she thought that "this must be what they wanted, right?". Really enjoyed your reaction to the movie! Greetings from Brazil! 🇧🇷

[@shainewhite2781]

This is a crazy satirical body horror thriller film! I've watched 17-18 different reaction videos of the movie, and some reactors found it hilarious, gory and tragic.

[@LondonCrusader]

The height of irony would be this winning a few Oscars, an event which is the pinnacle of 'image is everything'.

[@deanthemachine8879]

Coralie Fargeat is a fantastic director and a rising star to really keep an eye out for. It’s wild how well this gory body horror movie has been received by women who might not otherwise be drawn to gross out horror scenes. I don’t think this story could have been told nearly as well without her perspective and skilled (and brave) execution. Her movie Revenge from 2017 is also great.

[@alyssaaug8253]

I was able to watch this movie with a huge group of my college friends, and there were so many moments that just made us teary-eyed. The scene where Elizabeth was just rapidly scrubbing at her face, you could just feel her anxiety and stress. One of the many things I love about this movie is the fact of how almost every shot and piece of dialogue is symbolic of something: the gross dinner scene with the producer and the shellfish, the fact that the title "Pump it Up" is so much bolder than Sue's name, and like you mentioned, the saturation increase in Sue's life. In my eyes, I feel like the movie is an overall commentary on how society's eyes affect your own self-image and how people are willing to do almost anything to make themselves appealing to others. The producer is definitely about "indulgence", always thinking he deserves more and "better" and that he knows best. The product is always more important than the person. I couldn't possibly put an entire analysis in one comment lol. I just love this movie and thank you for reacting

[@brooklynbaby05]

YAYY can’t believe ur reacting to this!! so excited :)))

[@cnicole.111]

yaaay i’ve been waiting for your reaction to this one!!

[@mrmassacre3366]

Fantastic reaction! This, for me, is the Nicky of the year and honestly in my top 5 of all time. It deserves all the praise it's getting.

[@tibb75]

This movie made me gag so many times, but it was also weirdly endearing. Your commentary was spot-on to how I felt too

[@green_eyed_enchantress]

Great thoughtful reaction. Thank you!

[@breezy0390]

You’re always so insightful and genuine fr great vid as always!

[@mlledarcel]

I have watched like 10 reactions to this and yours is by far the best so far

[@nrc1965gm]

lol it gave me a crisis for sure. I haven't had any other movie hit me quite like this one.

[@alwaysalone8057]

Omg yess did not expect this! As someone who mainly watches your buffy reactions I'm so hyped for your reaction! This is my favorite movie of the year hands down

[@IceSword1728]

what a great reaction.. i really enjoyed it. thumps up !

[@MrWinnieP]

For those still unclear on this point, they are ONE, consciousness is shared. Supporting quotes and evidence in movie if you look for it: “I don’t want to go back in that body”, memories of talking on the phone shared, the consciousnesses remerging once Elizabeth is killed etc,etc. The director removed a scene that would have made it unquestionable but they seemed to want to have some ambiguity. Sue is genetically superior in every way not just younger, The Substance makes a superior version of you. Imagine what that would be like psychologically going from this euphoric super human state to standard old you. It’s understandable then that she separates each version and continues the self hate of Elizabeth. Just brings into question if the balance of having such high highs and comparatively low lows is even achievable.

[@danfrancca]

Love all the things you pick it up from the movie, love your reaction ❤

[@aqvabat]

i think this was the first reaction on youtube that felt like mine, this movie is so good but SO tragic! i got really teary-eyed at the ending too..

[@amylamourxoxo]

Cass, this was such a fantastic reaction and in the words of Elisabeth Sparkle: "YOU GOT IT!" 🌟 You really understood the film and connected to the message on first watch, and that isn't knocking other reactors or general viewers who might have missed it, but you connected with it and shared your own relatable feelings and vulnerablities too, and that is very commendable and appreciated. I felt so sad for Monstro Elisasue at the end, crying on the floor... and for Elisabeth just the whole film tbh. It doesn't matter how beautiful we all think someone is, we all have our own warped image of ourselves through our experiences, insecurities and interactions in life unfortunately. Love from Scotland and to anyone reading this: remember, take care of yourselves 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💚

[@Bonbonbon739]

Really good reaction 😂 I love how you like. Literally predicted everything because I’ve already seen it. It’s kind of scary to me because I live by myself and I’m currently single and getting older. Watching Elisabeth and not even one person friend or family comes to visit her is really sad. And scary. 😢

[@maxpayne232]

The movie "A different man" with Sebastian Stan is the perfect companion piece to this movie. It's the male version basically.

[@tetamale4280]

this movie desserves every award possible

[@wddqe1.]

this was more interesting than the movie itself for me, great reaction thank you

[@SD-in2mv]

Watched a bunch of these reactions and yours is probably the best. You seemed to notice so many of the small details and themes within this movie. Sorry this was demonetized but I just subscribed to your channel so hope that helps a little.

[@Swannworks]

I just realized the thing about the Jellyfish on the beach was foreshadowing.

[@jarodrodriguez5880]

The funniest part of this reaction: “Aw I love a snow globe. When I was younger I thought we lived in a snow globe ☃️😇” *smashes snow globe against wall* “okay 😐”

[@allier1867]

omg i'm so sorry about the re-edits! maybe you can distort the audio in the final edit? i see some channels do that but about this movie, it's so good. probably my favorite for 2024

[@inventsable]

It's interesting how critical we are of ourselves even to the point of self-sabotage. This was like (other-)self-sabotage with a Fear and Loathing style of portraying vanity. It's a good movie but one I'd never want to see again lol.

[@minuteforcealt]

Watching to appreciate your blur efforts

[@NocturnalVoice]

Great reaction 😎looking forward to the next reaction 😎

[@xdom1n1cx]

Well I was off to bed but I guess we're doing this now 🤷‍♂️

[@Hey_Jamie]

The fact that it shows people excited about her star at the beginning posing with it with such 80’s hair and old cameras, nice touch. But then they did a passage of time with SNOW. Which, HELLO?! Sigh.

[@basils8255]

Do you really think that in the movie where every thing is very intentional, snow in LA is some random goof?

[@TNTales]

Great reaction. In the end I think she's finally happy when she's free of having a body at all and now no longer has to worry about it. I think the number of people of all ages who've come out and talked about how they identified with and understood Elizabeth have really been the win of the film. Is it subtle? No. But as the director said, it's not a subtle problem. As a middle aged guy it got me to understand how invisible women feel as they age. It made me more empathetic.

[@rdlght]

omg i was not the only one tearing up during the scene on stage. Unfortunately, we understand this film too well

[@GDeNofa]

I've watched many reactors to this horror masterpiece but you're the first person to fully comprehend what was being portrayed and the only reactor who got misty-eyed by the scene of Elisabeth trying to go on her meet-up with poor Fred. So damn relatable. 💔

[@annhylde2581]

"monstro elasso?" had me dead 🤣

[@fanngurl164]

1st time viewer here. i enjoyed your reaction and discourse above all of the reactions ive seen.

[@PrettyFilthyCreature]

One of my favorite little fun facts about them picking the name "Sue" for the younger version is cause it makes her do a little kissy face when she says it 😗

[@cerrobueno]

It's kinda funny, there's a point in the movie where Demi Moore looks like Margaret Qualley's character's Mom in The Leftovers, like, spookily so.

[@Nyctm91]

“We just free-bleed mountains of blood” 😂😂

[@nickiatemygreatgrandmother]

my favourite reaction channel!

[@Nyctm91]

“It could’ve warned us to lay down” 😂

[@Ichbinnurgutwennkeinerguckt]

I don't think insecurities or ageing issues be the whole point, I believe there's much more to it. I see it more as an ancient Greek tale, where the magical appearance of the substance as a tricky gift from the gods (there will be always a catch, something that will necessarily go wrong and allow tragedy to unfold) is a friendly reminder that no one (not even Olympian gods) can fight against decay, death and fate.

[@anthonyduran7553]

Once heard of a dating couple where a guy broke up with his girlfriend because she hated this movie. He on the other hand liked it and understood the plot quite well.

[@itsKittenMilk]

I want a friend like Cass she seems so sweet

[@andreahiguera4706]

i loooove how sensitive you are, bc i’m the same, i feel you

[@Pupeyes]

My favorite part is Demi talking to Fred on the phone. Demi Moore absolutely ate this movie. Her acting is so darn good in this. I was blown away. Didn’t even expect her to be so nuanced. Also, she please gurl, if you liked this, you must watch The Neon Demon, which has similar subjects but it’s definitely more… predatory

[@lightningmonky7674]

I loved Harvey so much in this film he was so fucking hilarious XD that walk 🚶‍♂️

[@Elephant2024]

Fun fact: Margaret Qualley who plays Sue, is the daughter of Andie MacDowell, a lovely and talented actress/model, who starred in 'sex, lies, and videotape', 'Ground Hog Day', 'Green Card' and numerous other films. Margaret is also the subject of the song 'Margaret' by Lana Del Rey, a much covered artist on this channel. As a long time admirer of Demi Moore, I thought she was just fine as she was and did not require any substance transformation. But this is definitely an emphatic statement on the way women in Hollywood are frequently discarded or relegated to secondary status as they age. The difference in the way Elisabeth and Sue are treated is indicative of such, as the older Elisabeth is being phased out in favor of the younger Sue. The film should definitely receive some Academy Award consideration for the extensive makeup and prosthetics used during the course of the movie. Margaret Qualley does have a dance background and it showed here. Really cool that Demi now has the distinction of working with both daughter Margaret and her mother Andie.

[@kamatz83]

I loved your reaction, I've watched several but needed one with a woman's pov. I teared up in the theater as I squirmed almost the entire time because of the body horror. I loved you really got what is this movie about, and I'd like to add that more than the society's pressure with impossible beauty standards, the movie calls out men. First we see Elizabeth and her show is pretty much for the ladies, it still carries the misoginy that you have to have a certain kind of body to "look good" but when we get to Sue's show, it's all about the male gaze, which the movie confirms later with the ratings going up and the neighbour saying he watched the show. Also every mean comment about Elizabeth or another woman in the movie comes from a man, the only time we see a woman berating another is Sue talking about Elizabeth, to me this shows how the beauty standards end up making people hate themselves to the point of self-destruction. It's a great movie worth watching many times although it's really hard to watch.

[@vee7586]

i really like watching reactions for this movie. thank you for going thru the effort of re-editing. it was refreshing to see your sadness at seeing this film. i've seen too many reactions from men that just oogle Sue and miss the point entirely.

[@runarvollan]

...meets Braindead meets The Neon Demon meets Kubrick.

[@rustomire]

The Elephant Man meets Sunset Blvd. favorite movie of the year.

[@taylorv9661]

I loved the design of Elisasue. There was the breast coming out of the face and many more on her chest, the plump butt on her head (front and center like the entire movie), Elizabeth’s face on the back (mouth gaping in a silent scream), teeth on the chest in an immortal smile, and essential things like arms and eyes and ears willy nilly because they don’t matter. Truly a monster that the men in the story created. The director called her a “Picasso of male expectations”, which I kind of love.

[@1jake2ful]

Best film of the year so far for me. Give Demi Moore and Margaret Qually the Oscars. Both of them did incredible

[@halloweenlivesforever2227]

Do you know who that girl is? That plays Sue? That's Margaret Qualley, famed daughter of the amazing and talented Andie Macdowell. Margaret Qualley was also in a tv series in the early 2020's called "The Maid" and was also in 2016's "The Nice Guys" with Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling and 2019's Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In...Hollywood"...

[@Sissysuez]

You absolutely got the message and I have one for you your beautiful I really hope you know that a few things you said made me wonder if you know that and I find you very interesting very engaging and so very thoughtful!!!!! Thank you for a wonderful reaction to this crazy but needed movie!❣

[@icarolima3878]

20:11 "i think you learned your lesson now" oh, honey...

[@Artur-jx7zd]

exactly i am 27 as well about to be 28 and is crazy to already relate to this. like i imagine if girls at 25 are already feeling this way. or even sooner? i mean i feel like feeling old at 23 is dramatic but still. that said im not a women so that’s a whole another level but i am gay so the overconcern with age and beauty is real for us too.

[@justneyspears8310]

Loved your reaction!! Loved the commentary throughout!! Societal expectations+rules are deeply harsher on all women and cuts deeper when we get into intersectionality. Men often suffer from body dysmorphia that were involved in athletics or dance during boyhood. Gym junkies that workout for aesthetics over health…Wearing a bathing suit and society expecting abs (height/weight proportions). As a gay man, I even resonated with the films’ themes. Loved your commentary!! Loved the fashions i.e 🐉 robe+💛coat. Glad the algorithm did its thing to stumble across your channel. Deliciously disgusting this film is! It has style+substance🧪💉A social commentary on aging with body horror elements using practical effects, impeccable sound+editing. No amount of change will ever be enough to appease everyone much less undeserving, misogynistic men who do not actually appreciate women for who they are, but only how fckable they deem women to be. Sue represents the younger version of Elisabeth, still impressionable, full of faux confidence bc the patriarchy has beholden a woman’s value to beauty and youth, still fertile. Elisabeth chases her youth in the form of Sue much like someone that keeps running back to the plastic surgeon’s office. And there are consequences bc one begins to stray so far from their original appearance, dare I say monstrous. The greatest tenderness the character gives herself is when ElisaSue emerges and the greatest vacation she gives herself is the absence of a body for judgment. Just a mere amoeba with Elisabeth as the nucleus of the cell. The violence we put ourselves through comparing ourselves to our own younger version of ourselves when we look at pics of us a decade ago. We must be kinder to ourselves. I like that her yellow coat symbolized the egg in the beginning and then we see Sue wearing the coat to emphasize they are one post injection. *Outward beauty, but inner ugliness to thyself. The enemy is the inner me🩷🩷

[@JUNI-r1r]

I knew you would understand this movie, and not be incredibly ignorant or disrespectful (granted, its mostly men who have horrible takes abt this movie) when it comes to the concept. The hard hitting social commentary combined with the insane body horror, makes this one of the most perfect films for me. The cinematography and directing is insane, i was not surprised to see it was directed by Coralie Fargeat, her movie Revenge (2017) is also very good.

[@Christianplus10]

Great reaction!

[@paranoidalex]

instant classic 🤷🏻😭 also check out emilia perez!

[@GilbertMartinezHarpsichord]

Thank you Cass! Here's my WILD speculation: 1. It ALL starts when she enters the men's restroom. It's like a lair, or a rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. Everything in the lair is viewed inside the darkest part of the male psyche. 2. The car accident: I wonder if she in reality DIED in the crash? Perhaps everything after is a fever dream, - maybe purgatory?

[@majormajormajortom]

An interesting juxtaposition to this film, the same sort of themes but from an AMAB perspective, coincidentally also released this year and is called A Different Man; check it out maybe?

[@damianstarks3338]

Perfect reaction to this new body horror masterpiece

[@lort4256]

This movie is awesome! Also big fan of MUBI, its got great foreign films