The Substance, a film directed by Coralie Fargeat, marks the director's feminist approach to body horror. It tells the story of Elisabeth (Demi Moore), a forgotten Hollywood actress who was fired from the aerobics program she ran for being over 50. The woman decides to respond to an advert in which they are looking for people on whom to experiment with a mysterious rejuvenating serum. Once she has been administered the substance, Elisabeth realizes that the serum acts differently than she expected, because it leads her to give life through parthenogenesis to a younger and more beautiful version of herself named Sue (Margaret Qualley ).
The rules prescribed by the serum are very clear: the two women will have to alternate every week, so that one is hibernating, while the other is in circulation. In this way Elisabeth will be able to perceive everything that Sue does in the hibernation state and relive her youth and the benefits that come with it through the young woman. When Sue begins to become more and more rebellious, deciding to stay "active" longer than the established limit, she will begin to drain Elisabeth's lifeblood. MORE INFO WATCH TRAILER.