The Substance is all about showing instead of telling, and while that ultimately proves to be exceptionally demanding for the film’s stars, both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are magnificent. Beyond the intense physicality for both actors – including bold nudity and metamorphosis – they are what set the stakes and attitude.

The Substance, the new film starring Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore, has set a record for the latter. The body-horror film follows a fading celebrity (played by Moore) who begins to use a black-market drug that creates a younger version of herself (Qualley).

The Substance” blowtorches a single idea for two hours and 20 minutes, and narratively it turns to ashes by minute 40. It’s easier for a movie to become a talking point that way. Film festival buzz, which “The Substance” enjoyed at its Cannes world premiere,