In this episode, Aakash and Padmakumar are decoding the film 'The Substance' written and directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid in major roles.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
[00:00:12] Hello and welcome to Onmanorama Movie Podcast, Start, Action, Cut. Today we are decoding the film The Substance written and directed by Corali Farja and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quite in major roles. And we have Akash here to discuss the film. Akash is a movie enthusiast and this is his first podcast for the show. Welcome Akash.
[00:00:39] Thank you, Bhatmoha.
[00:00:41] So regarding the film, I have two opinions. When it comes to the message and the politics it conveys, the movie definitely stands apart. And Elizabeth Sparkle, the protagonist, epitomizes society's despair with aging and wrinkles. It exposes the stark realities of life and highlights the proverb that time and tide wait for none.
[00:01:07] Actually, a fighter for equality, Corali Farja said in an interview that she herself wasn't quite at ease with the way she looked at different stages of her life. And obviously her efforts to strike, to quote her own term, rebalance will reflect on her movies.
[00:01:28] The story, actually, as I said earlier, the story follows one celebrated film star who had come far past her prime and is now a presenter of an aerobics TV show and is facing a crisis or a drop in its popularity due to her age and fading glamour.
[00:01:50] So she resorts to a drug in the dark market and a new version of her name, Sue, comes out and makes up for what Sparkle has lost.
[00:02:03] Thus there are two versions of the same woman switching their consciousness.
[00:02:39] So, fair enough, that message is clear.
[00:02:43] What's your opinion, Akash?
[00:02:46] Once again, thank you, Padmaar, for inviting me to the show.
[00:02:49] This movie was a rewarding experience for me.
[00:02:51] And moving on to your question, I believe the movie wanted to convey certain points.
[00:02:57] And I think it conveyed those points very clearly and very effectively.
[00:03:01] But coming to your question, I think you had a valid question to ask there.
[00:03:06] But I believe that was not the movie's driving point or that's not what the movie was aiming for in the first place.
[00:03:12] The movie wanted to talk about how women in the entertainment industry and in general are perceived in a certain way.
[00:03:20] Particularly when they reach the age of 50 or the age above 50 plus.
[00:03:25] Which is certainly what's happening in this movie with Demi Moore's character Elizabeth Sparkle.
[00:03:30] So, I think the story is about Elizabeth Sparkle struggling to come to terms with her identity, her self-worth and her self-value once she reaches the age of 50.
[00:03:45] The industry that she works for is extremely toxic and extremely patriarchal in its structures and in its activities and in its doings.
[00:03:53] And for someone who was valued throughout her career, for to feel that sudden dip and to feel that lack of purpose, a feeling of worthlessness.
[00:04:07] I think that's what the movie was trying to show.
[00:04:11] It was trying to show the struggles and the frustrations of Elizabeth Sparkle as a character.
[00:04:16] So, in the meantime, the substance, which is like the core element of the movie.
[00:04:23] I think there was just a plot device.
[00:04:25] A plot device to show how beauty standards and body image issues and body image problems in the entertainment industry and in general.
[00:04:37] affect all women, irrespective of age.
[00:04:41] So, I felt it was okay that the movie was trying to deliver its points there.
[00:04:46] But I'll still ask how a person of that mass can come out of another person within seconds.
[00:04:54] And that process has been, I mean, the details of that process has been very conveniently skipped.
[00:05:01] That is what I would say.
[00:05:03] And if we need to enjoy the film, we'll have to think that, okay, it must have happened somehow.
[00:05:10] So, anyway, that's a different part altogether.
[00:05:13] And as you said earlier, it was Demi Moore's performance.
[00:05:18] I mean, performances of the actors what carried forward the movie.
[00:05:24] And Demi Moore wields a magic spell throughout, tracing perfectly the emotional waves, the highs and lows, and the subtle nuances.
[00:05:34] And Demi Moore's performance.
[00:05:38] And Demi Moore is hilarious as Harvey with all his grotesqueness and eccentricities.
[00:05:44] And the extreme close-ups give a clear picture of the prosaic rudeness.
[00:05:51] And at the same time, they symbolize the ruthless arrogance of the elite capitalists.
[00:05:57] Along with that, the overall stylized frames and angles make the film fresh and flamboyant.
[00:06:04] But still, I would agree that it was Demi Moore's exceptional performance that make the film captivating.
[00:06:12] Yes, I agree with you there.
[00:06:14] And also, I wanted to add one more point about why I think the science fiction element wasn't important per se.
[00:06:20] Because I think the movie, when you look into the production design, and when you look into how the whole world is presented.
[00:06:27] So, there is this one point that I want to make.
[00:06:29] It's that when the movie starts, we see Elizabeth shooting an aerobics dance video, which is her current profession.
[00:06:37] We see the complete production design, the complete set of this whole dance video has been presented in a certain way.
[00:06:45] It doesn't feel real at all.
[00:06:47] Like, from the moment you see that shot, you know it's being produced.
[00:06:51] It's being shot on camera.
[00:06:52] It's a TV show.
[00:06:53] It's not real life.
[00:06:55] But once the shoot gets over, and Demi Moore's character leaves the place, and she exits the studio,
[00:07:02] you don't necessarily feel a change in the lighting, a change in the production design, a change in the set.
[00:07:10] It feels like she is still in a studio.
[00:07:14] The hallways, the places that she lives, the places that she walks through, everywhere that she has a presence,
[00:07:23] it feels like it is being manufactured.
[00:07:25] And I think that says something about this movie as such.
[00:07:28] It's not real.
[00:07:29] It's a satire, and it works more of like an allegory towards the point it wants to explain.
[00:07:35] So, a major thing that stood out for me was the bathroom, all-white bathroom with square tiles,
[00:07:41] where all inches of the bathroom was covered in square tiles, which is very surreal for a bathroom.
[00:07:48] And for a while, when I was watching the movie, I thought this was set in the 80s.
[00:07:52] But then you see modern cars and modern gadgets being used, and then you reconsider this.
[00:07:57] Which is why I found the science fiction element to be less enamoring and less captivating.
[00:08:04] And the more politics of it, the more engaging.
[00:08:07] And adding on to that, coming back to Demi Moore's performance,
[00:08:12] like I told you earlier, this is Demi Moore's movie.
[00:08:15] Margaret Crawley delivered an exceptional performance.
[00:08:18] Dennis Quagg showed how Hollywood producers can be in the most eccentric way possible.
[00:08:24] But in the heart of the movie, in the core of the movie,
[00:08:28] it is Demi Moore's performance that grips us, that roots us to the movie.
[00:08:37] It keeps us tied to the movie.
[00:08:39] There are moments where Demi Moore has these very particular moments.
[00:08:44] And I just want to talk about this one special scene, this one particular act in the movie,
[00:08:50] which kind of sold the movie for you.
[00:08:53] It made me understand what this movie is about, what this movie is about.
[00:08:56] And it's that meeting with Fred, her friend from high school,
[00:09:01] whom she reconnected while she exits the hospital.
[00:09:04] And there's this scene where she starts getting ready for Fred.
[00:09:08] And this happens after she has had the substance.
[00:09:12] And after there is both Elizabeth and Sue.
[00:09:14] And this is Elizabeth's week.
[00:09:16] Elizabeth has had this weird experience with Sue, where Sue has abused the substance.
[00:09:20] And Elizabeth is feeling a bit vulnerable.
[00:09:23] And in that moment, she decides for once, she will look for something more real,
[00:09:30] more engaging, more in-depth with herself.
[00:09:34] And she decides to meet with this high school friend,
[00:09:37] who I believe the filmmaker wanted to show someone
[00:09:40] who was the exact opposite of Demi Moore's character or Elizabeth Sparkle in general.
[00:09:47] And the scene I'm talking about is where she gets ready for this guy, Fred.
[00:09:52] And you see her, when she first gets ready for Fred,
[00:09:56] she looks the most beautiful, I think, I've seen Demi Moore.
[00:10:01] But then she goes to the bathroom.
[00:10:03] She checks on Sue.
[00:10:05] And Sue is lying in the bathroom.
[00:10:08] And the way that frame has been placed,
[00:10:11] Sue is shown like an angel.
[00:10:13] She's naked, but she's shown like an angel.
[00:10:16] There's an angelic glow on her face.
[00:10:18] There's an angelic glow on her body.
[00:10:20] The angelic glow is radiating.
[00:10:22] And this destroys Elizabeth.
[00:10:25] She goes back.
[00:10:27] She does her makeup again.
[00:10:29] And this happens throughout in this particular five-minute scene
[00:10:33] where she gets triggered by something,
[00:10:35] by seeing Sue on the poster, on the billboard,
[00:10:38] by seeing Sue in the bathroom.
[00:10:43] And from stepping out in the first scene
[00:10:46] where she looked graceful at the age of 50.
[00:10:50] So when Elizabeth starts putting more makeup to look more young,
[00:10:54] from looking graceful in the first scene where we see her,
[00:10:57] she ends up looking very clownish.
[00:11:00] And I think that whole scene where she is in the bathroom
[00:11:03] and she's scrubbing her face, crunching her face,
[00:11:05] she's doing everything possible to make her look more young.
[00:11:08] And she finds out that she's not able to.
[00:11:13] And she gives up.
[00:11:15] She decides not to meet the guy.
[00:11:17] And that whole segment in the bathroom
[00:11:19] where she's looking at her face in the mirror,
[00:11:22] I think that showed where she is mentally,
[00:11:26] where she is emotionally,
[00:11:27] what she was feeling
[00:11:27] and how the frustrations of the pressures
[00:11:31] that have been put on her by the industry,
[00:11:33] all that just came together,
[00:11:35] came at her at that one particular moment.
[00:11:37] And I think it showed Demi Moore.
[00:11:40] And I think for me,
[00:11:41] it showed Demi Moore at her finest,
[00:11:45] just exploding with the frustration,
[00:11:47] with the indignation, everything.
[00:11:50] So for me, that's why I believe
[00:11:51] this was a Demi Moore movie.
[00:11:54] Yeah, definitely.
[00:11:55] When you say that,
[00:11:56] this also tells a lot about the human basic,
[00:11:59] human nature.
[00:12:00] People might be hiding to a great extent,
[00:12:04] but deep inside,
[00:12:05] they have this feeling to look young,
[00:12:08] look more beautiful or more graceful,
[00:12:10] just because of the set standards in society.
[00:12:13] So that's what,
[00:12:15] in that way,
[00:12:15] in that political message,
[00:12:17] the movie is thrilling and thought-provoking.
[00:12:22] Now, what I find is,
[00:12:24] towards the middle part of the film,
[00:12:26] we see the two individuals,
[00:12:29] Elizabeth Sparkle and Sue,
[00:12:31] we see them as different persons.
[00:12:33] Yet, the fact is,
[00:12:35] they are both the same.
[00:12:36] So while one version is dejected,
[00:12:39] despondent,
[00:12:40] and losing fight with the world,
[00:12:43] the other is actually her own imagination,
[00:12:46] maybe, if you can take it that way.
[00:12:48] Want to survive,
[00:12:50] want to win,
[00:12:51] and want to look better,
[00:12:53] beautiful,
[00:12:54] and to win the hearts of people,
[00:12:57] as she used to,
[00:12:58] once upon a time.
[00:13:00] So, these are the two aspects,
[00:13:02] mindsets of the same person,
[00:13:04] reflected through different,
[00:13:05] two different individuals.
[00:13:06] But I think,
[00:13:08] somewhere,
[00:13:09] that relation,
[00:13:09] that connection,
[00:13:11] is severed.
[00:13:12] I mean,
[00:13:13] how,
[00:13:14] they could have,
[00:13:16] kept it intact,
[00:13:17] that connection.
[00:13:19] What do you feel?
[00:13:20] Yes, Patmar,
[00:13:21] I think I totally understand,
[00:13:22] what do you mean by that.
[00:13:23] And I think,
[00:13:24] that also comes under,
[00:13:25] the whole science fiction thing,
[00:13:26] where,
[00:13:27] they have not clearly explained,
[00:13:28] like,
[00:13:29] how are they one?
[00:13:30] No,
[00:13:30] I am not talking about,
[00:13:31] science fiction.
[00:13:32] That's all.
[00:13:32] I mean,
[00:13:32] that's a different aspect altogether.
[00:13:33] But here,
[00:13:35] even if they are,
[00:13:37] they are two different bodies,
[00:13:42] mentally,
[00:13:42] they are the same person.
[00:13:44] But yes,
[00:13:45] one person,
[00:13:47] in two forms.
[00:13:48] But I think that,
[00:13:50] can be still explained.
[00:13:51] And I believe,
[00:13:52] we have one scene,
[00:13:53] one particular scene,
[00:13:55] that has been interspersed,
[00:13:56] throughout the movie,
[00:13:57] for us to explain that.
[00:13:58] And I think,
[00:13:59] that's the scene where,
[00:14:00] in the first shot of the movie,
[00:14:02] or like,
[00:14:02] in the first scene of the movie,
[00:14:03] where Elizabeth,
[00:14:06] does her aerobic dance exercise,
[00:14:08] where she shoots,
[00:14:09] her aerobic dance exercise.
[00:14:10] And,
[00:14:11] the final scene,
[00:14:12] of that aerobic dance exercise,
[00:14:13] that she shoots,
[00:14:14] is where she,
[00:14:15] signs off to her audience.
[00:14:17] And,
[00:14:18] she signs off,
[00:14:19] by saying,
[00:14:19] this one catch phrase,
[00:14:21] which I,
[00:14:21] don't remember right now.
[00:14:23] But it's a catch phrase,
[00:14:23] that's very positive,
[00:14:24] and very affirming.
[00:14:25] It goes something,
[00:14:26] along the lines of,
[00:14:27] just do it,
[00:14:28] and go for it,
[00:14:29] keep it up.
[00:14:31] Now you got it.
[00:14:32] Which is actually the catch phrase.
[00:14:33] Now you got it.
[00:14:35] And,
[00:14:36] followed by this catch phrase,
[00:14:37] she blows a kiss to the audience,
[00:14:39] or,
[00:14:39] to the camera per se.
[00:14:41] And,
[00:14:42] then we see Sue,
[00:14:43] getting ready for her first shoot,
[00:14:45] of the aerobic dance exercise.
[00:14:47] And,
[00:14:47] we see Sue,
[00:14:49] doing,
[00:14:50] the steps,
[00:14:51] new steps,
[00:14:52] maybe,
[00:14:52] younger steps.
[00:14:54] But,
[00:14:55] she signs off,
[00:14:56] the dance program,
[00:14:57] with a positive affirmation,
[00:14:59] catch phrase.
[00:15:01] And,
[00:15:01] she blows a kiss,
[00:15:03] to the audience,
[00:15:04] or to the camera.
[00:15:05] Which is exactly what,
[00:15:06] Elizabeth used to do.
[00:15:07] And,
[00:15:08] I think that connection,
[00:15:09] which is basically,
[00:15:11] they share the same character traits.
[00:15:13] They have the same behavior,
[00:15:15] they have the same mentality.
[00:15:16] I think,
[00:15:17] that was explained,
[00:15:18] in that one particular scene.
[00:15:20] Okay,
[00:15:21] that,
[00:15:21] that's just one scene.
[00:15:22] But,
[00:15:23] how,
[00:15:24] I mean,
[00:15:24] even if you are watching,
[00:15:26] two different persons,
[00:15:28] there should be an,
[00:15:29] undercurrent of the sense,
[00:15:31] that,
[00:15:31] they both are the same person.
[00:15:33] So,
[00:15:33] we,
[00:15:34] we see them both,
[00:15:35] in two different persons.
[00:15:37] But,
[00:15:38] it's not actually,
[00:15:39] that easy to,
[00:15:40] portray that,
[00:15:42] this aspect,
[00:15:43] two different persons,
[00:15:43] and the same mind.
[00:15:45] It might be difficult.
[00:15:47] But,
[00:15:47] the way you said it,
[00:15:48] that is one way to show it.
[00:15:50] I don't know.
[00:15:51] I think,
[00:15:52] no,
[00:15:52] I feel,
[00:15:52] I think that's,
[00:15:54] where,
[00:15:55] their similarities end.
[00:15:57] They share the same,
[00:15:59] abilities.
[00:16:00] They share the same,
[00:16:01] mentalities.
[00:16:02] They might be sharing,
[00:16:03] the same behaviors,
[00:16:04] as far as I see.
[00:16:05] But,
[00:16:06] I think that's where,
[00:16:07] the similarities end.
[00:16:08] Because once,
[00:16:08] Su,
[00:16:09] becomes a star of her own.
[00:16:11] I think she reaches a stage,
[00:16:13] where she feels,
[00:16:14] more in control of herself.
[00:16:16] Where she's not a shadow of someone.
[00:16:18] Where she's not,
[00:16:20] an extension of someone.
[00:16:21] And,
[00:16:22] that,
[00:16:23] thing,
[00:16:24] is not a Su behavior,
[00:16:26] per se.
[00:16:27] That's more of,
[00:16:28] an Elizabeth,
[00:16:29] behavior,
[00:16:30] where,
[00:16:31] she craves that,
[00:16:32] attention.
[00:16:32] She enjoys that attention.
[00:16:34] So,
[00:16:34] the way I see it,
[00:16:35] I see,
[00:16:36] Elizabeth,
[00:16:37] is the old,
[00:16:38] despondent person,
[00:16:39] who has been thrown out,
[00:16:41] by society,
[00:16:41] or,
[00:16:42] who,
[00:16:43] for,
[00:16:43] from her point of view,
[00:16:45] she feels thrown out,
[00:16:46] by society.
[00:16:47] And she's given up.
[00:16:48] And,
[00:16:49] Su is the person,
[00:16:50] that Elizabeth,
[00:16:51] was once.
[00:16:53] Who she always,
[00:16:54] wanted to be.
[00:16:55] And,
[00:16:57] the way,
[00:16:57] Su has been acting,
[00:16:59] and the way,
[00:17:00] Elizabeth has been acting,
[00:17:01] are actually,
[00:17:02] two people,
[00:17:03] in two bodies.
[00:17:05] The fact remains,
[00:17:06] Elizabeth,
[00:17:07] when she was young,
[00:17:08] acted the same way,
[00:17:10] that Su was.
[00:17:11] It,
[00:17:11] was not explained,
[00:17:12] in the movie.
[00:17:13] But,
[00:17:13] I believe,
[00:17:14] we can still figure it out,
[00:17:15] by that one scene,
[00:17:17] where she meets,
[00:17:18] her high school friend.
[00:17:19] When she meets,
[00:17:20] her high school friend,
[00:17:21] Fred,
[00:17:22] Fred is overjoyed.
[00:17:24] Fred is ecstatic.
[00:17:25] He is,
[00:17:25] happy,
[00:17:26] to meet,
[00:17:27] his friend.
[00:17:29] Elizabeth,
[00:17:29] on the other hand,
[00:17:30] barely remembers him.
[00:17:32] And,
[00:17:32] Elizabeth,
[00:17:33] is very hesitant,
[00:17:34] about wanting to connect,
[00:17:35] with him,
[00:17:35] and or not.
[00:17:36] Which shows,
[00:17:37] how she was never,
[00:17:39] enamored by any of this.
[00:17:40] Or,
[00:17:40] she was never looking,
[00:17:42] for that intense connection.
[00:17:43] All she wanted,
[00:17:44] or all she was looking for,
[00:17:45] was that validation,
[00:17:46] that affirmation.
[00:17:47] It's not a bad thing,
[00:17:48] on her part.
[00:17:49] I think it's just,
[00:17:49] how her behaviors work.
[00:17:51] And,
[00:17:51] I think,
[00:17:52] that sort of behavior,
[00:17:53] is what carried on,
[00:17:54] over to Su as well.
[00:17:55] Which is what we saw.
[00:17:57] Yeah.
[00:17:57] But,
[00:17:57] for me,
[00:17:58] the two persons,
[00:18:00] remained,
[00:18:01] different,
[00:18:02] distinct,
[00:18:03] distinguishable,
[00:18:03] layers.
[00:18:04] Even,
[00:18:05] in one scene,
[00:18:06] she says that,
[00:18:08] she has to,
[00:18:09] look after her mother.
[00:18:11] I mean,
[00:18:11] she actually,
[00:18:12] meant,
[00:18:13] her,
[00:18:14] the,
[00:18:14] alter ego,
[00:18:15] or you can,
[00:18:16] Elizabeth.
[00:18:18] Throughout the film,
[00:18:19] I think,
[00:18:20] I felt like,
[00:18:21] it's a mother-daughter,
[00:18:22] clash,
[00:18:23] or,
[00:18:23] things like that.
[00:18:25] So,
[00:18:26] more than,
[00:18:27] one person,
[00:18:28] into bodies.
[00:18:29] is,
[00:18:29] so that's how I,
[00:18:30] felt,
[00:18:31] that,
[00:18:31] that,
[00:18:31] that was the impression,
[00:18:32] that I,
[00:18:33] I was,
[00:18:34] I mean,
[00:18:34] internally feeling.
[00:18:35] Though,
[00:18:36] I know that this is the,
[00:18:37] same person,
[00:18:37] but,
[00:18:38] that's the character,
[00:18:39] that,
[00:18:39] that was the nature of the,
[00:18:41] the portrayal of the,
[00:18:42] two characters.
[00:18:43] Yes,
[00:18:44] I totally understand that.
[00:18:45] But,
[00:18:45] I think,
[00:18:46] I still believe,
[00:18:47] it was basically,
[00:18:48] both of them,
[00:18:49] wanted that validation.
[00:18:50] And,
[00:18:51] I think,
[00:18:52] I can confirm this with,
[00:18:54] which I,
[00:18:55] should have said earlier,
[00:18:56] with the final,
[00:18:57] segment of the movie.
[00:18:58] The movie has,
[00:18:59] we,
[00:19:00] you know,
[00:19:00] split in three parts,
[00:19:02] which shows Elizabeth,
[00:19:03] it shows Sue.
[00:19:04] And then,
[00:19:05] when Sue,
[00:19:06] finally loses everything,
[00:19:08] she,
[00:19:09] transforms into,
[00:19:10] a grotesque figure.
[00:19:12] Once Sue kills Elizabeth,
[00:19:14] and,
[00:19:15] because Elizabeth is dead,
[00:19:17] there is no Sue,
[00:19:18] because that's,
[00:19:18] how the substance works.
[00:19:20] And,
[00:19:21] Elizabeth starts,
[00:19:22] losing control of her body.
[00:19:24] On the day of her,
[00:19:25] premiere on,
[00:19:26] live television,
[00:19:28] on national television,
[00:19:29] the big event,
[00:19:30] that the producers,
[00:19:31] had promised her.
[00:19:32] And,
[00:19:33] there is this moment of desperation,
[00:19:35] where Sue attempts,
[00:19:37] anything that is possible,
[00:19:38] to feel validated again.
[00:19:40] And,
[00:19:41] she goes back,
[00:19:42] to her house,
[00:19:42] and she repeats the,
[00:19:43] whole substance process again.
[00:19:45] And,
[00:19:45] she turns into this grotesque figure,
[00:19:47] because the substance,
[00:19:48] is not meant to be used again.
[00:19:49] And,
[00:19:49] she turns into this grotesque figure.
[00:19:51] Sue does not realize,
[00:19:53] that she is a grotesque figure.
[00:19:55] She instead,
[00:19:56] puts on the dress,
[00:19:57] that was selected for Sue,
[00:19:59] for the main event.
[00:20:00] And,
[00:20:01] she pastes,
[00:20:02] a picture of,
[00:20:03] Elizabeth,
[00:20:04] on her face,
[00:20:05] and goes for the event.
[00:20:07] Which shows,
[00:20:08] how delusional she is.
[00:20:09] But,
[00:20:10] at the same time,
[00:20:11] it also shows,
[00:20:11] how much she craves,
[00:20:13] for validation,
[00:20:14] and affirmation.
[00:20:15] Which is exactly,
[00:20:16] why,
[00:20:17] Elizabeth Swarkal,
[00:20:18] went for the substance,
[00:20:20] in the first place.
[00:20:21] So,
[00:20:21] I think,
[00:20:22] that scene,
[00:20:24] where Sue,
[00:20:25] was willing to do anything,
[00:20:27] to feel validated again,
[00:20:28] to feel beautiful again,
[00:20:30] it was very identical,
[00:20:31] to,
[00:20:32] how Elizabeth,
[00:20:33] went behind,
[00:20:34] substance.
[00:20:35] Yes,
[00:20:36] I think the,
[00:20:37] pulsating pace,
[00:20:38] towards the climax,
[00:20:39] disturbs,
[00:20:40] and provokes you,
[00:20:41] as you said earlier.
[00:20:43] And,
[00:20:43] it brings you,
[00:20:44] to the middle,
[00:20:45] of the terrifying,
[00:20:46] and disastrous situation.
[00:20:47] When,
[00:20:47] the means,
[00:20:49] to body transformation,
[00:20:50] go horribly wrong.
[00:20:51] But,
[00:20:52] I'll,
[00:20:52] still go,
[00:20:53] with the,
[00:20:54] previous film of,
[00:20:55] Corali Farja,
[00:20:56] Revenge,
[00:20:57] released in,
[00:20:58] 2017,
[00:20:59] starring,
[00:21:00] Matilda Lutz,
[00:21:01] and Kevin Jansen,
[00:21:03] in lead,
[00:21:04] roles,
[00:21:05] in terms of,
[00:21:06] appeal and treatment.
[00:21:07] I think,
[00:21:08] that was more,
[00:21:09] gratifying,
[00:21:10] and had convincing,
[00:21:11] cinematic devices.
[00:21:12] And,
[00:21:12] anything else,
[00:21:13] you would like to point out,
[00:21:14] regarding this film?
[00:21:16] Yes,
[00:21:16] Pat Mugar,
[00:21:17] so,
[00:21:17] the reason,
[00:21:18] why I'm sitting with you,
[00:21:20] here on this podcast,
[00:21:20] and the reason,
[00:21:21] why,
[00:21:22] I like this movie,
[00:21:23] in particular is,
[00:21:24] I would like to share,
[00:21:25] a personal anecdote.
[00:21:26] So,
[00:21:27] while watching this movie,
[00:21:29] in that particular scene,
[00:21:30] where,
[00:21:31] Elizabeth's body,
[00:21:32] gets dissected,
[00:21:33] and,
[00:21:34] we see the new character,
[00:21:35] Sue,
[00:21:36] coming out,
[00:21:37] I don't know how,
[00:21:38] to put it,
[00:21:39] but,
[00:21:39] where Elizabeth births,
[00:21:41] Sue,
[00:21:41] if we can call it that.
[00:21:42] I lost consciousness,
[00:21:44] and,
[00:21:45] it took me 30 seconds,
[00:21:47] at,
[00:21:47] when,
[00:21:48] at the same time,
[00:21:48] the movie was running,
[00:21:49] on my phone,
[00:21:50] it took me 30 seconds,
[00:21:51] to regain my consciousness.
[00:21:53] And,
[00:21:53] that's why,
[00:21:54] in the start of this podcast,
[00:21:55] I,
[00:21:56] said,
[00:21:57] this was a very riveting,
[00:21:58] experience for me.
[00:21:59] Because,
[00:22:00] the last time,
[00:22:01] such an incident,
[00:22:02] happened to me,
[00:22:03] where I lost consciousness,
[00:22:04] watching a movie,
[00:22:05] was,
[00:22:05] watching the,
[00:22:06] Asamis film,
[00:22:07] Amis,
[00:22:07] which was also,
[00:22:09] somewhere along the lines,
[00:22:10] of body horror,
[00:22:12] and certain other themes.
[00:22:14] And,
[00:22:15] for me,
[00:22:15] to lose consciousness,
[00:22:17] watching a movie,
[00:22:18] that movie,
[00:22:19] has to be that intimidating.
[00:22:21] It has to force the viewer,
[00:22:23] to such levels,
[00:22:24] where the viewer,
[00:22:25] cannot comprehend anymore,
[00:22:26] and the brain shuts off.
[00:22:28] Which is what happened with me.
[00:22:29] For me,
[00:22:30] I believe this is one of the best movies,
[00:22:32] in 2024.
[00:22:33] I think,
[00:22:34] the script was solid,
[00:22:36] the screenplay was solid,
[00:22:37] the production design,
[00:22:38] was immaculate.
[00:22:40] And,
[00:22:41] I would also like to point out,
[00:22:42] Rafferty,
[00:22:43] the music producer,
[00:22:45] the man behind,
[00:22:46] the soundtrack.
[00:22:48] His score was,
[00:22:49] blending well,
[00:22:50] with the movie.
[00:22:52] And,
[00:22:52] the score that he used for,
[00:22:54] Elizabeth and Sue.
[00:22:55] There was a lot of thumping,
[00:22:57] there was a lot of energy,
[00:22:58] there was a lot of passion.
[00:22:59] It,
[00:22:59] it screamed,
[00:23:01] youthfulness.
[00:23:01] It,
[00:23:02] it screamed youthful exuberance.
[00:23:03] And,
[00:23:04] while for Elizabeth,
[00:23:06] the music was very distorted.
[00:23:08] Which showed,
[00:23:09] how,
[00:23:10] Elizabeth was feeling,
[00:23:11] on the inside.
[00:23:11] How she was perceiving,
[00:23:13] how the world,
[00:23:13] was looking at her,
[00:23:15] at that point.
[00:23:16] I found,
[00:23:16] Rafferty's music,
[00:23:18] acting very complimentary,
[00:23:19] to the movie as such.
[00:23:21] And,
[00:23:21] apart from that,
[00:23:22] I think this movie,
[00:23:23] was one of the finer films,
[00:23:24] to release in this year.
[00:23:25] And,
[00:23:26] I haven't watched,
[00:23:27] Caudilline Farah's,
[00:23:28] other movies,
[00:23:29] so I don't know,
[00:23:29] how to speak on them.
[00:23:30] But,
[00:23:30] I still think,
[00:23:31] this can be considered,
[00:23:33] as one of her better works.
[00:23:34] Yeah,
[00:23:35] sure.
[00:23:35] The substance,
[00:23:36] I think,
[00:23:37] is creating an impact,
[00:23:38] because of the brilliance,
[00:23:40] it has displayed,
[00:23:42] in various departments.
[00:23:43] Anyway,
[00:23:44] one thing I have noticed,
[00:23:45] is that,
[00:23:45] the movie has,
[00:23:47] sparked,
[00:23:48] a trail of,
[00:23:48] discussions,
[00:23:49] including,
[00:23:50] the pressure of society,
[00:23:51] excerpts on women,
[00:23:52] regarding,
[00:23:53] the beauty standards,
[00:23:55] self-esteem,
[00:23:57] youthfulness,
[00:23:57] how film industries,
[00:23:59] treat women,
[00:24:00] across the world,
[00:24:01] and the,
[00:24:02] unhighlighting,
[00:24:03] cosmetic culture,
[00:24:05] and the,
[00:24:05] and the mental health,
[00:24:06] risks,
[00:24:07] especially of women,
[00:24:08] related to,
[00:24:09] obsession with,
[00:24:10] established beauty standards.
[00:24:12] That's what I feel.
[00:24:13] So,
[00:24:13] that brings us,
[00:24:14] to the end of,
[00:24:15] this episode.
[00:24:16] Thanks for listening,
[00:24:17] to Start Action Cut,
[00:24:18] produced and hosted,
[00:24:19] by me,
[00:24:20] Pat Mogumar.
[00:24:21] Follow,
[00:24:21] www.ownmanorama.com,
[00:24:23] for more podcasts,
[00:24:24] on movies,
[00:24:25] and be sure to come back,
[00:24:26] for the next episode,
[00:24:27] of Start Action Cut,
[00:24:29] out on Mondays.
[00:24:30] Thank you.