It was an incredible experience to watch The Substance (Coralie Fargeat), undoubtedly the most physically affective film I saw this year. It demanded reflection and conversation, and fortunately, knowing writer, podcaster and body horror fan, Mary Wild, I knew she would be the right person to unpack the film in an in-depth way.
She doesn't disappoint here with her incisive comments, drawing often from her psychoanalytic background, not to mention a luxurious voice of which I’m very envious. So many aspects of the film are covered, including:
Demi Moore's Stardom;
Embodiment, both representation of and watching as an embodied act;
Body Horror Genre and Monstrousness;
Affect theory;
Depictions of Self-Loathing;
Criticism of Post-feminism and women's complicity;
The film's use of cinematic references, and much more.
Mary Wild (@psycstar) is a prominent figure in the field of film studies, and the creator of the Projections lecture series at Freud Museum London, applying psychoanalysis to film interpretation. She posts exclusive content on patreon.com/marywild
Here’s a clip from the conversation:
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