As a writer evolving into a writer/director, the stories I want to tell on screen live across two genres: social horror and dramedy. While those might seem like opposites, for me they’re closely aligned. And Coralie Fargeat’s THE SUBSTANCE, a horrific, outrageous and wildly funny film shows just how far you can go, and how closely humor and horror are aligned. SPOILERS AHEAD.
LEARNED: Viscerality is a Weapon
Early on, Dennis Quaid’s going hard on a bowl of shrimp in a grotesque and visceral way that will challenge your stomach not to turn. The extreme close-up, the slop and crunch of sound, him slathering his meal in aioli — it all adds up to a revolting, tone-setting scene that prepares you (or tries to) for the ascending levels of revulsion you’re going to feel.
While I can’t imagine I’ll ever go as hard as Fargeat, who dares viewers to keep their eyes on the screen throughout (I had to look away often), I did learn that matching the disgusting things a character is saying with close-up shots of disgusting, visceral action is a smart, fast way to unsettle the audience. And tell them what world the film is taking place in.
