Okay we need to talk about this film.

 

 

"Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself."

 

This is probably the wildest film I have ever seen and I didn't expect it at all. It's not for anyone with a weak stomach as it is body horror, I didn't even realise that much as I'd only seen the trailer beforehand so I was expecting it to be a similar vibe to "Limitless" or "Lucy" but with more of a psychological aspect. It's not that :lol:

 

For what it is, it's really well done and beautifully shot. It's clever and weird and you never know what's coming next, both Moore and Qualley were fantastic in their performances as well. I saw it earlier this evening and I'm still unpacking it now, it's a film I'm going to be thinking about for a while.

 

Has anyone else had the chance to see it yet?

I feel like I'm the definition of 'faint of heart' and shy away from anything involving blood/gore, but I'm planning to see this on Wednesday as the word of mouth is crazy and from what everyone is saying, I NEED to see it for myself.

 

Will just take a bag of sweets as a distraction, and a large bottle of water in case I feel myself getting a bit clammy :lol:

Glad to see a thread for this, this was a hell of a good time and such a wild ride. So well made and performed. The music and montage sequences and calculated camerawork were excellently done and there's definitely more than a few callbacks to classic films like The Shining with the office shots

and all the blood in that ending scene!

and how the space in the apartment dwarfs the characters, the placement of that large billb

 

Of course the performances were absolutely incredible, Demi Moore was wonderful and played into the satire very authentically (

her preparing for the date was a particularly tragic moment that was really nuanced moment of showing pure insecurity.

) I'm not sure the Oscars would touch a film like this, but she absolutely deserves one. Margaret Qualley was a great choice as well, although Dennis Quaid really stole the limited screentime he had, for a film with as much body horror as it had, he somehow managed to be the most repulsive part of it!

 

It's themes/subtext weren't particularly original and delivered unsubtly, but it does remain very timely and the way it was delivered was so audacious and unique that it hardly mattered. Definitely lasted a little too long overall as the ending felt a bit drawn out and repetitive once the shock factor was over, but overall it was one of the most effective and memorable horror films I've seen recently. I missed this director's last film (Revenge) and this does make me want to check it out.

Before I go further with my post... PLEASE go into this movie knowing as LITTLE as you possibly can.

 

I saw this a few days ago and honestly, I'm still trying to process exactly what it was that I saw :lol: It's insane but in the best possible way? I think it might be a bit *too* much for me to be *fully* on board with it, but it really has left an impression on me and I did actually like it. Imo, Demi Moore was really well cast in this and I thought the role was kinda perfect for her.

 

I really don't know how to put into words exactly what I want to say about this movie :lol: It's crazy! I have been recommended 'Revenge' before, but this definitely makes me want to watch it asap! I kinda got

'Malignant' vibes from this a little bit and the end part with the New Years Eve show gave me strong 'Carrie' prom scene vibes!

 

honestly the most repulsive bit for me was when

the guy was eating the prawns

:lol:

 

I still don't have the words I'm looking for to explain this either, I went to see it with Lewis and Patrick and I think we're going to watch it again once it's on streaming platforms so we can actually pause and discuss, I kept making mental notes during the film but then the next scene would happen, I'd have more notes then by the end of it I was like ????

 

My favourite part of the whole thing was

when monstro was putting on the earrings and curling it's single hair

:cheeseblock:

honestly, i loved this up until the last 20 minutes or so! I loved the editing and filming being so snappy and eerie, really made the whole vibe work! but then the last 20 minutes being so completely wierd made me question as it honestly felt like something that could have happened irl until the thing went back to the show at the end. i know it was part of the character wanting to be 'loved' etc but that final sequence kinda ruined the ending for me oop. still, a great film!

I get that but honestly in the grand scheme, the ending doesn't really matter, they could have literally done whatever they wanted with it and got away with it. I think the whole point is

they were headed for self destruction regardless,

I kinda like that they went the direction they did with the ending as it just lends itself to the horror genre, there aren't really any limits that way.

 

I'm still thinking about this film daily, the more I realise about certain aspects the more I love it. I absolutely want to watch it again but I want to leave some more time between viewings just to see how things hit me the second time around.

 

What I love is how intentional everything is, even if you don't realise it at first. It's so well done. In the wrong hands this could have been nothing but shallow shock value scenes so I'm glad the message was super clear. Might be my new favourite film of the year.

One of the best films I have seen in recent times.

 

Firstly, Demi Moore deserves all the awards come award season (she won't because the horror nature of the film will work against it come awards time) but she was sensational. A real performance about the threat of aging to stardom - brilliantly funny, terrifying, grotesque, emotional, everything!

 

Secondly, the film itself was revolutionary - it was steeped in classic film references, I noticed SO MANY Kubrick moments from the colour scheme of A Clockwork Orange, The Shining-esque carpet and shots at the bar, the 2001 A Space Odyssey musical throwbacks and trippy scenes as she transformed... I could go on. That obviously struck me because I am Kubrick's biggest fan but even without that the film was of the past but also so futuristic. An exaggerated Black Mirror-esque experience but done in the most cinematic way possible.

 

Terrifying, grotesque, monstrous but so beautiful at the same time - I couldn't take my eyes off the screen for fear of missing a reference, a jump-scare or a subtle piece of imagery.

 

I love films that merge art and cinema together and this did just that.

 

I cannot recommend the film more highly to people. It's not for the faint-hearted, but if you can stomach a bit of gore and blood, then this film is for you. A MASTERPIECE I, too can't stop thinking about it. :drama:

Finally got around to catching this after being recommended it by a friend who was at Frightfest.

 

It's frankly quite brilliant and a few minor, personal quibbles aside it just about pulls off the ending.

Demi Moore has never been an actor whose work I have enjoyed but she really nails it here and regardless of the likely snub come awards time, it is an Oscar worthy performance full of subtlety, flamboyance and a raw physicality.

There's more than a nod to a stack of classic films, many already mentioned here but particularly Cronenberg (both actually) Kubrick and John Frankenheimer's Seconds, plus there's a touch of Frankenstein, a LOT of Jekyll and Hyde, plenty from Society, and others such as the The Fly, The Thing, Carrie and Freaks.

The screenplay is brilliant and deservedly won the award there and the score is nicely done too. The SFX too are comparable to those of the legend that is Rob Bottin.

 

As for my minor quibbles, it is kind of predictable plotwise and wasn't as funny as I was led to believe. It's a tad overlong as the ending drags a bit even if the first hour and a half flys by, and whilst I absolutely understand the need and agree it's well done, I found my attention wandering to my phone during some of the Sue workout scenes. It was boring when Eric Prydz did it and I felt the same here. Plus the suspension of disbelief gets a challenging run for the finale.

 

That said, it's an audacious film that shows there's plenty of mileage still there to take well worn ideas and give them a refreshing spin even while using familiar tropes. With a solid two for two in her filmography Coralie Fargeat is clearly a rich talent to keep a close eye on.

@1876096003415437723

 

So deserved and what an incredible speech :heart:

QUEEN

I really wanted it for Cynthia but Demi was sensational to say the least and it’s so poetic for her to finally get an award after nothing for her entire career especially given the story of this. Also given the fact horror never gets viewed seriously enough at the biggest awards ceremonies, hopefully going forward it does and this opens the floodgates.

What an icon! Very well deserved and hoping the Oscars follow suit.

Brilliant news, I really wasn't sure a body horror film like this would make this much of a splash but surely that's got to bode well for the Oscars!

Just seen this is coming back into cinemas later this week! Not sure how long it will stay, my local Odeon has one screening of it on Thursday night but the schedule for the rest of the week isn't up yet - I really hope people who haven't seen it take this chance to see it on the big screen! It's v likely I'll go again, I think it's already up there with one of my all time favourites :wub:

@1876096003415437723

 

 

Just had to double take on why Rolf Harris was in the video!