Monday, February 23, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema - Downtown, Los Angeles
*“The most sickly entertaining theatrical experience of the year.” –* IndieWire Oh, the things we do for beauty. Look, we’re not saying we wouldn’t want to look like Margaret Qualley, but Demi Moore’s over-the-hill aerobic star goes to some pretty extreme measures. Her use of THE SUBSTANCE may transform her into a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of herself (via a gloriously horrific rebirth), but the more she uses it, the worse the side effects become. It becomes increasingly apparent that beauty is only skin deep as both of her lives spiral into a truly ugly mess. THE SUBSTANCE is a wild, toe-curling ride from writer/director Coralie Fargeat that features some of the most nerve-shredding body horror sequences in recent years. And with it taking home the award for Best Screenplay at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, there’s plenty of substance behind the camera as well. As fantastical as the beauty solution is, THE SUBSTANCE’s themes of aging, youth, and self-esteem are very much grounded in our obsession with physical beauty.