Well on the way to the Oscars, Coralie Fargeat deciphers the popularity of The Substance

A French talent can hide another in Hollywood. As eyes turn on Emilia Perez by Jacques Audiard to leave the Oscars, on March 2, with his hands full, the horrific fable The Substance by Coralie Fargeat, with Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, achieves an equally extraordinary journey. This portrait of an aging star who creates an even younger and more beautiful version of himself became one of the word-of-mouth hits of the year with 77 million dollars in revenue for a budget of 17 million. The critics' associations in the United States reserve a place of choice for it in their end-of-year lists (more thanEmilia Perez). Such as those of Indiana and Seattle which awarded it the distinctions of best film and direction.

Last weekend in Lucerne, Switzerland, the European Film Awards, aka the European Cinema Oscars, were also in unison, crowning the film with two prizes and granting it three other nominations. On this occasion, Le Figaro met its director. Screenings, question-and-answer sessions, the filmmaker beats the pavement of the awards season with passion and is supported by her peers, from the fantasy world, like Guillermo del Toro. This crazy pace is not about to stop. The five nominations, which The Substance gleaned from the Golden Globes, in fact one of the favorites in the Oscar race.

LE FIGARO – Since winning the screenplay prize at Cannes, The Substance multiplies distinctions from the public and critics alike. A journey reminiscent of that ofAnatomy of a fall by Justine Triet who went very far at the Oscars with four nominations and a statuette.

Coralie FARGEAT. I couldn't have dreamed of anything better. It was already incredible to receive the Toronto People's Choice Award during the sessions Midnight Madness. This selection occupies a special place in my heart: I presented my first film there Revenge. These trophies, these predictions confirm my idea that genre films are intrinsically more political works than we think. Behind the entertainment there is vital criticism. It has often been said that the Academy of Oscars was not bold enough to recognize this type of film, to digest, for example, the violence contained in The Substance. But with all the new members it has welcomed in a decade, I believe the Academy is able to be fearless. I hope she will treat The Substance like any other movie.

The Substance has become a pop-culture phenomenon. We no longer count the misappropriations (memes) on social networks.

It’s incredible and the best tribute ever! When you shoot and edit a film, you control every single element of it. But as soon as it arrives in the room, you no longer control anything. Spectators have taken ownership of the film and are sharing it. They reproduced scenes, costumes, posted a lot of images. I couldn't believe that some people had transformed themselves, for Halloween, into the monstrous version of Sue, Monster Elisasue. It's moving because it's the moment when my heroine becomes free. She doesn't care about how others look at her, she stops criticizing her appearance. The figure of the monster reflects the vulnerability of humanity. The bad, the ugly, the imperfection, everything we try to hide, or that we feel society rejects.

This quest for perfection, Demi Moore described it at length in her memoirs. How did you collaborate with her?

The scenario of The Substance was meticulous and precise. Each element was noted. The film doesn't have a lot of dialogue. The visuals, the symbols, the colors, all the rhythm, the framing, the tone had to be included. Demi Moore understood when she read the script that, if she was part of the adventure, she had to accept this vision and that we were not working in a traditional way. Before I started working on the film, I shared with her about everything I was going to do. Right down to the music and the soundscape. We talked at length about nudity scenes. What was their meaning, what it said about the state of mind of Elizabeth and her double. I needed her to feel comfortable and have all the cards in hand to infuse her own emotions. On set, everything went well, although on such a long 100-day shoot, there are days when you are tired. Demi Moore created exactly what was on the page.

“What is precious to me with the success of The Substancethat’s the number of messages I receive from young directors who thank me for making the film.”

Coralie Fargeat

Comment The Substance can he change the lines on how Hollywood perceives actresses and women's bodies?

I really hope that the film will change things, not just in Hollywood, but everywhere in the world, although I have no illusions: the change will not be instantaneous. It takes time. The Substance Don't talk about Hollywood. No matter where she lives, what she does, every woman will have her body scrutinized. This generates massive inner violence that I show in the film. Behind the beautiful makeup and the plump smile there is a real inner war going on that you have to keep to yourself and never express. What it says The Substance, it's let it flow. I spent my youth hiding parts of my body, embarking on diets. I saw all these perfect bodies in advertisements without realizing that they were retouched.

What I can also tell you as a director is that financing this film was very difficult. Just like preserving my vision. No one at the studios really wanted my story. How many times have I heard that a film with two heroines would make much less money than a feature film centered on two men? What is precious to me with the success of The Substancethat's the number of messages I receive from young directors who thank me for making the film. It gives me strength and hope. When I was young, there were almost no female filmmakers making genre films. All my role models were directors. It's fantastic that there are other voices now even if the road is long. We are not yet ready for this revolution which will have to be massive! So much work remains to be done in terms of violence against women and wage inequalities.

How can the seventh art then be a tool for this change?

It's one way among others, but it's the mode of expression with which I am most comfortable. Representations and stereotypes play a major role in our construction. As a child, from fairy tales to Barbie, we were told that the only way to be happy was to find love and be thin and blonde. Qualities necessary to be noticed by a “saving prince”. Even if we educate ourselves and emancipate ourselves, it leaves a mark on the psyche. Modifying cultural representations means providing other avenues for fulfillment and success and giving some people the opportunity to be themselves without having to feel monstrous. As a child, I was told that being a good little girl meant being kind and delicate, smiling, not speaking too loudly… Everything I wasn't and I felt deprived of space for expression. What changed when I started directing. Genre films form a huge space of freedom: you can do so many crazy and funny things there.