During the screening of Coralie Fargeat's latest film at the Cannes Film Festival, some spectators left the room to vomit, others staggered. Many seemed both frightened and overwhelmed by what they had just seen. The Substancewhich hits theaters this Wednesday, November 6, tells the story of a television star played by Demi Moore who finds herself fired on her 50th birthday because she is considered too old. She ends up injecting herself with a miraculous substance which will allow her to become a better version of herself, namely a younger version. This disturbing film uses gore to show all the violence that emanates from a society where women's youth is fetishized to the point of transforming them into simple merchandise, as the director explains:
“When I started writing the script, I wanted my character to be able to represent what all women can experience when faced with these questions of social norms, the dictates of appearance and this valuation which is that of women when they are young and beautiful. It was first of all the figure of the actress that came to me as the symbol to represent this since the actress is under the external gaze and draws her value from being looked at. I wanted to have the strongest symbol which is the Hollywood star, this iconic myth of the beautiful, young actress, in the limelight, who is valued as long as she embodies this ideal of beauty and who is quickly neglected when this is no longer the case. Demi Moore perfectly embodies this icon that I grew up with and allowed me to give power to the message because she lived this herself.
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- While more than 600 bookstores have closed in Japan in 18 months, new stores are emerging to revitalize the sector. In these new kind of bookstores, anyone can rent a shelf to sell their second-hand books, for a few dozen euros per month. A way of transforming a common practice on the internet into real life and allowing readers to benefit from a wider choice of readings that is not determined by algorithms. For resellers, this system is also an opportunity to recreate social ties at a time when digital platforms are profoundly changing our purchasing habits.
- The last museum in Europe dedicated to Lenin has just closed its doors. Located in Finland, this museum founded in 1946 was dedicated to the history of the Russian leader and more generally to the history of Sovietism. It took place in the building where Lenin and Stalin first met in 1905, then both in exile. The director explained that this museum no longer reflected the history that the institution wanted to convey. The establishment will, however, reopen in February 2025, but under a different name and will focus on the development of diplomatic relations between Finland and Russia.
- The Collins dictionary has just designated “brat” as the word of the year 2024. Popularized by the singer Charlie celebrates, has fun and is not ashamed of his contradictions. The British Collins Dictionary adds that this word denotes “a confident, independent and hedonistic attitude”. The term made the headlines across the Atlantic when the singer declared: “Kamala is brat” in reference to White House candidate Kamala Harris, a way of responding to criticism of the candidate's spontaneity.
- The Commune in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis) returns to childhood with the Super Super festival which begins this Wednesday, November 6. For a week, all the theater rooms, the cinema, the park and the restaurant of the drama center are open to young audiences and those who accompany them. Theater, dance, film-concert and cinema intersect visual arts and participatory and free proposals as a Little Modern Ball or a parent-child dance workshop, but also the new creation by Jeanne Candel Rocket. The detailed program can be found ici.
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