The Substance: a critique of consumer society and the tyranny of image in advertising

Abstract

This article reflects on the film The Substance (2024) by Coralie Fargeat, which presents us with an engaging narrative that explores themes such as identity, morality, and the limits of science. In this article, we will explore the elements that show a work between the line of reality and imagination that is undone. Each scene is a piece of a puzzle that challenges our understanding. The objective is to look at the film based on the relationship between consumption and psychoanalysis in relation to desire. The methodology is qualitative, showing elements of this relationship. We justify the analysis because the film points out symptoms of contemporary culture such as an ever-expanding desire, analyzed by Lacanian psychoanalysis and its relationship with consumption in what concerns the promise of completeness.