'The Substance' gets a standing ovation at Cannes: What to know about Demi Moore's new movie

Demi Moore attends a press conference for the film "The Substance" during the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2024.

Demi Moore's new film "The Substance," by French director Coralie Fargeat recently premiered at the 77th Festival De Cannes to a standing ovation with applause that was anywhere between a nine and 13-minutes, according to various media outlets including Variety and Deadline.

Moore, 61, during a press conference Monday, talked about playing an aging actress in the film and filming nude scenes.

"Going into it, it was really spelled out — the level of vulnerability and rawness that was really required to tell the story," Moore said, according to Variety and CNN. “And it was a very vulnerable experience and just required a lot of sensitivity and a lot of conversation about what we were trying to accomplish."

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What is 'The Substance' about?

Fargeat's film with Moore in the lead follows movie star turned TV fitness instructor Elisabeth Sparkle, who finds out that her show's producers are replacing her with a younger and newer model, as per Vanity Fair. In an act of desperation, she takes a "black market," "cell-replicating substance" to become a "younger, better version of herself," played by Margaret Qualley, according to IMDb.

"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You. Only better in every way," reads the official synopsis of the film on the Cannes website. "You’ve got to try this new product. It’s called The Substance."

The only catch is that Sparkle will have to share time with the new and younger version of herself, who she names Sue, or else things will go awry.

"One week for you. One week for the new you," the film's synopsis says. "Seven days each. A perfect balance."

However, it's never as easy as it looks.

'The Substance' cast

The main cast of the film, according to Cannes, includes:

• Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle
• Margaret Qualle as Sue
• Dennis Quaid as Harvey

Other cast members, as per IMDb, include:

• Hugo Diego Garcia as Diego
• Joseph Balderrama as Craig Silver
• Oscar Lesage as Troy
• Gore Abrams as Oliver
• Matthew Géczy as Bob Haswell
• Philip Schurer as Mr. Scream

Where to watch 'The Substance'?

It might be a while until you get the chance to see "The Substance" because movies screened at film festivals are shown with the expectation of selling the movie to a studio or distributor to distribute it.

"The Substance" makers have not yet revealed if they are in talks with any distributors regarding the film's future.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Substance' gets a standing ovation at Cannes: What to know about Demi Moore's new movie