Cinephile Series: Arria’s analysis of “The Substance,” “Bring Her Back,” “Him,” “The Long Walk,” and “Heretic”.
While pursuing my Bachelor’s degree, I was able to take film analysis classes as high-level English courses, which gave me a deep appreciation for film and storytelling. Here are my brief synopses and thoughts on five movies I’ve seen recently that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about- good or bad. I won’t “rate” any of these films because I’m not a poser, but I’ll definitely be giving my thoughts and a brief analysis.
The Substance (Dir. Fargeat C., 2025) is a body-horror film that tells the story of a 50-year-old actress, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), turned fitness instructor who does unimaginable things to her body, mind, and soul for the sake of vanity. This film is a clear metaphor for the intersectionality of body modifications and age for women in Hollywood to achieve and maintain social relevance. The storytelling was phenomenal. The first shot we see is an aerial shot of a Hollywood Star being created on the Walk of Fame. From that same POV, we see a woman standing on her star getting her pictures taken by the paps. Less than a minute later, the star is now cracked and faded, and a man drops his hot dog, which has an excessive amount of ketchup, on the star. Within the first five minutes, we understand that the story is about women aging out of Hollywood. The special effects and makeup were extremely realistic and were sometimes even hard to watch. The fast-paced nature of the film makes you feel like you don’t miss a beat- it’s easy to forget you’re watching a movie. The colors are bright and vivid -even when the mise en scene is dark. There are up-close shots and distorted frames that make dialogue and interactions between characters uncomfortable, adding to the tense feel of the movie. All of the acting was convincing, but Demi Moore stands out with a phenomenal performance as Elisabeth. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it.
Bring Her Back (Danny and Michael Phillippou, 2025) is an A24 production, the same studio that gave us Pearl (Dir., Ti West, 2022) and Talk To Me (Dir. Danny and Michael Phillippou, 2022). Clearly, Talk To Me and Bring Her Back have the same directors and I just want to say, Talk To Me is the most unsettling movie I’ve ever seen the point where I couldn’t even finish it. But, this was like two years ago, so I’ll try it again sometime. Bring Her Back tells the story of two adoptive siblings, a young, blind girl and her protective brother, who is 3 months away from his 18th birthday, who get rehomed when their father passes. The woman, who is looking after them for the three months that it will take for the brother to be eligible for guardianship, reveals that she had a blind daughter who passed away, and a mute, bald son with no light in his empty little eyes. The kid is just fucking creepy. The pacing of the film is perfect- it’s not so fast that the story feels rushed and not so slow that you’re bored and wondering what’s next. This one can be hard to watch because of the visual effects and disturbing material, but it’s a great story. The acting sucks you into the movie, and the writing keeps you there.
Him (Justin Tipping, 2025) is a Jordan Peele-produced film that tells the story of a young football star, Cam (Tyriq Withers), who gets recruited by his favorite team to train under his favorite player, Isaish White (Marlon Wayans). Cam is attacked and suffers a head injury, which could potentially damage both his career and his daily life outside of football. However, there is no daily life outside of football, and that becomes apparent in this film. I’ve always thought the parallel between sports and masculinity, specifically Black masculinity, within American culture is an interesting topic. The film is literally called “Him,” a black term of endearment coined by black men to say, “there’s no one else, no other competition, just me- I’m him”. We’ve also all heard the saying that black men are successful as athletes or rappers. This take on the pressures to be successful as a black man in sports had so much potential- I fear the storytelling and execution of the film fell flat for me. The pacing was super awkward, and the audience didn’t get the chance to connect with the character: during the intro, we see him as a kid watching his hero, and then the next thing you know, he’s like the number one draft pick. There are unnatural forces at play, and I have seen the argument that because the crazy shit happens both in his head and in real life, it becomes less believable- now that I disagree with. I feel like the demonic stuff going on is exaggerated by his brain injury, but because it’s not directed well, the underlying storyline of something sinister at play just gets muddled. We do see a range of mixed media, which was visually interesting! The colors look incredible, and the soundtrack was great. The writing and the acting were fine. The movie didn’t seem to really conclude anything, and the ending didn’t tie anything together for me.
The Long Walk (Francis Lawrence, 2025) is a Stephen King novel adaptation that tells the story of a post-war America amid an economic crisis. The government has a “long walk” each year in which one young man from every state is drafted and made to walk for as long as possible for a chance to win riches and wishes. Here’s the kicker: if they stop walking, they get freaking shot in the dome. I thought I was going to be bored, but the movie is so graphic that it’s impossible to be. People piss and shit themselves, you see guts and brains- I mean it’s really some sick shit sometimes and can be a hard watch. The pacing could have been a bit more timely in my opinion, but you do get the chance to connect with the characters and their stories. I predicted the ending, though which makes it lose some points in my book- I like to be shocked by what’s going on.
Heretic (Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, 2024) tells the story of two Mormon missionaries who get their faith tested by a man who effectively kidnaps them in his home and forces them to undergo a series of trials to study their behavior. I thought this was interesting as someone who grew up extremely religious and is still working to think for myself and deconstruct the views that have been placed in front of my eyes my entire life. The storytelling is great, and the script is extremely consistent in terms of practicality. @Mitchmademe says, “[Again, not the worst- I just don’t like it. Great dialogue and premise, but the decisions the characters make SNATCH me out of the film,” and I couldn’t agree more! The acting is fine, but a spoiler alert: the attempt to portray one of the missionaries as a hyperobservant, Sherlock Holmes-type character was actually just unbelievable.
Please don’t take my word for it, watch them on your own and make your own conclusions, of course. These are my opinions and thoughts based on my personal preferences and educational background. I love a good flick, so I’m glad I’ve been taking the time to indulge in something important to me.
