Full of bold colors, detailed close-ups, and tearing flesh, “The Substance,” directed by Coralie Fargeat, takes body horror to a new level.

The commentary on Hollywood’s treatment of women and the concept of “aging gracefully” can’t go unnoticed. Our misogynistic culture — personified by Dennis Quaid’s skeevy television executive — forces women to accept the fact that beauty and youth are everything, and at a certain age, forced to become all but invisible. This concept is portrayed throughout the film like a bulldozer — loud, harsh, and unavoidable.

There’s one thing for certain: This movie isn’t for the squeamish. Bones crack, blood sprays, and cells divide, leaving every sense heightened after leaving the theater. Close-ups of needles and stitches leave little room for anything else on the screen, fully captivating and disgusting the audience all at once.

The cinematography is stellar, albeit gruesome. The opening and closing scenes with Elisabeth’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are haunting, beautiful storytelling, and showcase the lengths she is willing to go for something as trivial as fame.

The extreme close-ups throughout the film give a cringeworthy but detailed look at the characters, highlighting every freckle and tooth stain on their faces. Bright, bold color palettes dance across the screen — everything from Elisabeth’s canary yellow coat and the soft pink of Sue’s aerobics outfit to the crimson spray of blood at the end of the movie.

Sue’s beauty, contrasted with the mangled monster she turns into, fully encapsulates the film’s themes, all tied with a hideous ribbon. There hasn’t been a film this unnerving in years, and it doesn’t look like there’ll be another one anytime soon.

“The Substance” is now playing at FilmScene.