What to watch on OTT: Cannes’ winner The Substance, a provocative body horror movie & the story America’s first self-made female billionaire in Martha

The Substance
MUBI

One of the most talked about movies of this year — Coralie Fargeat’s body horror satire on ageing, The Substance — is now streaming on MUBI. The Substance, which is written, directed, co-produced and co-edited by Fargeat (Revenge), features Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and suddenly fired from her fitness TV show by repellent studio head Harvey (Dennis Quaid). She is then drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug: The Substance. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, 20-something Sue (Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. A perfect balance. Fargeat’s Cannes award-winning sensation turns toxic beauty culture inside out with a be-careful-what-you-wish-for fable for the ages.

The Law According to Lidia Poet
Netflix
The series follows a suspended lawyer named Lidia Poët (Matilda De Angelis), who, along with her establishment brother Enrico and crew of like-minded malcontents, seeks to help the desperate and falsely accused who struggle for absolution in a rigid, patriarchal legal system. Each episode explores a new mystery and takes place in the baroque grandeur of 1880s Turin. Poët’s story unpacks the fight for gender equality at a time when it didn’t exist.
Lidia Poët was, in real life, Italy’s first ever woman attorney. Two years after graduating from the University of Turin’s law school in 1881, she was admitted to Italy’s bar. Poët practiced law for three months before being disbarred at the instance of the monarchy’s attorney general, who claimed that women had no place in a courtroom. In 1920, at the age of 65, Poët was readmitted to the bar.

Mithya – The Darker Chapter
Zee5
‘Mithya – The Darker Chapter’ takes the viewers back into the intense psychological drama between half-sisters Juhi and Rhea. As Juhi basks in the success of her book ‘Dhund’, her world is suddenly shaken by plagiarism accusations from a mysterious writer, Amit Chaudhary (played by Naveen Kasturia). Meanwhile, Rhea is still scheming and plotting to win her father’s love. However, it remains to be seen if her quest for love and acceptance will turn into a battle of revenge and manipulation. The series explores ‘blood versus blood’ as family ties are tested, with both women resorting to dirty games of lies and deceit. the tables turn, and each sister metaphorically becomes the other. Additionally, the introduction of Amit’s character adds complexity and drama to the lives of the two sisters.

Music by John Williams
Disney+Hotstar
The documentary focuses on the life and career of John Towner Williams, an American composer and conductor. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed some of the most popular and critically acclaimed film scores for movies such as Jaws (1975), E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), the Indiana Jones franchise (1981–2023), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Lincoln (2012) and The Fabelmans (2022). “See and hear maestro John Williams’ own story, with insights from filmmakers, musicians, and others he has inspired, complete with rare behind-the-scenes looks at the making of movie history,” said the media statement.

Festive offer

Martha
Netflix
RJ Cutler’s film charts the rise of lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart. A celebrated homemaker, America’s first self-made female billionaire, close personal friend to Snoop Dogg, or even the queen of Instagram selfies — Stewart for more than 50 years has shaped America’s culture in both big and small ways. “So, to borrow her own phrase, it’s a good thing the new documentary –– simply titled Martha –– covers the breadth of her extraordinary life through intimate interviews with Stewart herself, who opened up her personal archives to share never-before-seen photos, letters, and diary entries,” reveals the Netflix website.