The interaction between form and content in cinema plays a crucial role in the process of meaning-making. The interplay between visual and narrative components, and their effect on the audience, are of particular significance in the reflection and critique of specific ideological discourses. Coralie Fargeat's The Substance (2024) is a pertinent example of this dynamic, through its maximalist aesthetic, which deconstructs the myth of the American Dream. The maximalist aesthetic is characterised by excessive ornamentation, bold colour palettes, and elaborate visual designs. This stylistic device serves to underscore the allure of the American Dream, which, as the film illustrates, is ultimately a fallacy. The American Dream, long associated with social mobility and material success, is frequently depicted in cinema as an alluring but unattainable ideal. This study employs a dual-pronged approach, combining narrative and mise-en-scène analysis to unravel the effectiveness of Fargeat's maximalist storytelling in critiquing the American Dream. The study employs purposive sampling to analyse The Substance (Fargeat, 2024), with a focus on elements such as rapid editing, grotesque makeup design, exaggerated acting performances, and unsettling scene compositions. These elements are then analysed in terms of how they convey the film's underlying meanings and how its visual excess constructs and ultimately dismantles the myth of the American Dream. In conclusion, the maximalist narrative and aesthetic choices of The Substance (Fargeat, 2024) reveal the allure and the inevitable downfall of the American Dream.
Keywords: Cinema, American Dream, maximalism, narrative, mise-en-scène