The horrors persist but so does Mubi Monday. This week we take a look at a hapless yoga instructor and his misadventures with…The Practice (2023).
Title: The Substance
Director: Martín Rejtman
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes
Released: September 22, 2023 (Festival de San Sebastián – Spain)
Available to stream on: Mubi
Gustavo (Esteban Bigliardi) is an Argentinian yoga instructor living in Chile, where he runs his own yoga studio. For him, the studio is a source of stability.
His wife, Vanesa (Manuela Oyarzún), who is also a yoga instructor, has left him. Instead of sharing the studio as they used to, she now plans to teach her classes from their apartment, the one she kept after the separation. Though they’re already separated, Vanesa and Gustavo still attend couples’ therapy. Vanesa seems to be going through the motions, while Gustavo appears to believe these sessions might save their relationship.
But Gustavo’s troubles go beyond therapy and his ex-wife. Even his safe haven, the yoga studio, is about to become a source of frustration. During a class, what Gustavo assumes is an earthquake causes a folding screen to fall and knock out one of his students. When she regains consciousness, she has lost her memory. Meanwhile, in an attempt to attract new students, Gustavo offers trial classes. But after one of these sessions, with only one new person present in the class, everyone’s cell phones mysteriously go missing.
A comedy of errors unfolds as Gustavo tries to find peace through yoga, but obstacles seem to follow him everywhere.
Will his luck ever turn around?
Esteban Bigliardi’s performance is the saving grace of The Practice (2023). His portrayal of Gustavo brings a sincere innocence to the character that keeps you engaged throughout.
The film’s concept succeeds as observational comedy, but it quickly begins to repeat familiar tropes. While there are many supporting characters, their storylines aren’t developed enough to keep the narrative feeling fresh. Despite a runtime of just under 90 minutes, the film could benefit from being about 25 minutes shorter, making it more suited to a 45-55 minute short.
That said, there are worse ways to spend 89 minutes. I’m not suggesting you rush to watch The Practice, but if you have some time to fill, give it a watch and let me know what you think.
Have you seen The Practice (2023)?
If so, drop a comment or reach out to me on Bluesky, Letterboxd, and/or Instagram, and let me hear it!
Just saw it as a sneak preview in my local arthouse cinema. I managed to see it through, but it didn’t work on many levels. Long winded, and so detached I couldn’t feel any connection to the characters. I couldn’t care less about them. It’s repetitive, has one or two slightly funny moments that are repeated for good measure….
A 1 out of 5.