Overview

• Substitution marks the Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou’s second feature after their low-budget breakout La Main, which grossed $92 million worldwide.
• The film opened in French cinemas on July 29–30 with a 16-and-older age restriction and is distributed locally by A24 and Sony Pictures.
• It follows orphaned adolescents Andy and his visually impaired sister Piper, joined by a mute boy, as they enter the care of Laura, a former psychologist whose grief spirals into menace.
• Critics highlight the directors’ shift from conventional jump scares to a pervasive psychological dread that leverages taboo and buried fears.
• Viewers and reviewers note an unintended resonance between the film’s depiction of foster care extremes and a recent pedocriminal scandal in Pas-de-Calais.