Rating: 9/10
How far are we willing to disfigure ourselves until we reach a point we think is socially seen as beautiful? That’s the question Coralie Fargeat wants to answer with her newest film, “The Substance.”
The film follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a former Oscar-winning actress turned fitness show model who gets fired from her show for her age.
After getting into a car accident, she comes across a black-market drug with promises to create a “perfect” and beautiful version of herself.
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Because of the pressure placed on her, Elisabeth takes the drug and thus comes out a much younger and prettier version of herself that she can control, which she calls Sue (Margaret Qualley).
However, the process turns out to be harder than Elisabeth expected, as she must alternate between her body and Sue’s every seven days to keep an equal balance between both bodies.
As Elisabeth’s life as Sue grows in popularity and vanity, her greed makes her addicted to her other self. This causes her to forget the most important rule with using the substance: never forget they are not “two separate beings,” but are one.
Throughout the movie, there’s a clear theme of how when people turn older, they often have a big fear of being forgotten. Furthermore, we fear not being able to do things we could once do at a younger age.
Moore’s performance as Elisabeth displays how, with age, we are more receptive to what others say.
When reflected in Qualley’s performance as Sue, she displays how ignorant and irrational we are in our youth. Specifically, how the whole world is in front of us, and people often try to take it all in at once, even if it will likely come crashing down in the end.
Moore and Qualley’s performances solidify the sense of wanting to be perfect. In the scenes where Elisabeth is in control of Sue’s body, several shots are symmetrical, almost as if she is controlling the shot.
With a movie exploring a character’s psyche as she is stuck between two versions of herself, the performances in this movie sell the story and the impact of what occurs on screen.
Both Moore and Qualley create a spectacular display of two different people who are supposedly under the same person’s control. Even when their personalities start to shift, both actors perfectly encapsulate the fragments left behind from each experience.
Additionally, the movie has more than several gross-out moments where you may feel the need to curl up in your seat and squint as you witness the horrors of Sue’s overuse of the substance and its effects on Elisabeth.
The film does a spectacular job of playing the devil’s advocate by making you feel bad about what Elisabeth has lost. Still, it constantly reminds you that at the end of the day, she and Sue are one. It was all her decision, even if it wasn’t something Elisabeth wanted.
One of the main lines that came out of nowhere but left a mark is when Harvey (Dennis Quaid), the head of the television studio, says “that’s what we want” — regarding what he and his board of older white male investors want to see with Sue’s performance.
Quaid’s character reflects the overall representation of the male gaze and how often male-led productions have a desire to present the more sensual side of women.
A noticeable detail in the scenes with Sue and her fitness show, “Pump it Up,” is that rather than focusing on the fitness aspect of the routine, the showrunners spend more time on the sensual parts of Sue and her backup dancer’s bodies.
Because of the focus that the show seems to have on the actresses’ bodies rather than the talent within their routines, Elisabeth’s desire to be young again is less about regaining a time when she had authentic talent.
Instead, her desire comes from a time when she received a sense of vanity for being the center of attention.
After Elisabeth introduces her and the main characters leading up to the actual use of the substance, there’s a lack of dialogue that presents us with an internal conflict.
There is nothing wrong with Elisabeth’s life, but because of the perception she received from others alongside their greed and her own, the idea of having a better version of herself took over her idea of what “beauty” is.
“The Substance” also boasts a spectacular presentation of body horror and practical effects that push the boundaries of the human body and our reaction to it. The film ends up feeling like a successor to the Brian Yuzna’s films of “Society” and “Re-Animator” fame.
Make no mistake — although the gore in the film is more eccentric than clinical, the main goal of it all is to reinforce the fact that what Elisabeth does is nothing but a mutilation of herself.
The use of colors and music was also masterfully displayed, as it perfectly reflects the emotions conveyed with what both Sue and Elisabeth are feeling, regardless of who’s “in control.”
While the scenes with Sue have bright colors and decadent music, Elisabeth’s life seems dull with toned-down, desaturated colors and little to no music, simply showing how boring her life is.
“The Substance” not only proves itself to be fun for horror fans, but it’s also an important film that highlights an issue with the beauty scene, even if its presentation is outlandish.
The film’s presentation is off-putting, but it perfectly displays the terrifying lengths people will go to be perceived as “pretty.” Self-image is an addiction that brings forth a cycle of doubt and obsession, which begs the question of how long it will be until the cycle starts all over again.
