Even as I write this review my jaw is still on the floor over how impressive and shocking “The Substance” is. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, she delivers the most immersive theater-going experience of 2024 as well as one of the most challenging in terms of theme and content. Filled with body horror and gratuity, “The Substance” will certainly not be for everyone, and yet, the very act of sitting down with the film on the big screen will be worth it.
At no point did my attention wonder or did I feel bored with what was on screen. The sharp focus and small cast will have you feeling every painful, uncomfortable moment from the opening shot to the closing finale. “The Substance” is not for the faint of heart. It is a triumph of filmmaking that could easily end up being my favorite film of the year. If you haven’t already, please go out, do yourself a favor and watch this amazing film.
Back of the DVD Summary:
Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) once stood at the top of the entertainment world dazzling audiences worldwide. The years, however, have not been kind to her as her star begins to fade into obscurity. Still doing an aerobics show, she is unceremoniously fired following her 50th birthday because to put it cruelly: she is no longer as valuable in her older age.
Elisabeth’s boss, played by Dennis Quaid, desperately seeks the next big star and holds an audition to replace Elisabeth. After a car accident, a shady nurse offers her a chance to regain her lost sparkle using the ambiguous drug called “The Substance”. Desperate and willing to do anything, Elisabeth agrees to give it a chance, and thus Sue (Margaret Qualley) is born and is ready to take the limelight.
As mentioned, I could not look away from the screen. Fargeat blends suspense, sex, horror and skin-crawling visuals all into one poignant package. I had an idea of what kind of film I was getting into, yet that idea was shattered by the third-act finale. It’s not that there’s this surprise twist that upended any expectations I had going into the film, it’s simply Fargeat following through on the premise of how far it is someone would be willing to go to regain their star.
What’s more, what are the consequences of being victim to a system that recycles women? Demi Moore sells the trauma, the struggle of getting older while the world forgets and passes you by. A struggle that is made worse by Sue’s introduction to the story, because even though Sue is her, she still longs for Sue’s status and accolades.
There is an incredibly strong duality at play between the caution and wisdom of age against the brashness and vanity of youth. Sue is portrayed masterfully as cruel, vain and short-sighted. Margaret Qualley’s performance in tandem with an excellent script weaponizes youth in a way I have never seen before. The tension of how these two sides of the same coin play off each other creates such rich melodrama and almost makes you forget these two women are the same person.
Which the film itself hammers in too, through direct statements both to the characters and the women: they are the same person. Yet, as an audience member, you root for one while praying for the other’s downfall.
The cinematography and the shots are all designed to make you uncomfortable, to linger that extra second longer to take a shot of a woman’s body from being sexy, to make you feel creepy for staring. Halfway through the film, you start to see what exactly the cost of “The Substance” is, and while it is a bit over the top, it earns its indulgence by the end of the film.
While I do adore this film, I did have some minor critiques. The drug Moore’s character takes is not the central focus, rather the conduit for the events and messaging of the film to unfold, however, having two or so more interactions with other users would have helped bolster some of its themes on identity. There is one interaction with another user, but it’s only one interaction and that character never reappears making it feel pointless, or at the very least putting too fine a point on an already clear message.
Moreover, there were too many fake-out gore scenes, where you think something horrible just happened, but it didn’t, it was a dream. The fakeouts bothered me because the film was not shy from showing real gore, so it felt like an odd choice to have dream sequences of it. Lastly, the third act was great, although the setup to it pulled me out of the experience. Essentially, how did Sue get the big event without being noticed? To avoid spoilers I cannot offer more context than that.
Fargeat, Moore and Qualley delivered an absolutely stunning film that I will not forget, nor the experience of watching it in theaters for the first time. I wish more theater-going experiences could be like “The Substance”.
