The Substance
“The Substance” might be one of the strongest cases in recent memory for the old adage, “It’s not what a movie is about. It’s how it’s about it.” Coralie Fargeat’s body image thriller gives a good part of the game away early on as Elisabeth Sparkle, the aging celebrity played by Demi Moore, gets word of an extraordinary substance that allows her to create a younger version of herself. So we know the connection between Elisabeth, who was just fired from her long-time fitness show because the lecherous producer (played by Dennis Quaid in full sleaze mode) wants someone younger, and Sue, her vivacious younger self played by Margaret Qualley. And if we’re paying attention to the rules of the titular Substance, we can guess the twists and turns Fargeat has in store. But she turns the screws ever so slightly, a little bit at a time, as she gets to her endgame, which might be the most harrowing culmination in a film about addiction since “Requiem for a Dream.” This time, however, the addiction is to beauty, and the fame it brings.
This film is not subtle about what it’s about- it’s a sledgehammer to the noggin of anyone paying attention. This also isn’t the first time in pop culture we’ve seen about how the pursuit of the perfect physical form can warp someone’s thinking- just about every police procedural has mined similar material whenever they deal a victim who’s undergone plastic surgery or other changes to their bodies. What sets Fargeat’s film apart is not just a body horror variation on the story, but getting into the psyche of a woman determined to keep her star shining, even if it means going so far as to create a new persona- in this case, physically- to keep her in the spotlight. The first thing, and last thing, we will see in the film is Elisabeth’s star on the Walk of Fame, first in the context of it being disregarded, then later being the site of her last stand, as it were, before her ambitious gets the best of her.
Everything in this film just works. The narrative keeps moving, even though there’s no good reason this should work at 141 minutes long. The cinematography and production design pop with visual splendor, or absolute horror as The Substance has some jarring side effects. And the film’s commentary on the misogynistic beauty standards of awful men is on point. The film is unforgettable due to the work of Moore and Qualley, however; they work off of one another’s performance well, even though they only even share the screen near the end, but they create a cohesive character. That is an important thing to keep in mind, because at certain times in the story, one of the characters does not, and it costs them. Finally, there are the makeup effects, which are brutal and horrific in a way that will make horror film fans smile with twisted glee. “The Substance” has plenty of it, and we’re left pondering its implications long after the film ends.
