There is so much to absolutely love and admire about The Substance, as well get frustrated over and grumble about. The general consensus with the film seems to be that is it gloriously bloody, disgusting for sure yet the narrative is questionable. But the praise for the performances for both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is consistent, they are superb. Having won the Best Screenplay at Cannes 2024 and the intriguing teaser making the rounds, there was a buzz around the film and expectation on how this body horror would shape up.
When Elizabeth Sparkle, award winning actress and decades long host of an aerobics show, is fired on her 50th birthday, she makes a drastic desperate decision. She is offered a black-market drug, the Substance, which produces a younger, more attractive version of herself, thus giving her another shot at holding the spotlight. But after her alternative self takes advantage of the strict rules, resulting in devastating non changeable effects to her original body, things go from bad to monstrous.
Going by director Coralie Fargeat’s first feature, Revenge, you are right to expect enough blood spilt that the entire set will be painted red. Where Revenge was literally what it said on the poster, The Substance is more up for debate and there are far more questions to be answered throughout the film, as well as not all of them being answered. This strange bizarre satirical body horror (with some science fiction thrown in) boasts a fascinating concept but with a 2-hour 20-minute run time, there is far too much indulgence gore and crotch shots with less focus on the narrative.
Shooting from disorientating angles, making use of the long corridor at the studio and the choice of close ups to really express the most disgusting moments, made for an intriguing film. All coupled with the concept of the drug and the complicated rules. A stand out scene in the film is most avidly the birthing of Sue, Elizabeth’s younger version. The ripping of skin and extracting of fluids, the film became a visceral treat for the eyes even before any large amounts of blood was spilled. With a large focus on the characters’ bodies, their stark pale skin against the white titled floors was especially pleasing, design wise, to view on screen. As the film progresses though, so does the body gore, particularly the end section. But all this blood and disturbing images hold a purpose, the themes at the heart of the film, image and beauty. Though Elizabeth Sparkle is still beautiful, her image is outdated and considered too old to even be considered for a revamp of the show. Enter Sue, young, beautiful, wears that pink one piece with ease and is able to pelvic thrust throughout the show without batting an eye. Though we get to see, quite obviously its about beauty standards and how women are treated but at the core of the film is Elizabeth and how she views herself. At one point, after the effects of the drug have take its toll on her, she stops referring to Sue as someone else as she has throughout the story. She finally admits out loud that she hates herself, which may explain her finally grotesque form. There could have been a deeper dive into her psyche but there is only a strange acceptance of herself, eventually, but one that is met with a reaction you see coming a mile off.
Both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley do give fantastic performances, the former especially during her French cooking phase in the film. Fargeat’s idea is in danger of being better than the execution, but there is more merit the film than there is to be disgusted by.