The Substance (2024)
The Horrors of Aging Personified
The Substance stars Demi Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle, a washed up celebrity who has recently been fired from her longtime gig as a TV aerobics instructor. Bitter about being cast aside, she turns to a mysterious company that promises to restore her beauty. After taking their drug, she grotesquely spawns a younger version of herself and her consciousness is transferred into the new body.
She’s young and hot again, but there’s a catch: every seven days, she must alternate between her two bodies. The company warns her that there will be severe consequences if she stays in either body for too long. Sparkle’s younger persona is named Sue. She’s played by the gorgeous and perfectly cast Margaret Qualley (Maid, The Leftovers), who looks similar to a young Demi Moore.
The same men who rejected Elizabeth are enamored with Sue. Her stunning beauty makes her an instant star and she is offered a coveted New Year’s Eve gig. Meanwhile, Elizabeth grows to hate her new counterpart. She becomes jealous and vows to destroy Sue at all costs.
An Unusual Mix of Genres
The Substance is obviously a body horror movie, but it also fits into the psycho-biddy subgenre. We’ve seen grotesque movies about body modification before (American Mary, for example) but this movie tackles this topic from a different angle.
Elizabeth is fifty, which is not actually *that* old, but she’s thrown away like trash and treated like an old hag. Imagine the level of despair of being told by society that your existence is obsolete and meaningless. Her only solution is to turn to drugs, which after a brief reprieve, end up making her life even worse.
It’s also clearly a feminist film. In fact, this is probably the most feminist horror movie of 2024, which is really saying something in a year that has seen Immaculate and The First Omen. I liked those other two movies, but it’s refreshing to see a female-centered horror flick that is not about childbirth or pregnancy. That said, Immaculate and The First Omen are far more entertaining than this.
Well Made, But Not Much Fun
The Substance is an extremely unsubtle film. Director Coralie Fargeat wants to make damn sure that we know what her movie is about, and if that means punishing us with ugly images for two-plus hours, then so be it. It has themes about unrealistic beauty standards, pretty privilege, the perils of drug addiction, and how powerful older men (especially in the entertainment industry) exploit and eventually discard young women.
This movie is well made, features relevant themes, and has strong performances by Moore and Qualley. The casting is spot on. It’s almost like this duo were born to play these roles. Their performances are effortlessly convincing. It’s certainly the best role Moore has had in ages.
It’s also a nasty, grueling experience filled with unpleasantness. This movie is well over two hours in length and it feels even longer. The ending is particularly grotesque. Without revealing too much, I think that Fargeat (who wrote as well as directed) was going for a Phantom of the Opera/Elephant Man vibe for her wildly excessive and stomach-churning final sequence.
Rating
The Substance has many admirable qualities, but I didn’t particularly enjoy watching it. This presents me a conundrum as a reviewer. Do I punish it for its lack of entertainment value, or reward the film for its artistry? Maybe a little of both, but I lean toward giving it a reasonably high rating.
Rating from 1 (avoid at all costs) to 10 (masterpiece): 7
