“The Substance,” filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore feature, has been exceeding expectations at the box office, passing $25 million globally since its release on Sept. 20. It has received divisive reviews since it premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won the award for Best Screenplay.
The film follows the story of a faded Hollywood star, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), after she gets fired from her job as a host for a long-running aerobics TV show for being “too old.” In desperation to get the success of her early years back, she takes The Substance, a drug which creates a new, separate version of herself, called Sue (Margaret Qualley), who is younger and more perfect than Elisabeth.
The rules for The Substance are simple: each body gets seven days to be “awake,” then they have to switch. At first, this situation works perfectly; Sue becomes the new, young, popular star of the rebooted version of the show Elisabeth hosted. However, Elisabeth becomes increasingly jealous of Sue’s success as Sue becomes increasingly greedy with the time she spends awake.
The film uses intense body horror to communicate themes of how women are treated in Hollywood. Moore’s character is constantly pushed aside and mistreated because the industry considers her “old.” We then see how the industry idolizes and praises Qualley’s character for having the features Elisabeth supposedly did not have that would specifically cater to the male gaze. The film shows each of these characters deteriorate as they continuously try to appeal to the world around them, exemplifying the toll beauty standards take on people — especially women — in our society.
Fargeat takes this theme one step further with the grotesque, but strangely comical, ending to the film, which I won’t spoil, but know it is not an image I ever thought I would see in my lifetime. Nonetheless, the stark ending of the film, which parallels the opening sequence, perfectly sums up the commentary on how Hollywood treats women. Although there has been some progress, Hollywood continues to sideline older actresses in favor of younger stars and provides a lot more opportunities for older male actors in Hollywood than for older women. This idea is used in a visual motif that comes back at the end of the film in an image that will leave a lasting impact on you.
People have criticized the excessive use of body horror and gore in the film as well as its long run time, claiming that it, ironically, doesn’t have much substance. According to writer Iana Murray, the message is “painfully unsubtle,” and others feel it dragged on too long, repeating the same situation, even after the audience understood the consequences it had on the characters. Some critics also believe the scenes intended to display how women’s bodies are used to appeal to the male gaze in Hollywood only further objectified and over-sexualized the women in the film. However, after having watched the film myself, I really liked it; I thought the story was unique and thought-provoking, the technical production of the film was very well done and the acting was brilliant.
If you hate gore, especially body horror, I would definitely sit this one out, because it included some of the grossest things I have ever seen (I will never look at a chicken wing or a belly button the same again.) As one Letterboxd reviewer commented, “I feel trauma bonded with everyone in that cinema today.” Nevertheless, if you can handle gore, I would recommend this movie.
The visuals are absolutely stunning, the sound design, led by Valérie Deloof and Victor Fleurant, is some of the best I’ve heard and makes the movie so much more disgusting (somehow watching someone eat shrimp was one of the most nauseating parts for me, in large part thanks to the sound design) and the message is very important. If you’ve ever had any feeling of body dysmorphia, where you obsess over perceived flaws in your appearance, this film will hit hard.
It does take on this topic in a head-on way, but I think that’s the point of the movie. Nothing about the film is subtle, so why should the message be? The entire plot of the movie revolves around this idea of body dysmorphia and beauty standards; it’s what motivates the characters to repeatedly make questionable decisions that drive the plot forward, so if they tried to weave this subject in sub-textually, it would deter from the whole point of the film. Thus, I think it’s entirely reasonable for a film that literally advertises itself to be about beauty standards to assess this issue in an in-your-face manner.
I also enjoy that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. While it touches on serious topics and dark things happen within the film, it takes a very camp approach to the story that, in its hardest moments to watch, makes you want to laugh rather than cry.
With the world of media being so oversaturated I find it refreshing to have unique films like this that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. So, if you’re looking for a distinctive movie to watch that will have a lasting impact on you (and if you can handle gore!) I would highly recommend checking out “The Substance.” I guarantee you, you will see things you have never seen, and maybe have never wanted to see, before!
