| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
INTRODUCTION
Let me fill you in on one secret from The Substance set. Demi Moore, 61, had to overcome a fear that had always lingered in the dark and I know not many of you know this but she has always had a fear of filming a scene of full nudity.
The vulnerability crept in, and one could feel the tension. But there was something rather, someone who did manage to break the spell of unease.
Margaret Qualley, 29, is cast to play a younger Moore. Physically and emotionally exposed, the actresses stood as cameras rolled. But Qualley was there oddly comforting.
Moore called her an ‘ideal partner’, someone with whom even the very strange, intimate on-set moments felt curiously safe. Their closeness wasn’t only in proximity but in some unspoken understanding between them. And within these strange, absurd moments – naked, they found moments of laughter.
The Substance (2024) is a satirical body horror film co-produced, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat.
It stars Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid. It is an international co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, and France.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, it already turned heads, with Fargeat walking away with the award for Best Screenplay.
But don’t let the accolades fool you.
It was theatrically released in both the United Kingdom and the United States by Mubi on the 20th of September 2024, while it is scheduled for release in France by Metropolitan Filmexport on 6th November 2024.
The Substance runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes, and it is rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity, and language.
THE SUBSTANCE (2024) OFFICIAL TRAILER
WHAT IS THE SUBSTANCE (2024) ABOUT?
Elisabeth Sparkle is a popular star of a successful TV aerobics program. After her fiftieth birthday, she gets fired. The same day, while watching her billboard get taken down, she is filled with anger and pain until a car accident sends her into an unexpected destiny.
But into the antiseptic glow of the hospital comes a mysterious flash drive, labeled “The Substance“, with the disturbing specifics of one such revolutionary serum, one shot will create a perfect, younger version of herself, yet the two are somehow linked.
After an overnight vigil of weighing, Elisabeth finally succumbs to the temptation. She orders the serum and injects the “Activator,” feeling this strange tearing sensation as from a slit in her back emerges a younger version of herself, who goes by the name of Sue.
What sends cold shivers down her spine, though, is the supplier’s instructions that Sue must inject a daily “Stabilizer” extracted from Elisabeth herself.
They are doomed to switch places every seventh day, one retiring into unconsciousness while the other basks in the adoration of the world.
As Sue rises in her new career and begins radiating a glow, Elisabeth’s self-esteem hits rock bottom. The two start waltzing into their respective death grips of co-dependency.
The feelings of inadequacy compared to others around her now make Elisabeth turn to food and alcohol for consolation while Sue seems to glow brighter. And with each exchange, the distance between them widens further.
In despair, Elisabeth called the disreputable supplier and was given a terrible ultimatum, she must continue the cycle of switches or foreclose on the Substance, never able to regain herself as she was. In despair, at her wit’s end, Elisabeth resignedly gave in to Sue’s addiction, planting seeds of upcoming catastrophes.
As weeks go by, Elisabeth begins to degenerate while Sue flourishes on the stolen vitality. Sue is invited to host a New Year’s Eve special and an alarming quantity of Stabilizer is extracted, enough to keep her for three months. At the countdown to midnight, tension rises, with both women standing on the brink of a decision that could seal their fates forever.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE SUBSTANCE
Full of truly unsettling moments, The Substance is also filled with insightful, thought-provoking commentary regarding society’s obsessions with beauty, youth, and self-image.
What hit me, however, was how it felt. Few films succeed in striking so many visceral chords; at the end of this movie, I felt almost shell-shocked.
It’s a tightrope between horror and art, not to everybody’s taste, certainly, yet one of the most thought-provoking movies I have seen this year.
The premise of a faded actress resorting to an extreme cosmetic procedure sounds like a typical Hollywood cautionary story, but “The Substance” is so much more. The extremes of body horror are thrown head-first into, taking us on a journey that explores identity, self-worth, and the societal pressures put onto women, especially as they age.
It’s a confronting film instead of a questioning one.
THE SUBSTANCE (2024) FILM REVIEW
CHARACTER PERFORMANCE
Performances in this film are nothing short of stunningly perfect. Demi Moore, playing Elisabeth Sparkle, may have carried off the performance of her career. At 61 years young, Moore captures a character who is struggling with the reality that her prime years in Hollywood are behind her, and she’s doing whatever it takes to hold onto her youth.
She wears her vulnerability on her sleeve, and she’s not beyond showing the raw desperation of a woman trying to stay relevant in a world that discards aging consistently.
It’s the kind of performance that lingers because it feels so truthful, particularly considering Moore’s long career in an industry notoriously shallow when it comes to beauty.
Margaret Qualley plays Sue, the younger, artificial version of Elisabeth, bringing a ghostly contrast. While Elisabeth is worn down by times gone by and regret, Sue is vivid and full of life.
The tension between the two characters, for all means and purposes different versions of the same woman, creates an interesting dynamic. Qualley captures both the allure and eeriness of being the “perfect” younger version. It is not a role that is easy to perform, but she nails it.
Dennis Quaid is just as great as the slimy Hollywood producer, Harvey. His character is despicable, repulsive, and utterly convincing. Quaid brings a greasiness onto this role that makes you squirm in your seat, especially in scenes where he’s chewing food while hawking his sleazy lines. It’s the little things that bring his character to life and make him someone you love to hate.
VISUAL DESIGN AND CINEMATOGRAPHY
Visually, “The Substance” is something of a treat. The hyper-stylized cinematography recalls the likes of The Neon Demon, washing everything in sight with a slick, almost synthetic finish, which does, for the subject matter at play-heroin-come across rather well-applied.
The way the camera frames characters, especially Elisabeth’s aging face and Sue’s fresh features, adds another layer of depth to the story.
The lighting is sharp, the colors are vibrant, and the entire aesthetic of the visuals feels supremely intentional as if every shot is framed so that it reflects two of the main themes in the film: beauty and decay.
Perhaps the most striking thing about this film is how it uses body horror for a very visual metaphor: the ugliness lying right beneath society’s obsession with perfection. It indeed comes out great, with excellent prosthetics, makeup, and special effects.
The on-screen grotesque transformations aren’t only stomach-heaving but, rather, serve to remind the audience, in a greater scope, of how far people go to chase the illusive ideal of eternal youth. The climax scenes balance being both captivating and disturbing all at once.
STYLE OF WRITING AND STORY
The script is amazingly thoughtful for a body horror movie. But Coralie Fargeat also does not just rely on shock value-there is plenty of that, too also gives the characters depth.
Conversations are sharp, and sprinkled throughout is dark humor to lighten up the tension now and then. The pacing itself is deliberate in the way it takes its sweet time to build up tension; a satisfying third act that is plain horrifying.
It’s a deeply personal film dealing with issues of self-worth and societal pressure, mainly for females. Elisabeth’s desperation to hold onto her youth and relevance within an industry that worships the young and beautiful is something that many women, especially those in Hollywood, can likely relate to. The idea of self-competition–competing with a younger version of yourself–is an intriguing layer in the story.
At 140 minutes, it feels like a long film, but it’s never dragging. Every scene moves forward from the last, ratcheting up tension clear to the very final moments. The final where things get weird may push some viewers too far, but for those games for it, it’s one crazy, unforgettable ride.
THEMES
At its core, “The Substance” is a film about identity and the pressures of aging in a world obsessed with youth. The movie critiques our culture’s fixation on appearance and the extreme measures people take to look younger, prettier, or more perfect. But it goes even deeper than that. It questions what it means to be “yourself.”
Is the new, improved version of you really “you”? Is it, therefore, actually a change in who you are or just the way you present to the world?
Another theme present in this play, one that rang a lot of bells within me, is self-worth demonstrated through external validation. When Elisabeth is no longer desired, her sense of self is completely shattered, to the point where she commits drastic and irreversible action.
This is an incredibly powerful commentary regarding the devaluation of women with aging in today’s society, more so in the world of entertainment.
CONCLUSION
To be honest with you guys, “The Substance” is not for the faint of heart.
If you’re easily nauseous or not into body horror, this one may be over your threshold. But for the rest of them ones who like movies that push the envelope and take things to another level-it is a given. Demi Moore herself is worth the price of admission, but it’s the digs on beauty, identity, and what one pays for perfection that raise this movie to another level.
It’s visceral, uncomfortably so, and it continues to resonate long after the credits start rolling. You might leave the cinema feeling somewhat disturbed, but that’s the point meant to force one to confront the ugliness beneath the surface of our obsession with youth and beauty.
People also read – Wolfs (2024) Release Date, Casts, Trailer And Everything You Need To Know
The image used in this work belongs to the respective movie and its copyright holders. We do not claim any legal rights or ownership over this image, and we appreciate the movie’s creators for sharing such a captivating visual.
Please sign up for our newsletter to be alerted when new content is published and also, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comment section.
Note : If you subscribe to our newsletter, the review sent to your email is automatically routed to the promotion mail area, but you can move it to your primary inbox by adding our email to your address book by clicking the ‘Add us to your address book‘ button at the end of our review email.
