‘The Substance’ is a body horror picture about an aging actress that goes to extreme measures to recapture her success.
Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was America’s sweetheart, earning a star on the Walk of Fame and the love of her adoring fans. When the acting roles became scarce, she shifted to television, hosting a fitness program. But when an executive (Dennis Quaid) decides it’s time to pull the plug, Elisabeth makes one last desperate attempt to save her career. The Substance is a self-administered drug that clones the user, only using the best parts of them to create an other — younger, firmer and more attractive. The birth of Sue (Margaret Qualley) is the resurrection of Elisabeth’s heyday that she experiences from afar. However, the catch is only one of them can be active at once and they must switch every seven days — without fail. When the balance is abused, there are irreversible consequences.
There’s a bravery to allowing a camera to capture one’s naked form and even greater courage in projecting it on a screen of any size, let alone the big screen. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat treats nudity as not only one of life’s essentials, but as a method of exposing all of our insecurities. Even worse, after the treatment, Elisabeth wakes up to a perfect alternative of herself every week, embellishing every perceived flaw in her own body and making it difficult not to compare. The cinematography and editing play a major role in conveying the characters’ perceptions of themselves, as well as the implications of using the substance.
The first two acts are a familiar style of body horror with both women struggling to maintain the required balance. The treatment itself is also grisly, from the upsetting reproduction to the grim therapy required to keep them both alive. That said, the last act goes to unexpected extremes that disrupt the narrative flow, but emphatically emphasize the key message. The initial story about the difficulties of maturing gracefully gives way to a full-on monster movie, completely changing the tone of the movie and haphazardly pointing out the absurdity of the societal value assigned to appearances.
The Substance had its North American premiere in the Midnight Madness programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Read other reviews from the festival.
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore and Dennis Quaid
