Film Review: 'The Substance' Is One Of The Craziest - And Best - Films Of The Year

Since the 1970s, the words “David Cronenberg” have become synonymous with the term “body horror”. Titles like Videodrome, The Fly, and Crash have pushed the boundaries of cinema’s capabilities, turning every orifice of the human body into symbols of sexual liberation, imprisonment, and terror that the imagination could never have comprehended. Over the last few years, a number of French directors have seemed to thrust the boundaries of the genre even further past its breaking point, bringing images to the screen that have left theatergoers with their jaws on the floor. One of the filmmakers spearheading this movement, Coralie Fargeat, has made one of the best movies of the year with The Substance, a “fuck you” letter to Hollywood’s general treatment of women as commodities to sell an idealistic sexual fantasy rather than as human beings.

Elisabeth Sparkle (outstandingly portrayed by Demi Moore) is an Academy Award winning actress whose hosts a popular aerobics television show, signing off each show by blowing a kiss to her viewers. She walks off the set on her 50th birthday only to learn that she’s been fired. At lunch with her boss (an unhinged Dennis Quaid in maybe his finest performance since 2002’s The Rookie), she is informed that she is now too old, and Hollywood needs something younger. Distracted, she gets into a near-fatal car crash. This turn of events leads her to meet a young nurse, who slips her a flash drive promoting a product called The Substance.

Sparkle plugs the USB into her television and watches images flash across the screen to a pulsing techno club soundtrack, informing the viewer that they can become “a younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of themselves. With nothing left to lose, she buys in. Everything about the purchase is shady; from the unmarked storage unit in a dingy corner of Los Angeles where she picks up the product, to the vague phone calls she has with the deep-voiced customer service representative.

The rules of how The Substance works are laid out in an effective way, with Fargeat relying very little on dialogue and letting the images onscreen speak for themselves. While I won’t give away too much. I’ll say this: the activation of The Substance leads to the creation of another, younger version of Elisabeth (played incredibly by Margaret Qualley). The two are locked into a unique state of symbiosis, with one person laying comatose while the other lives. Each week, they switch positions. Each time one person wakes up from their state of paralysis, they find an element of their life has been altered, and it becomes increasingly more drastic with each cycle.

As all films go, we quickly learn that rules are meant to be broken, thus driving the story forward and creating conflict. The Substance takes this concept to an entirely new level, going beyond levels of batshit crazy that is impossible to comprehend. Every decision made by one of these characters manages to drive the story into maddeningly tense territory; what they do to one another alters the state of their existence in some irreparable way.

The contrasting cinematography from Benjamin Kracun highlights the differences not just between the way men and women are portrayed, but the way in which the lives of Moore and Qualley’s characters inhabit their worlds. Elisabeth Sparkle’s existence begins bright but gets darker and more disgusting with each choice; Qualley’s (going by the name “Sue”) is bright, flawless, free of any wrinkle or blemish, whether on or off her body. Men are intentionally portrayed in unflattering ways as to highlight the way they view all women; the choices in camera angles and lighting are effective.

The last half-hour of this movie had me hunched forward in my seat; I’m not even sure I blinked. It goes into territory that would sound insane if I tried to write it out here, but rest assured, it happened. I can’t recommend this movie enough. If gore is unsettling to you, this might not be for you. But if you think you can handle it, try The Substance, But know that once you inject it, there’s no going back. You cannot unsee what has been done. 

The Substance is now playing in theaters everywhere. You can click here to find showtimes in your area.

Release Date: September 20th, 2024
Rated: R (for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity, and language)
Running Time: 2 hours, 21 minutes

Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Written by: Coralie Fargeat
Produced by: Coralie Fargeat, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Starring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid