The pressure that comes with trying to achieve certain beauty ideals and an obsession with youth is not a new phenomenon. But Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” comes out alongside the defining period of Ozempic, where a single shot claims to address weight problems individuals struggled with over the past decade but did not want to surgically alter their body for. On my social media, the ads advertise a chance to feel like your old self, adding value to it by stating people can try it for cheap and experience quick results. The term alluring comes awfully close, does it not? This is where the connection between GLP weight loss drugs and the ‘substance’ in the movie ends. But Fargeat, who both penned the movie as well as directed it, transforms the Neverending search for youth into a blood sprinkled neon drenched glory.
Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once a showstopper actress, but over the years, like her star mark on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, she has sadly faded.
Heartbroken over the fact that she was unceremoniously dumped for her age, Elizabeth discovers The Substance, a mysterious product that allows her to create a younger version of herself. This version of her would be more suitable for the youth obsessed entertainment industry. Despite the massive appeal of The Substance, it works like the monsters in ‘Gremlins’ where it comes with its own set of rules. Elizabeth can only activate her younger self once and after that, both versions of her will switch off every seven days. With endless possibilities ahead of her, Elizabeth is left wondering if the need to pursue youth comes with it’s own set of consequences.
After severing the ties of one’s being and identity, Fargeat exhibits sympathy toward the life of Elizabeth and her grotesque counterpart, Sue. What starts as a young beginning manifests into something unexplainably scary.
At the body of substance, Fargeat details how David Cronenberg utilizes body horror in “The Brood,” depicting how a mad scientist mercilessly experiments on a pregnant woman. The same gleefully sadistic approach was expertly captured in Stuart Gordon’s “Re-Animator,” which has green goo that looks like The Substance, James Whale’s “The Invisible Man,” a medical marvel gone wrong, and Brian De Palma’s “Carrie,” which depicts a girl’s pain using copious blood and destruction. Maybe It is somewhat too evident within the narrative that Bernard Herrmann’s “Vertigo” theme is used, but it is appropriate within the context and tone of obsession.
Just as she made the lean-and-mean feature Revenge her tight debut, Fargeat sticks to writing a limited cast in a tight oh-so friendly script for the film. She balances her talented on-screen colleagues with equally aggressive behind-the-camera crew such as cinematographer, Benjamin Kracun, who “Revenge” literally painted pink and blue. He also transforms the colors into vibrant bold ones, appropriate for Beverly Hills, costumes by Emmanuelle Youchnovski, which adds even more catching color and materials to shape the charisma of all characters, and the composer Raffertie, whose catchy, palpitating beats and songs makes it feel like the movie is driving through the 405.
“The Substance” cleverly masquerades a critique of the entertainment industry with a super fun narrative on the issue. This is most prominently showcased in how the movie is able to tell the story of how the world exploits the search for eternal youth in a tongue in cheek manner. And speaking of narratives, Fargeat and Kracun cleverly utilize an uncomfortable wide angle lens to capture how hot and annoying Harvey is which further emphasizes how hypocritical he is for shutting down Elizabeth’s show. His level of obnoxiousness is so high, that it is very cartoonish in nature. And in conjunction with that, the orange saturated sets that are present at the television studio where an elongated hallway is filled with carpet themed after The Shining adds further logical enhancement that aligns with the otherworldly theme of the movie. Not to forget the bizarre pharmaceutical depot that Elizabeth tours which looks like it’s straight from the film Space Odyssey 2001.
Speaking of impressive transformations, Sue’s character alone is redefined into one more appealing to teenagers and younger people while also being extremely loveable and hot.
Unlike Sue’s fitness show, Elizabeth’s workout clips are specifically created for her executives’ fondness for body parts. For example, let’s take Harvey, who is fetishizing and marketing these parts to assuage the idolization of youth and the flaunting skin that comes along with it. As far as mustache-twirling villains go, Quaid may lack the facial hair, but his laughter is maniacal and his persona is indeed close heartless suiting Harvey’s flashy dresses. It would seem he is having the time of his life acting badly, and in this case, he is the perfect depiction of the side of women’s cruelty in the industry. It is undoubtedly Quaid’s best performance in recent years, and its not even the best in this film.
The Substance is enhanced by Moore’s unmatched performing skills as a self-loathing woman, while at the same time, dealing with society’s expectations and a new reliance on a drug. One particular captivating scence featured a character named Elizabeth standing in front of the mirror and meticulously preparing her makeup and dressing herself. Despite looking glamorous and elegant, her disheartened gaze paints a grimmer picture as she looks too deeply at her imperfections instead of her beauty. It’s easy to sit here and talk about how much we stress over the more realistic aspects and details. Most of us know too well the fussing over accessories and lipstick colors, or the adding and shedding of clothes and jewelry for self a spruce and to feel good in one’s skin. The sad truth is–in today’s pretend world–while Elizabeth is trying to improve her image outwardly, deep down, she is simply bringing out the worst in herself. The contrast of the lashes and lipstick vividly screaming at the viewer the beauty she herself portrays is heart-shattering. As disarming as it sounds, denying the existence of such illnesses will forever alter her life. While this may feel like our modern day moral story, the horrifying truths, that tragically lie at the core of The Substance has been with us through some tough decades, the differences issues the movie portrays are so much more complicated than they seem.
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