Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Edward Hamilton Clark, Gore Abrams
Release Date: September 20, 2024
Genre: Drama, Horror
Rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language.
Runtime: 2h 20m
Review:
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is a wickedly twisted satire about aging in an appearance obsessed society that gets crazier as it barrels into its finale. Fargeat's film makes great use of striking visuals to create the elevated sense of reality to drive home how the old are so incredibly old and decrepit while the young are practically bursting at the seams with vitality and sexual energy. She makes great use of colors throughout to create a striking series of images that are bound to leave an impression for a variety of reasons. The story itself is thematically loaded outside of the most obvious aspect of it all especially as it turns into a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde conflict that pits an older and younger version of yourself against each other. It’s an interesting angle that adds a lot more depth to the entire thing as it turns into a meditation on what we are in our youth and how it affects our older selves. Needless to say, there's plenty to chew on after it all ends and the film is so cartoonishly over the top to drive home its point that it might be a bit too much for some people. Demi Moore is fully committed throughout as she dives headfirst into every aspect of the incredibly unglamourous role. Her performance gives a solid sense of the character's internal turmoil as she tries to cope with aging as she's thrust aside the moment a younger, hotter starlet hits the scene. She's shot in every unflattering light imaginable and that's before things get decidedly stranger and more grotesque. On the opposite end is Margaret Qualley who is shot like she's constantly in the world's horniest soda ad or aerobics videos. Qualley leans into it with glossy eyed aggressiveness and lip biting that set her sex appeal to a thousand. Dennis Quaid serves as the stand in for every gross man you've ever met. Quaid is deliciously over the top every time he pops up onscreen with the extreme close up of his face channeling the uncomfortable invasion of space these kinds of guys are prone to. They are all fascinating performances, but this might be a career best for Moore who just goes for broke even during its finale. The finale act does start to suffer a bit as the film overstays it's welcome which might have some people getting flashbacks of 1989's cult film Society. The Substance stumbles a bit in its close but that doesn't keep it from being an effective satire told via strong performances and a strong visual language.
B+
