PLOT: An aging actress (Demi Moore) is given access to “The Substance,” which, if injected, is supposed to give her access to a younger, perfect version of herself. However, the substance also had certain rules to follow, and when she violates them, disaster soon follows.
REVIEW: The Substance was the unexpected toast of Cannes when it played there back in the spring. Critics hailed director Coralie Fargeat’s maximalist take on body horror, with many praising the fearless lead performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. I went into it expecting a solid little horror satire, but I didn’t think I’d be watching the greatest body horror movie made since the heyday of David Cronenberg.
Fargeat’s movie offers Demi Moore one of her career’s best (and most grotesque) roles. She plays Elisabeth Sparkle, a one-time movie star who’s now best known for hosting a popular morning workout show. On her birthday, she’s fired by her repulsive boss (Dennis Quaid – chewing the scenery and nailing the assignment), with the new directive being that they need to hire someone young and “fresh” to take her place.
Then, she’s approached and given access to “The Substance”, which offers her a Faustian bargain. If she injects “The Substance”, a younger, more physically perfect body will grow out of her (with her spinal column cracking open like an egg). The rule is that her younger version can only be sustained on her own for a week at a time. One week, the young version of Elizabeth, “Sue” (Margaret Qualley), gets to roam free while Elizabeth is in stasis. The next week – and vice versa. They share a consciousness/ If they violate this rule (which they soon do), the result is a complete and utter disaster.
At 140 minutes, The Substance is a slow burn as far as the horror aspect goes, with it more of a satire of Hollywood’s preoccupation with youth for the first half. As “Sue,” the younger version of Elizabeth, Margaret Qualley, is vivacious and easily manages to usurp Elizabeth’s former fame when she goes to work at her old network. Yet, despite sharing the same consciousness, the two halves grow jealous of each other, with Sue attempting to take more ownership over her life and body. The result is a physical and mental disaster for Elizabeth, who starts to resemble Jeff Goldblum in The Fly, with the prosthetic effects used impressively repulsive.
Unlike Cronenberg’s body horror films, Fargeat is more invested in the satiric angle (rather than the tragedy). The gore becomes so repulsive and over-the-top towards the end that the critic’s screening I attended grew increasingly raucous. Older audiences drawn in by Moore’s presence will be challenged by how “out there” this is, but younger genre audiences will eat this up, as it’s a real hoot.
Moore is perfectly cast and certainly fearless in the lead. Still gorgeous at sixty-two, Moore’s casting is ingenious, as anyone who grew up in the nineties no doubt remembers how her body and beauty were something the media obsessed over. If anyone knows how youth and beauty are currency in Hollywood, it’s her. As good as she’s been in plenty of movies, Moore has never had a role like this, which is like a 21st-century modern horror version of the types of roles once played by Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. This might be her What Ever Happened to Baby Jane. The fact that Moore obviously still looks so flawless makes the whole caveat that execs like the one played by Quaid think she’s over the hill somewhat of a gag unto itself. Certainly, the character played by Quaid, who’s not coincidently named Harvey (a la Weinstein), is a caricature of a very real kind of man that exists in Tinseltown. Still, the real problem here is also shown to be Elizabeth’s self-worth, which seems totally wrapped up in the adulation she receives from men and her (once) adoring public.
Margaret Qualley, as the younger version of the character, is similarly fearless, with her dazzling beauty nearly weaponizing her as Sue takes over Elizabeth’s life. Qualley’s one of those actresses who has always been nervy enough to deliver “big” performances without ever seeming self-conscious about her choices. I couldn’t imagine anyone else pulling off the turn she does here, with her and Moore perfectly complimenting each other despite rarely sharing the screen. In addition to the propulsive pace (the 140 minutes run by) and the visual style, Fargeat really emerges as one of the great new voices in horror.
Indeed, The Substance will be extremely controversial when it comes out, but it’s getting an ideal launching pad as the opening night movie at TIFF’s Midnight Madness. MUBI, who picked this up at Cannes, likely has their biggest movie ever on their hands, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a major indie hit.
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