The Substance Review: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley-Starrer Is A Searing Takedown of Ageism And Unrealistic Beauty Standards

A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness. Coralie Fargeat’s satirical body horror ‘The Substance’ debunks this and a hundred other lies we tell ourselves. Beauty doesn’t lie in the eyes of the beholder as much as it does in the physical attributes that live up to western beauty standards. A perfect butt with no stretch marks, a banging body and flawless skin is all it takes for Sue (played by the ravishing Margaret Qualley) to break the TRP ratings with her show “Pump it Up with Sue”.
Where does Sue get this beauty from? How does she keep getting younger? What’s her secret? It is obviously the unconscious body of a 50-something Elisabeth (Demi Moore, in a career-best performance) from which Sue extracts the stabilizing fluid.

The Substance Movie: Plot

Sue keeps getting younger as Elisabeth ages faster than usual. “Remember, she is you. Respect the balance and there will be no inconveniences”, says a voice on the other side of the phone. As Sue goes out, dates hot men and appears on the cover of Vogue, an old Elisabeth with wrinkled skin struggles to find balance.
The Substance, both the film and the green-coloured liquid, serves as a reminder of one's mortality. Taking life force out from Elisabeth disbalances Sue. The phrase “Remember you are one” flashes across the screen in a split-second each time Sue doesn't switch and gets destabilized. The transactional nature of beauty—which makes Sue and Elisabeth get into a blood-soaked, mirror-breaking, furniture-shattering physical confrontation—is portrayed by Fargeat to near-perfection.

The Substance Movie: Performances

A searing takedown of ageism and unrealistic beauty standards, ‘The Substance’ makes its message clear—none of us are immune to aging—at some point in our lives, “Jurassic fitness” might just become a reality for us. The Hauntingly Brilliant scene where Elisabeth enters a restaurant, only to discover another Substance-abuser like her is the highlight of the film.

“Has she started eating up on you yet”, asks an octogenarian man as Elisabeth realizes the ugly truth: Sue is her and she will go to any extent to look young, even at the cost of her other self. It is also a major hint towards how the experiment is unfolding for other Substance users. They aren't able to balance the compulsory seven day switch.

The Substance Movie: Writing And Direction

Seldom does a critic find themselves at a loss for words. The final 20 minutes of The Substance are horrifying, disgusting, sad, hilarious all at the same time. A conjoined Elisabeth and Sue transform into a monster and make an appearance at the New Year's Eve celebration, causing mayhem.

Blood splatters all across the auditorium. A part of Elisabeth crawls back to her now wornout star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Arguably, the saddest moment in the film is when Elizabeth has a change of heart about terminating Sue. She looks at the bouquet of red roses and realizes this is the only part of herself that people love. The commentary on the alienation of elderly is sharp and the pain that comes with social exclusion is palpable in the scene.

The Substance Movie: What Works, What Doesn't

The film has a phenomenal sound design. The ominous background score, haunting visuals of camera zooming into Elisabeth/Sue's skin as they stabilize and stitch themselves might just creep you out. If that wasn't enough, there are organs flying out of Sue's body, eyes and teeth merging together in a horrific fashion.

The film does require willing suspension of disbelief and there are a few logical inconsistencies you might come across. How was Sue able to build a sleek secret compartment in her bathroom with a door with a food partition? How was Sue able to enter the sets of the New Year celebration?

Having said that, the winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes this year, The Substance, is one of the best films to have come out in 2024. Its bizarre, creepy plot is very reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Kinds of Kindness’ and will leave you spellbound at its shocking finale.

Star rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

The Substance will premiere on Mubi India on October 31.