To be a woman is body horror. To have a uterus is to exist through pain. From sore boobs to sensitive nipples and blood that coats our lives from month to month, there is no escaping our inherent destiny of cyclical torment. Even though we can quite literally create life, women’s bodies are scrutinized more than they are worshiped. This existence often leads us to view the world differently. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat understands this and splatters it on the screen in The Substance.
Recently lauded as one of the best body horror films of all time, the film quickly garnered attention and anticipation after its debut at the 77th Festival de Cannes this past May. While it didn’t win the highest honor of the festival, the Palme d’Or, it did take home the award for Best Screenplay.
The film follows former Oscar-winning actress Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), now the star of an aerobics show that feels somewhat dated. Her boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid) fires her on her 50th birthday, evidently because of her age. Some instances insinuate that she is either close to menopause or going through it. In her employers’ eyes, she is no longer of value. Distraught, disappointed, and dilapidated, Elisabeth gets in a car crash. This leads her to discover “The Substance,” a black market drug promising to create “the best version” of herself. This, of course, means a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” her. From this, Sue (Margaret Qualley) is born.
Fargeat doesn’t hold back with her macabre, satirical horror. While obvious with its criticism, the entire film surpasses expectations due to its commendable originality. The Substance works in a rich color palette often contrasted with sterilized imagery. It also thrives through its creative camera angles. It’s beaming with disgusting close-ups of spit and chewing and anxiety-inducing focus on skin texture, wrinkles, and other vain “imperfections.” The director’s particular attention to men’s imperfections emphasizes the double standard of beauty in the gender binary that allows men to be disgusting, unkempt, and unhygienic. Also, their entire line delivery and acting choices make the men in this film very characteristic of how men often talk to women, demean them, and go about without a care in the world because of the privilege of their sex.
Fargeat’s debut feature film, Revenge (2017), is more external with its violence. In it, a woman seeks revenge after a man sexually assaults her. In The Substance, a lot of the pain and torture is self-inflicted and introspective. Along these lines, it’s evident this film tackles ageism in Hollywood, focusing on how fame fades. Most people die trying to regain it while failing to hold onto their authenticity. Elisabeth’s hopes, dreams, career, and livelihood go down the drain because of something she can’t control. Yet, it feels that what she craves isn’t vindication or respect. Instead, she wants the attention back. There’s also the more obvious metaphor for body dysmorphia. It dissects how this plagues so many due to unrealistic societal demands of beauty standards.
With a runtime of two hours and twenty minutes, there is a lot of ground to cover. It speaks volumes in a film where women rarely get a word in while in the presence of men. This increases thanks in part to the film’s sound design, which heightens everything. Scenes with a falling tooth or a nail being ripped off are ten times worse because of every single detail we can feel through the auditory experience. As for the soundtrack, the music transports the viewers to what feels like a demented Charli XCX music video.
Ultimately, Fargeat presents a cautionary tale akin to The Picture of Dorian Grey. Here a woman gives into self-hatred and insecurity. She cannot escape herself after giving an unnatural birth to that hate. It’s quite Grecian and mythical when you dissect it as she gives into the societal fetishization of youth. Then, as the film goes on, Elisabeth almost begins to rot as a reflection of her self-worth.
Fargeat’s second feature film delivers unexpected twists and turns. The ending is unpredictable. The performances are memorable, with Demi Moore delivering what will now become one of the best of her career. It also highlights the nagging fact that to be a woman in a patriarchal society is to perform until you are in the comfort of your solitude and the mask can finally come off. This low sci-fi horror will make you ask yourself: was it all worth it? In the end, The Substance begs us to love our bodies and waves a middle finger at what a “perfect” woman should be.
Rating: 8/10
The Substance will be in U.S. theaters on September 20th.
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