'The Substance' is a Brilliant High
To quote Cypher from The Matrix, "Jesus, what a mind job." Writer/Director Coralie Fargeat's The Substance is an excessive exercise in aging and relevancy. It's about the need to thrive for a nostalgic time that only leads to consequences for not living in the present. Furthermore, it's about women who Hollywood objectifies. The Substance is a gross-out feature that is about much more than gore. The film is a ten out of ten on the crazy scale. It's bold in its approach. So bold that I applaud it for its valiant effort.
The plot of The Substance is simple to follow. An aging celebrity's notoriety is fading away with each passing day. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) had it all. She was a workout instructing sensation who earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As time goes by, so does Elizabeth's age. She's no longer in her twenties. Now in her fifties, Elisabeth yearns to be young again. As fortune would have it, she's offered a substance that will make a younger version of herself. Out of despair, Elisabeth takes the drug. Like most horror films, everything that goes wrong starts with a stupid decision. Why would Elisabeth accept such a substance without knowing the side effects? To even gain access to it, she must crawl under a metal door leading to a dank basement hallway where her delivery of the Substance is available for her pickup. Wouldn't she worry about being assaulted in that place?
Unlike most horror films where the protagonist's foolishness leads to their suffering, we empathize with why Elisabeth leaps into the mysterious abyss. The need for fame is relatable. When famous, it must feel like being on a drug. Once the high wears off, the crash is unbearable. You'd do anything to get that feeling again. What Elizabeth does is ridiculous. Accepting a random substance from a creepy stranger is irrational, but who's to say we wouldn't do the same thing in her position? Elizabeth doesn't come off as selfish or cruel. At one point, she accepts an old classmate's phone number who bears a striking resemblance to Ned Ryerson from Groundhog Day. The man is lightyears out of Elizabeth's league, but she takes his number out of kindness. A lot of famous people would just blow him off.
Elizabeth's rise to fame isn't completely layered. I don't get how a Richard Simmons-inspired workout show would amount to being a major Hollywood star. Regardless of that, the film grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. When Elisabeth takes the Substance, a younger version of herself is born. Crawling out of Elisabeth's back like a scene from a David Cronenberg film. That's only the beginning of how ludicrous this movie gets. When Elisabeth's younger self, Sue (Margaret Qualley), is born, Elizabeth's life becomes a living nightmare. In order to survive, Sue and Elizabeth must intravenously share the Substance. One comes to life while the other sleeps, yet both are one. If that sounds confusing, it'll make sense when you see the movie. I don't want to spoil it as it is a shocking thrill ride you must experience for yourself.
The film is topped off with some A-grade performances and incredible aesthetics. The Substance is a comeback for Demi Moore. Ms. Moore must play terrified, depressed, and repressed all at once, and she does so magnificently. Maybe it's because the content is relatable to Ms. Moore, similar to how The Wrestler hit Mickey Rourke close to home. It's an actor playing a burnout version of themselves, so it's not a stretch for them to reach deep into their bag of buried emotions. Adding to Demi Moore's performance is a terrifying Margaret Qualley. Qualley's Sue is narcissism incarnate. Sue doesn't care what it takes; she'll objectify herself all day if it can get her a part on Pump it Up. Qualley is a petrifying monster hidden underneath an outer veil of beauty.
Sue's a reflection of the greed we incorporate when facing success. We push others away while soaking in the approval of strangers. We all wish we could stop aging, but it's a certainty. One that Elisabeth can't accept. She rejects her natural beauty in favor of a drug similar to steroids and plastic surgery. When the roids wear off, our muscles turn into flab, just like how plastic surgery makes us look like dolls instead of people. By renouncing what we're born with, we make ourselves suffer.
Despite cloning herself, Elisabeth can't share the same consciousness as Sue. What's the point of using the Substance, then? Perhaps, in a way, Elisabeth thought she could live vicariously through Sue, except that she can't be conscious when Sue is awake. It's a reminder that we can't relive the past. If we do, we're doomed to an existence full of longing and resentment towards those who are more successful than us.
Much of the story is communicated with limited dialogue, relying heavily on visual metaphors. The picture opens with a birdseye view of a needle injecting something into an egg, causing the egg to copy itself. Next, we get a similar overhead angle of Elizabeth Sparkle's Hollywood Star. There's a time-lapse where we see the star crack and a bystander spill his hamburger all over it. Through powerful images, we get the idea of who Elisabeth is and what's going to happen to her without a word needing to be said. From the shot selection to the usage of vibrant colors and costume choices, Coralie Fargeat aesthetically hits the nail on the head. It's filmmaking at its best. Raffertie's score for the film is also incredible, bringing its visuals of sexual vitality and body horror to life in a strong synthetic presentation that would make Trent Reznor proud.
Not only is The Substance the most bonkers film of the year, but it's also one of the best. It's not shocking or objectifying for the sake of getting a rise out of the audience. It's all meant to convey the inevitability of aging. To be a successful woman, you have to be attractive in a male world. To age is to be dead. You must always be sexy to thrive. None of that is more clear than through Dennis Quaid playing a slimy Producer. It's one of the best performances from an actor who otherwise bores me, I have ever seen. Quaid's character is a nod to Harvey Weinstein. A not-so-subtle fact when Dennis Quaid's character is literally called Harvey. He's so over the top in his scene-chewing that he may as well have been animated.
Coralie Fargeat has made an existential horror film for the ages. It's not only resonant but darkly hilarious and terrifying. It's like John Carpenter's The Thing mixed with Requiem for a Dream. The movie is loaded with moments that will make you want to look away, especially if you're squeamish about needles. Do you remember Jared Leto's purple heroine-infected in Requiem for a Dream? Imagine seeing that shot over and over again. The Substance is a graphic film with a soul. It's not just horror or blatant sexualism. It's a reminder that our lives are short. How we choose to spend it is up to us. Do we let go of the past? Do we choose to love ourselves for who we are? Or do we drown ourselves in substances to feel young again?
I don't know how this film will stand out in ten years. Either people will forget about it, or it will gain a cult following. It won't win everyone over. The Substance is bizarre beyond words, which will likely turn a lot of people off. I loved every inch of its depravity. For my money, you can add The Substance to the list of potential horror classics.
