The Substance (2024)

Dir: Coralie Fargeat

Cast: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid

Demi Moore gives a career-best performance in Coralie Fargeat’s audaciously disturbing feminist body horror – not one to watch on a full stomach

If the opportunity presented itself, what would you be willing to do to create a younger, “better” version of yourself? This is the question at the heart of “The Substance”, the latest from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat. It may only be her second full length feature, but I could not be more hyped going into my late night showing of the auteur’s feminist body horror. Fargeat’s only previous directorial credit, the sensational revenge thriller aptly titled…“Revenge”, was one of the standout releases of 2018, with the Parisian writer-director showcasing how her remarkable visual storytelling abilities and use of extreme violence can serve as a voice for female empowerment. Fargeat managed to take a classic exploitation setup and dissect it into something fresh, giving us one of the most badass heroines of modern cinema, all the while providing us with some of the most gnarly acts of violence in recent times.

For her second outing, Fargeat has opted to not just focus on how men see women, but also how women see themselves. “The Substance” satirises the impossible beauty standards seen within society, the kind that is constantly paraded in the media, further crushing those who have even the slightest degree of insecurity. Unfortunately this hyper fixation on youthfulness and body image is nothing new, it is something that has had a considerable impact on the entertainment industry for decades. Fargeat’s darkly comedic horror takes these unrealistic attitudes towards body image and amplifies them to eleven, serving as a timely reminder that it is social media and the press that implement these thoughts of body shaming and that the human body should be embraced for what it is.

The female body has been used in cinema for horrific effect on multiple occasions over the years, whether it be tackling the effects of puberty in Brian De Palma‘s “Carrie” (1976), or the daunting inevitability of childbirth in “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968). Even recently we have seen the female body undergo some serious body dysmorphia in Julia Ducournau‘s Palme d’Or winning “Titane” (2021). However, what makes “The Substance” refreshing is that Demi Moore‘s central character Elisabeth is way beyond her most fertile years, with the body horror elements expanding beyond the reproductive organs. The body horror on show is not one that comes by chance, it is self inflicted by Elisabeth herself, having been chewed up and spat out by the industry that made her a star as a result of her age. Moore looks fantastic in the film’s early scenes but feels obsolete once she is exposed to the shameful societal norm that sees attitudes towards her, and women in general, change once she turns 50.

On her 50th birthday, the Academy Award winning Elisabeth is fired from hosting her decades-popular aerobics show by misogynistic television executive Harvey (Dennis Quaid), and is subsequently involved in a car accident. Having been given the all-clear at the hospital, she receives a flash drive labelled “The Substance”, which promotes a mysterious serum that, when injected, creates a younger, more beautiful and more “perfect” version of one’s self. After some initial hesitation, Elisabeth orders, collects and injects herself with the single use “Activator”, causing the younger version of herself to be born from a slit in her back, in one of the movie’s many showcases of its remarkable practical effects and gut-churning gore.

This younger form, adopts the name “Sue” (Margaret Qualley), and is instructed by the mysterious supplier to inject a “Stabilizer” serum extracted from the unconscious Elisabeth each day. The two are required to switch bodies every seven days with no exception, with one remaining in a comatose state on the bathroom floor and the other living their life. The “perfect” Sue is destined for stardom, and is soon hired by Harvey to replace Elisabeth as the star of her own morning fitness show. With Sue ascending to new heights of fame and admiration, she begins to exploit the “Stabilizer” serum, going several days beyond the seven instructed by the supplier, resulting in Elisabeth ageing rapidly. The symbiotic relationship between the two spirals out of control as Sue slowly “eats” away at Elisabeth’s remaining years, while an ageing Elisabeth struggles with a deepening sense of inadequacy and loneliness.

My anticipation levels could not have been higher by the time “The Substance” was released theatrically in the UK at the weekend, having been such a fan of Fargeat’s previous work. Critics and audiences who have been lucky enough to have seen the film ahead of its worldwide release, whether this being at Cannes in the summer or TIFF a few weeks ago, have been seemingly bowled over by Fargeat’s distinctly visceral vision, with many reviewers online claiming it to be one of the most substantial yet grotesque body horrors in years. Once I found myself bearing witness to the unsightly visual of Margaret Qualley being “birthed” from the spine of a convulsing Demi Moore, I knew the hype was real.

Body horror has been a niche yet impactful subgenre over the decades, with many iterations such as “Tetsuo: The Iron Man”, or most works by David Cronenberg, proving that sometimes there is nothing to be more frightened of that what lies within. What Fargeat cleverly does in her approach to the body horror genre, is she flips it so it is what is on the outside that provides the movie with its more horrific moments. This all stems from the central narrative revolving around the fixation of youth and this unachievable “perfect” body image. As the film progresses, we start to see Elisabeth’s body deteriorate as her life is gradually drained by the fame hungry Sue. Each time Demi Moore’s central character finds herself as the conscious side of this twisted conjoined relationship, she becomes more haggard and repulsive, tanking her self-esteem in the process. Metaphorically, each waking minute Elisabeth spends having to see the perfect “female figure”, personified by Sue, flaunted in front of her in the media, she starts to feel older, uglier and less attractive to the opposite sex, with her self perception being taken to the extreme and impressively realised thanks to some fantastic Lovecraftian practical effects.

Demi Moore delivers a career defining performance as Elisabeth, a character that could be seen as a fictionalised version of Moore herself. Much liker her on-screen counterpart, Moore ascended to stardom in the 80’s and 90’s, having starred in huge hits like “Ghost” (1990) and “A Few Good Men” (1992). However, as Moore has gotten older, she has found herself short on work, an outcome most likely from her advanced age, with the industry despicably casting her aside to make way for younger Hollywood talent. One of these modern starlets who has seen their stock rise significantly in recent years is Margaret Qualley, an undeniable talent in her own right, making the duo the perfect counterparts in this satire on age and beauty throughout entertainment history.

Much like with her previous film, Fargeat manages to showcase her impeccable visual storytelling ability, with very few central characters to work with, and only a handful of sets but she utilises her impressive technical craft to heighten the feminist messages at the movie’s core. Fargeat and cinematographer Benjamin Kracun‘s use of vibrant colours, emphasise the artificial nature of the industry our characters find themselves in, which is beautifully juxtaposed by the cold white bathroom in which Elisabeth or Sue see out their unconscious days. What truly amplifies the macabre natures of “The Substance” though is the appropriately squelchy sound design, which really gets under your skin as it was you undergoing such monstrous body dysmorphia. It is also used exceedingly well to represent the vile nature of the men responsible for promoting such beauty standards, with Dennis Quaid’s slimy executive Harvey often being shot within inches of the lens as we are subject to each and every repellent gesture he conjures up, not to mention the nauseating way he devours a plate of shrimp.

Fargeat has delivered one of the finest examples of extreme cinema in recent years with “The Substance”, and while its messaging is very on the nose, I think subtlety was left far behind in the production process given the borderline bizarre direction the narrative takes in a completely bonkers final act. It may not be for everyone, as the visuals may prove to be too sickening with those with weaker stomachs, and the visual metaphors may be taken too literally by those less appreciative of Fargeat’s vision, but nothing can discredit what the promising filmmaker has managed to achieve here. It is a cinematic experience I will not stop thinking about for a while.

The Substance is now showing in UK Cinemas

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