A substance that can make people the most beautiful versions of themselves is handed out with an imagined warning sign that reads: “You can’t escape from yourself.”
Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, learns this lesson in the most violent of ways in “The Substance.” It’s painful, bizarre and all kinds of tragic as she fights tooth and nail to maintain beauty standards manufactured to profit off inescapable insecurities, especially those of women.
As a celebrity losing her charm and influence with the public due to simply existing as an aging woman, desperation is fierce. The appeal of a substance that claims to restore beauty to its maximum potential is irresistible, regardless of the consequences.
At first, it’s magical. She is reborn as Sue, the most beautiful girl in the world. Sue gets the TV deal. Sue is loved without question. Everyone just treats her better.
But Elisabeth still exists. Sue can only exist for seven days at a time before it’s back to being Elisabeth, and the balance must be respected, as they are one and the same.
Sue is pretty. Elisabeth doesn’t think she is. She finds a dangerous loophole to extend her time as Sue, ultimately leading to their joint gory downfall.
To try and describe the body horror in this film is to do it injustice. It’s an experience not for the squeamish. I cringed and covered my eyes, but I was still invested in what would happen next.
However, it’s not a perfect movie. It drags on longer than it needs to, relying on the same shock factor to keep it going. A lot of it could be condensed, which might make it stronger.
Still, there is a lot to love. The sound design was incredibly immersive, enhanced by the striking visuals. The performances by the two lead women, Margaret Qualley and Moore, were impossible to turn away from.
The film is in-your-face with the way it lingers on the curves of the younger woman’s body, her obsessive vanity apparent. The fixation on being beautiful doesn’t let up, even as the characters begin rotting into something monstrous.
This fixation is mirrored in the real world in many ways. There’s been a sharp uptick in eating disorder communities online, a space built on self-hatred and reaching impossible beauty standards. The community is primarily young girls without direction, relying on being beautiful to feel valuable.
“The Substance” got it exactly right. The desire to be beautiful is bound to become grotesque, even violent if prioritized above all else. It’s a slippery slope that Elisabeth slides down, ending in a brutal crash, beyond recovery.
If you can stomach it, “The Substance” is a must-see cinematic experience. It’s gross, it’s bloody and it’s got the guts to show how ugly femininity can be.
