Hollywood is hell. Especially for women. Even more so for women of a certain age. In a society that views them as disposable and instantly replaceable, some former starlets would do anything to elongate their presence in the spotlight, including experimenting with black market drugs that will transform them into better and younger versions of themselves. Such is the premise behind Coralie Fargeat’s brand new body horror, The Substance.
Starring Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, an Oscar winning actress turned morning show fitness presenter, who faces being replaced in her job due to her having the audacity to age. With the added pressure of sleazy television executive, the aptly named Harvey (played by Denis Quaid), Sparkle accepts her firing, yet is quickly intrigued by an introduction to a black market drug called The Substance which promises to replicate cells and creates a younger, better version of the subject. With a strict set of guidelines which includes only being able to spend 7 days as each persona, Elisabeth “gives birth” to Sue (Margaret Qualley), who then goes on to become Elisabeth’s replacement on fitness tv. However, as the lines between Elisabeth and Sue become blurred, the side effects of abusing The Substance soon becomes apparent, with utterly horrific results.
The Substance is a highly grotesque, yet expertly crafted thorough examination of not only ageing in Hollywood and the public eye, but also society’s perception of women and the femme body, and self-perception. In the best role of her career, Moore traverses through several stages of emotions that surround her predicament, whether that be extreme grief over the loss of her career, anxiety and body dysmorphia or the feeling of jealousy towards her younger self. The dual characters of Elisabeth Sparkle/Sue represent the female experience at all stages of life, inviting the audience to be complicit in the consumption of the female body and the way society pressures women to present themselves.
The cinematography within The Substance is of exceptional note, with the use of extreme closeups as well as fish-eye lens to emphasise the discomfort Fargeat wishes to project onto the audience. The colour theory used without is vibrant and at times, garish. Elisabeth is represented through a triadic colour scheme, with the use of primary colours used to signify her psychological state – isolated, uncomfortable, obsessive, insecure – whereas Sue is symbolised by the colour pink – sweetness, beauty and the ideological feminine.
The Substance wears its influences firmly on it’s sleeves, from the cinematic references to Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for A Dream (2000) and David Cronenberg’s back catalogue, and odes to works of literature such as Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film is a rollercoaster ride through a freak show funhouse to say the least, yet it has cemented itself as an entry for film of the year, with both director Coralie Fargeat and star Demi Moore achieving their absolute career peaks.
5 Screams Out of 5
The Substance is out in UK & Irish cinemas on Friday 20th September.