Body horror film, “The Substance,” glamorizes and terrifies while critiquing society’s beauty standards.
How far are you willing to go to be the perfect version of you? French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat explores this topic in her latest film “The Substance.”
For those who are squeamish, this will be a difficult watch. At first, the film is a slow burn but manages to ramp up in intensity and horror. While watching, I was left continuously thinking “It can’t get any worse”, but I was wrong. It does.
Demi Moore takes on the role of Elisabeth Sparkle, a celebrity past her prime, tackling her old age as she attempts to remain relevant. On her fiftieth birthday, Sparkle is fired and gets into a car crash. While at the doctor, she comes in contact with someone who recommends she try a black market drug called “the substance.”
The substance markets itself as a solution to old age, deformities or anything else that’s considered a drawback to modern beauty standards. Following a particular set of rules for the drug, Sparkle switches between her older self and the younger Sue (Margaret Qualley).
Whenever there’s a shift between the two characters, the film’s tone also shifts. Elisabeth spends her days inside her apartment, hiding herself away from the public. During the time spent with Elisabeth, I could only pity her.
By contrast, Sue is outgoing, youthful and easy to love. It’s exciting to see her rise to the top in Hollywood. Elisabeth ends up with a reverse “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” situation as she finds difficulty in navigating the lives of herself and Sue. Eventually, resentment between the two builds up as they sabotage each other.
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley put everything into their performances. While the film is satirical in its approach, it also deals with a sensitive topic that would not work if the acting was bad.
The last fourth of the film is incredibly effective in evoking a response from the audience. The film ends on a high-note, the perfect balance of grotesque and glamorous.
The film’s cinematography is often disorienting. Many of the shots utilize an ultra wide lens with a shallow depth-of-field, communicating a sense of disillusionment between the viewer and characters. There’s a character in particular who always appears that way, Harvey (Dennis Quaid). He’s a caricature of a Hollywood executive. Using these cinematography techniques helps prove that point.
Overall, the cinematography is mesmerizing. The perspective of the camera is usually through the gaze of what the protagonist is seeing and feeling.
Subtlety is not a strong suit of the film. Although, it’s apparent that Fargeat intended for that to be the case. By its nature, body horror isn’t subtle. Body horror classics, such as David Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” were made to explore the lengths that people are willing to go to push boundaries. Body horror is an effective form of conveying the film’s message since it’s very literal in its interpretation.
“The Substance” is a must-see for horror fans. It’s a refreshing take on the body horror genre that successfully explore’s the danger of beauty standards for women.
“The Substance” was released Sept. 20.