Demi Moore confronts a younger version of herself in Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, a film that deals uncompromisingly with the madness of youth.
He’s also merciless toward lead actress Demi Moore (Elizabeth Sparkle in “The Substance”). Photo: Movie
Beauty has an expiration date in the entertainment industry. It’s Elizabeth Sparkle’s (Demi Moore) 50th birthday. Like her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the actress, who had better days that day, is unceremoniously kicked out of her fitness show. The audience expects a younger body in front of the cameras, the ratings are on the line, and ultimately, the shareholders’ good will. In just a few sentences, the obnoxious producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) puts an end to her career.
French director Coralie Fargeat’s <더 서브스턴스>The film starts off extremely disgusting with body horror that is unbearable during its two-and-a-half-hour running time. In a fancy restaurant, Elizabeth is forced to endure the humiliation of being kicked out by her boss. The wide-angle camera is just inches from Harvey’s face as he stuffs shrimp dipped in butter into her mouth, sealing the end of Elisabeth’s career in a sexist, vulgar way.
Dennis Quaid’s deep, majestic, smug grin, close-ups of his oiled lips, and body-slapping gestures create body horror all their own. This scene, which Demi Moore recently appeared in, is one of the most disgusting scenes in the movie. “Late Night with Seth Meyers”
Mysterious Medicine
“substance.” Director: Coralie Paget. Starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, etc. UK/USA/France 2024, 140 min.
When Elizabeth is offered a mysterious drug called “The Substance”, she believes it is the way out of her decline. The drug is said to allow her to become a better version of herself by cloning her own cells. As long as she adheres to one rule, her old and new selves must be replaced every week. A rule she obviously does not follow.
All it takes is a phone call from an anonymous voice, and a few days later, Elizabeth picks up a package from her locker containing various liquids, syringes, and tubes. This is where the grotesque madness begins. After injecting herself with the substance, a younger version of herself appears on her back.
What follows is a hard-hitting judgment on the entire entertainment industry’s obsession with sexism, beauty, and youth. The “newborn” named Sue (Margaret Qualley) is a sleek, voluptuous, and completely conforms to the expected beauty ideal. While Elizabeth’s naked body lies in a sort of coma on the bathroom floor, Sue is cast as a successor to a fitness show. Her boss and his male entourage are shocked.
Make a deal with the devil
The giant advertising banner in front of Elizabeth’s chic luxury apartment with a panoramic view of Los Angeles soon shows her body, no longer in a tight-fitting bodysuit, but in a number of bodies. The female body is a commodity that can be quickly disposed of. Those who are no longer young and sexy are thrown out. For Elizabeth, who knows nothing else but her body’s sexual transformation, taking substances is a pact with the devil.
With voyeuristic pleasure, the camera juxtaposes female bodies, young and old.
The world that Fargeat shows us is an anachronistic one. The story seems to take place in the present, at least as smartphones and flat-screen TVs suggest, but this universe is missing one aspect: social media. The television show business still dominates the domestic entertainment industry.
With great pleasure in voyeurism, the camera juxtaposes the two women’s bodies: here Sue’s young, fit, flawless body, there Elizabeth’s body with the wrinkles and dents of age. Through provocative images, Fargeat shows Sue emerging as a new star on the television scene.
that Paint gauze, She wants to deconstruct and perpetuate it through film. While she showers, the camera scans Sue’s plump breasts and curves lustfully. She repeatedly films herself from behind looking at her crotch, and when she bends over while dancing, the camera gazes delightfully through her legs.
exaggerated media satire
Coralie Fargeat’s over-the-top media satire follows a logic of dramatic excess that doesn’t show any purification or mercy for its characters. Rather, the film wants to blow up the entire system. It’s a lot of fun for a long time, and you throw your hands up over the crazy, almost absurd idea of Fargeat allowing Elizabeth’s body to be abused. The body horror unfolds in a grand style and cramped environment, building up until the grand finale.
Demi Moore, who has rarely starred in major films in recent years, is celebrating her grand return with a bold performance. The overlong film sometimes gets lost in the repetition. Padgett, who won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes for “The Substance,” pays homage to the great horror classics. Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” Overlook Hotel is cited, as is Brian De Palma’s intense bloody orgy scene in “Carrie.”
‘The Substance’ is an outrageous and extravagant genre film that throws all forms of restraint and nuance overboard. You can either judge it as a grand and terribly evil spectacle, or dismiss it as a somewhat unsubstantial piece of media criticism.
