*This review will contain spoilers for “The Substance”*
“I need you… ‘cause I hate myself.”
“The Substance,” initially released Sept. 20, 2024, follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), who has just been forced to stop hosting an aerobics television program due to her age. Looking for a way to rejuvenate her image and life, she takes The Substance, which promises to create a newer, better version of herself.
Elisabeth then births her reinvented form, Sue (Margaret Qualley), who is everything she isn’t: young, perky, stylish, and overall flawless. The “birthing” scene in which Sue’s body rips Elisabeth’s back open and emerges from underneath her skin is vile, conveying the pain and suffering Elisabeth is willing to endure simply to regain fame and adoration from the masses. One of the film’s many consistent successes is its willingness to be unapologetically honest about the excruciating process The Substance takes Elisabeth through, dramatizing the lengths to which women in real life often undergo cosmetic surgeries and take beauty-enhancing drugs to drastically alter their appearance.
However, taking The Substance came with a condition. Elisabeth and Sue could not both be conscious at the same time; The two had to take week–long turns living and trade off exactly every seven days. The other body would remain dormant until the “awake” body would initiate the switching process. Despite this, Sue does not respect the balance. She extends her designated periods, which takes a toll on Elisabeth’s body. Elisabeth is relentless and Sue is unstoppable— while they are essentially two iterations of the same person, both consciousnesses bring an engaging perspective to their mutual fight for adoration.
Demi Moore’s entire performance of Elisabeth’s desperation to improve herself is raw and unfortunately accurate to reality. She becomes increasingly outraged as her body gradually decays while Sue violates the rules that were set in place to keep both bodies in a harmonious balance. Her fury is palpable, practically felt through the screen that separates the viewer from the story. Elisabeth is forced to watch Sue thrive in a life that was formerly hers, and renders herself helpless due to her commitment to letting Sue pave her own way in the world in her stead.
Elisabeth’s once invigorating routine becomes monotonous, giving both Elisbeth and the audience a chance to mull over whether the choice to take The Substance is doing more harm than good. The juxtaposition of Sue’s glamorous day-to-day routine with Elisabeth’s hollow hours spent at home is effective in portraying how separated the worlds of the two entities are, and invokes feelings of pity towards Elisabeth. At one point, she gets out a calendar and goes through labeling days “SUE” and then crossing out the rest. Elisabeth feels as though her livelihood doesn’t really matter anymore if it’s not directly producing success. The suffocating feeling of existing until you can live is difficult to capture, but “The Substance” does in a haunting and harrowing way.
Elisabeth’s guttural scream when she sees the aftermath of Sue spending around three months awake on her body solidifies the film as what it truly is: a horror story. The consequences of the decisions she made were irreversible, and the status she longed for was only achieved for a brief period of time before she met her untimely demise.
While Sue was supposed to function as a gift to Elisabeth that would grant her better opportunities and a second chance at life, she ended up being an uncontrollable curse. The ending of the movie is a grotesque bloodbath that ensues for an uncomfortably long time, however it truly drives home the message of the film. The nausea inducing-visuals throughout the film are jarring, but they only enhance the already excruciating emotions one would feel while watching.
“The Substance” is both a critique of society and cautionary tale: It warns viewers of the dangers of succumbing to the impossible beauty standards women are expected to meet, and the consequences of attempting to reach that level of “perfection.” While many might find the method of delivering this sentiment to be off-putting or gross, it is merely a reflection of the reality that many choose to ignore. There is nothing palatable about the self-image issues that women struggle with, and how it can impact their mental and physical well-being.
“The Substance” returns to theaters Jan. 17. If you were unable to experience the chilling journey the first time, you do not want to miss the opportunity twice.
