The Substance

"The Substance" - the title alone hints at something profoundly divine, an unchanging essence embodied in a liquid that is both miraculous and deadly, much like its radioactive green hue. This movie, the second feature film by French director Coralie Fargeat, is a blend of body-psycho-thriller and horror, offering a piercing social and psychological play-by-play of the female body and the societal forces that seek to control it.

The plot rounds around Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a fitness icon now considered "past her prime," and her aerobics program, clearly inspired by Jane Fonda's 1980s videos, is deemed outdated, setting the tone for the film's barrage of cultural references, layered throughout like a tiramisu. Despite achieving the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Elisabeth is unceremoniously pushed aside and replaced by a younger, more desirable woman.

The turning point occurs when Elisabeth encounters a mysterious company promoting a new treatment, called The Substance, which promises restored youth and a reinvention of self. Predictably, Elisabeth succumbs to the allure without much resistance. Yet, what remains unsaid often foreshadows disaster. After consuming the miraculous elixir, her body undergoes a radical transformation, giving genesis to Sue (Margaret Qualley).

The two women must adhere to a strict rule: they must maintain a crucial time-lapse of seven days, or living together becomes unbearable. Predictably, ambition and selfishness take over, spiralling into a dark, grotesque, and bitter comedy.

The film offers neither a feminist anthem nor a celebration of machismo but instead delivers a raw, absurd portrayal of reality.

Fargeat illustrates the brutality of the small violence women inflict upon themselves every day, presenting a strikingly authentic portrayal of self-hatred. With a male gaze, but also, an extremely cruel feminine allure. Because is time to dispel the fairy tales: women, too, can be their own worst enemies. This internalized self-criticism erodes self-esteem, fueling a mental addiction that gradually consumes us, transforming us into our nightmares and leading us down a path of self-destruction.

Elisabeth and Sue - despite being the same person - are locked in a relentless, unwinnable battle for dominance, each striving to gain control over their "borrowed" body.

The film explores themes of bodily and objectification control, while offering a sharp analysis of the idea of transformation, symbolizing both female empowerment and the crushing societal pressure to meet impossible beauty standards. Even if on the surface, it may seem a path to liberation, it soon reveals itself to be a double-edged sword, forcing the two women to grapple with moral and psychological conflicts.

While creams, treatments, and surgery may seem like ways to reclaim youth or enhance appearance, we quickly realize that the pursuit of "perfection" is driven by societal pressures that reject flaws and dictate non-existing body standards. This influences not just how men perceive women but how women see themselves in the mirror, distorting our self-image and magnifying imagined imperfections, often making us our own harshest critics.

"The Substance" explores the obsession with youth and attractiveness in the entertainment industry but also delves into the grotesque nature of bodily transformation. It evokes the classic body-horror movies from the 1980s.

Visually, the film bursts with vibrant colours, particularly in scenes dominated by Sue’s magnetic presence, clad in shimmering outfits as she performs exaggerated, sensual movements reminiscent of Eric Prydz's "Call on Me" video (2004). This imagery evokes nostalgia for the indulgent 1980s golden age, juxtaposed with the present, where that glamorous world is slowly crumbling.

The dynamic direction and unsettling cinematography, which emphasizes the female body in a way that disturbs rather than sexualizes, build an atmosphere of constant tension, punctuated by moments of calm that suddenly erupt into violence and horror.

So, where is the issue here? The film succeeds because it refrains from passing judgment instead of presenting one of the oldest tropes: "man as he sees woman—woman as she sees herself." In this world, women are forced to confront physical and psychological decline as they age, imposed by a system that drives reflection on contemporary issues like body image, femininity, and societal pressure, taking viewers on a dark exploration of the human psyche and body.

Despite its visual and narrative strength, the film is weighed down by its excessive 140-minute runtime, which dilutes the impact of certain scenes. While the film succeeds overall, it struggles to maintain a consistent level of tension, particularly in the finale moments. Though the climax is expressive and grotesque, it lingers too long, ultimately losing focus and becoming something different from what it intends to be.

But don't be fooled by it. This movie is an immersive experience, where nothing is left on the case, and every scene, word, object, colour, or reaction is written with intelligence and profound knowledge of the game, leaving the audience astonished by its magnificence.