Nina Henderson
In 2017, Coralie Fargeat made a splash in the film industry as a writer/director with her debut feature Revenge. This film, a raw and feminine take on the rape-revenge thriller genre, culminated in an unforgettable bloodbath. It was so impressive that it seemed almost impossible to surpass. Yet, Fargeat has managed to outdo herself with her second film, The Substance. This film takes a familiar concept and elevates it to an entertaining and grotesquely exaggerated level that will keep you captivated until the grand finale.
Demi Moore shines as Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging starlet reminiscent of Jane Fonda, who continues to defy age as an aerobic instructor on a morning show. Her sleazy producer boss Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, is less than thrilled. Elisabeth is already grappling with the ageist pressures of Hollywood when she discovers Harvey’s plan to replace her with a younger star. A tip about a mysterious new anti-aging treatment, The Substance, gives Elisabeth hope. The Substance gives Elisabeth exactly what she desires – a younger, more ambitious version of herself. But this miracle comes with strict rules and severe consequences if broken.
The Substance is a stylish progression from Revenge in terms of visuals, form, and theme. Elisabeth and her younger counterpart, Sue (played by Margaret Qualley), embody classic feminine archetypes. Sue, in particular, shares Revenge’s affinity for bubblegum pink-loving girls with big star or heart earrings and mythical creatures. The men are equally crude and repulsive, with a heightened sense of exaggerated absurdity. An early scene where Elisabeth tries to appease her boss Harvey during a work lunch, complete with extreme closeups of Quaid devouring shrimp in the most barbaric fashion, ensures every bit of Elisabeth’s disgust is palpable. It’s a world where no one is likable, a surprising gift that frees the narrative and its characters, allowing them to be at their absolute worst for our amusement (and disgust).
The sound design team deserves applause for delivering a constant assault on the senses, a methodical means of making you squirm in your seat long before the body horror arrives. This is matched by a vibrant production design, a bold, colorful blending of the ‘80s and the present to further instill the modern yet otherworldly setting. This is a world that’s based on reality, but isn’t bound to it, allowing Fargeat to ramp up the insanity at a measured but brisk pace.
Fargeat isn’t just critiquing the unrealistic beauty standards that plague Hollywood, but also the vicious, increasingly shorter cycles of even more impossible standards these create. The harder the attempt to evade age, the more catastrophic it seems to get. The push and pull between Elisabeth and Sue, both ultimately bound by the same body and desires yet torn apart by age, is made all the more riveting by the fearless performances by Moore and Qualley- both operating in exquisitely rare form, unafraid to get vulnerable or gross.
And boy, does this movie put them both through the wringer in the gross department. Prosthetics and makeup effects designer Pierre Olivier Persin (Border, “Game of Thrones”) also certainly does his part in bringing the jaw-dropping ick factor.
As over-the-top and gloriously hardcore as the finale goes, the precise type that calls some of the goriest of the early ‘90s to mind, it’s the sense of humor that surprises most. Fargeat is having a blast lambasting Hollywood’s skittishness around aging, pointing out the absurdity of it all at every turn. It yields a new camp horror classic, bold in its approach and delightfully deranged. It’s as funny as it is revolting, existing in a heightened sense of reality that’s as hypnotic as it is off-putting.
Fargeat helms with assured confidence, delivering a tactile visual feast for the senses. Considering just how insane the horror gets, complete with a protracted finale that more than earns the robust runtime, well, here’s to hoping it doesn’t take Fargeat quite so long to release her next horror manifesto. The Substance is a campy body horror revelation.
The Substance premiered at TIFF and will be released in theaters on September 20, 2024.
