By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
To put it bluntly, this is a film that appeals more to critics than it does casual audiences. “The Substance” is an over-the-top body horror movie that is both shocking and revolting with its graphic imagery from start to finish. While the creativity, messaging, and acting performances provide a unique moviegoing experience, the story is thin and does not hold up under the slightest scrutiny.
At one time, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was the It-girl of Hollywood, making a career off her appearance. As she approaches a milestone birthday, she realizes her fame is quickly fading as she’s gotten older. Ratings have been slipping with her physical fitness program, leading her misogynistic producer Harvey (Dennis Quaid) to push her out the door in search of a younger, more beautiful version to take the reins.
Desperate to cling to relevance, Elizabeth gets her hands on a black-market drug that has the ability to create a younger, better version of herself that’s apparently free of charge. Sue (Margaret Qualley) is born in a sickeningly violent way, and she quickly takes Hollywood by storm. There are very stringent rules to abide by when using this drug like having to switch back every seven days without exception. When Sue decides to play loose with these rules, the resulting impacts on her older self are severe, leading to a wild, unforgettable climax.
This is the second feature film from French writer/director Coralie Fargeat, her debut being 2017’s “Revenge.” People familiar with that production will not be surprised with the gallons of blood she incorporates in “The Substance.” With its central theme revolving around beauty, she accentuates the ugly in the most graphic way possible creating revulsion in nearly every scene. It is brilliant artistry on her part symbolizing the ugliness of the Hollywood industry with regards to a woman’s beauty, horrible expectations, and effects of aging. Coralie exhibits wonderful creativity through the imagery, with incredible cinematography that emphasizes the point. She often uses severe closeups during the more disgusting moments accentuated by sickening sound effects to underscore these nauseating moments.
While this may be a visually stunning movie filled with shockingly visceral images, there are way too many plot holes and filmmaking errors that undermine the premise. Despite the repeated attempts of Coralie to suggest that the older and younger versions of the main character are the same person, this is clearly not the case. For instance, when the older version is reawakened, she has no memory of the exquisite experience of being her younger version, making it nonsensical that she would want to continue the experiment. Not to mention, the actions of the main character continually contradict the messaging of the film which also contributes unnecessary confusion. The filmmaking errors are frequent, blatant, and inexcusable, such as the bathroom being coated in blood and fixtures broken only to appear completely clean and intact in a follow up scene, or the coffee table being obliterated only to reappear untouched in the next shot.
Demi Moore has never been the most talented actress, but she delivers her finest performance of her career. She believably portrays a fading starlet obsessed with recapturing the success of her youth, while also realizing how lonely her life has become. Moore beautifully conveys these feelings in poignant moments while scrutinizing herself in the mirror. It is also no easy task for the 61-year-old actress to overcome the vulnerability of having to perform in front of the camera fully nude, but she does so with poise and grace. She credits her co-star, who also had to perform completely naked, with achieving comfort on set in uncomfortable scenes.
After an underwhelming starring role in “Drive-Away Dolls” earlier this year, Margaret Qualley bounces back with a more straightforward, simplistic performance as the attractive younger version who begins to steal everything from her older self. Ironically, she’s the daughter of Andie MacDowell, who starred with Demi Moore in 1985’s “St. Elmo’s Fire.” Even more ironically, Dennis Quaid once dated Andie MacDowell. Quaid is an overactor and always has been, but it serves him well in certain roles, this being one of them. His purpose in this film is to portray a caricature of the disgusting Hollywood producer type, not so coincidentally named Harvey, and he does it quite well with his exaggerated line delivery and movements.
This is certainly not a film for everyone, and you should know what you’re getting into before you buy a ticket. “The Substance” is a graphic grotesquerie that will leave you squirming in your seat more often than not with such a crazy, extreme ending that it will have you questioning what you just watched. This is a purely visual movie with a plot that pretends to be deep and meaningful but is riddled with holes and failed logic that will prevent it from being an Oscar contender.
This movie earns:
