#review: Is The Substance with Demi Moore a substantial watch?

The Substance starring Demi Moore has moviegoers in a vice grip. David Ho reviews the film to see if it lives up the hype

The Substance is one of this year’s most buzzed about films, with some dubbing it the craziest film they have ever seen. 

The body horror flick stars Demi Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle, a movie star who seemingly has it all, including a successful show with Jane Fonda-esque workouts. But once she hits 50, her days at the top are numbered as her boss seeks a younger replacement to put her to pasture.

While at a hospital, she receives a mysterious offer for a substance that allows her to be a younger and better version of herself. Details are relatively scant, aside from a reminder that the new and old are one and to switch out every seven days without fail.  

SPOILER ALERT

Naturally, Sparkle ends up giving in to the temptation of the substance. She injects herself with a brat green activator fluid, which causes a whole other body to emerge from her back. The beautiful new body (played by Margaret Qualley), who shares a consciousness with Sparkle, takes on a persona named Sue while Elisabeth lays on a bathroom floor.

The Coralie Fargeat written, directed, and co-produced movie is highly stylised. The sound effects work overtime to deliver each moment’s impact, with every squelch, stab and thud magnified to almost comic book effect, just short of an action bubble. The techno heavy soundtrack would also make Charli XCX proud. 

The visuals are just as powerful. In a way, this film is a voyeurs’ wet dream. There are shots aplenty of bouncy bare breasts, perky bottoms, and crotch closeups as Sue enjoys her new body and eventually takes over Elisabeth’s fitness guru role at the network. When Sue does her show, it’s like Eric Prydz’s “Call on Me” music video on steroids and in skimpier leotards. 

While the visuals serve up all the pleasures that cater to the male gaze, it is equally unflinching in showing the less pleasant. The film gets gruesome and if you have trypanophobia, a fear of needles, this is not going to be an easy watch. The results are visceral, whether you are watching Sparkle’s boss Harvey (played by Dennis Quaid) eat shrimp or feeling a body hit the ground.  

Special mention must go to the prosthesis team behind the film. The practical effects are all wildly realistic and we are certain they will be collecting a few technical awards come awards season.   

Of course, this two-hour twenty-minute watch would not be fun if it only alternated between soft porn and toe-curling scenes. In a way that subverts the film’s ageist premise, Moore delivers one of her most brilliant performances for The Substance at the age of 61. She sells Sparkle’s emotional journey, whether she is camping it up as a jealous hag or at a very relatable low trapped in a prison of her own insecurities.  

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Moore is perfect casting not just for her thespian abilities, but for how her own career has paralleled Sparkle’s journey. Moore was the it-girl of the 80s and 90s until her career took a tumble from 1996’s Striptease. After a hiatus, her return to the big screen in 2003 for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle at the ‘ripe old age’ of 41 generated lots of media scrutiny at the time. When filming Charlie’s Angels, Moore recalls requesting to not be shot from the back for her bikini scenes. But 21 years later, Moore is letting it all hang loose in The Substance, proving that age is no hindrance to a daring performance and her star quality.     

Qualley’s Sue is a magnificent creature of instinct worthy of praise. Captivating whether she is girlishly giggly or emanating an animal ferocity, she aggressively stakes out her place in a world that rolls out the red carpet and can’t get enough of her. Slowly, temptations get in the way and Sue starts extending her stay while the matrix/Elisabeth is relegated to longer stays in a hidden dark room. 

But it’s not without cost. Elisabeth finds herself irreversibly aged due to Sue draining her body for stabiliser fluids during her extended stays in the world. The two also start to resent each other. Elisabeth is jealous of her youth and furious at the damage Sue has inflicted on her, while Sue looks down at Elisabeth’s middle-aged existence (even dissing her on national TV!) and gets increasingly reckless.

Yet, Elisabeth struggles to give up Sue. What has viewers debating fiercely online is just how much Elisabeth and Sue converge, since the two appear to be almost two personas with separate memories. It can be drawn as parallels to mother-daughter jealousy or even addiction, as Elisabeth is unable to surrender the high of being Sue, even if she only experiences it by proxy.   

The film features a hodgepodge of references to drive home its points, be it films like Death Becomes Her and Jennifer’s Body, novels like The Portrait of Dorian Gray, or fairy tales like Snow White and Cinderella. It is quite on the nose about it at times. But then again, The Substance is about as subtle as a sledgehammer and works all the better for it.     

Despite being so full on in many ways, the story explores Sparkle’s psyche on a very superficial level. We learn very little of what drives her and Sue’s addiction to adoration. But perhaps, the ambiguity is intentionally shallow as to allow one to project themselves or others on to Elisabeth. 

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The film depicts the experience of getting older and invisible well, be it the confrontational misogynism from older white male executive types or the contrasting treatment Sparkle receives as Elisabeth and Sue. But none of that is new. The film shows that the real horror here is the violence we inflict on ourselves when we allow the world to dictate what we should be. 

The final act, which sees a new amalgamation of Elisabeth and Sue emerge, is a full-on horror monster. Monstro Elisasue is the worst of both worlds that would be right at home in a David Cronenberg film. In a tender way, Elisasue finally learns to embrace her original Elisabeth visage, tearing off a poster of her old face to use as a mask and demurely making herself up for Sue’s biggest career coup.  

The release of the film could not be more timely. 2024 will be remembered as the year Ozempic went mainstream, and filler use is at an all-time high. The substance is clearly being used a metaphor for any of these, as more women (and men) treat their bodies like meat on a charcuterie board to be sliced and diced for consumption. As Sue ironically reminds the audience at the end of her show, take care of yourself.  

Verdict: The Substance can be a disturbing watch for the squeamish, keeping in mind that it is a body horror film after all. But even though the plot is skin deep and more style over (ba dum tss) substance at times, the great performances and amplified effects pierce like a needle to turn this into a truly special watch. So try The Substance, this might just be one of the best films of 2024. 

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