The Substance (2024): A Cinematic Exploration of Youth, Beauty, and Body Horror

You are one. Respect the balance.

The Substance is a 2024 film. Elisabeth Sparkle’s career has faded. Desperate to find a way back to the top, she enlists in a black-market drug. This cell-replicating substance creates a younger version of herself. The transformation is only temporary with precise directions for its use.

The Substance is a shocking and powerful social commentary on being the authentic you. I was both shocked and amazed at the same time. This disturbingly brilliant film emphasizes the absolute horrors if we took alternatives to stay young. While I was engrossed, the climax was overloaded with a nightmarish tone that didn’t fit the movie.

In one of the most challenging roles in her film career, Demi Moore crushes it in this bold enactment as Elisabeth Sparkle. Her performance is conducted entirely through her countenance, brandishing her character’s relatable emotions. Moore poured her soul into this character’s story, using real life to show audiences how dedicated an actor she is.

Margaret Qualley seriously didn’t get a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination? Playing Elizabeth’s younger alternate, Sue, Qualley did an impeccable job matching Moore’s voice quality. Qualley has been on the rise to fame, showing her versatile talents.

Moore and Qualley show no modesty, performing several scenes in the nude. They helped each other with their roles and made one another feel comfortable. Both performed difficult scenes. Qualley quipped one scene was torture while Moore painfully wiped her face clean for fifteen takes until it was raw.

The visual work in The Substance deserves as much praise. I cannot believe the Oscars ignored the film's spectacular technical work which tells the story.

The editing is sharp and deliberate. The highlight scene is Elisabeth watching her counterpart in an interview. The cuts between Elisabeth and Sue are so fast and ferocious, emulating the stress and animosity. The music also creates a foreboding sense.

Cinematographer Benjamin Kracun utilizes tight, up-close shots that intensify the sense of claustrophobia and impending doom. The camera focuses on things that wouldn’t normally matter like Harvey (Dennis Quaid) stuffing his face with shrimp. Unique perspective choices were used, tinting the screen out of focus and muffling the sound.

A standout aspect of The Substance is its makeup and prosthetic work by Pierre Olivier-Persin. Several makeup artists helped create prosthetics and special make-up. The film depicts horrifying and nightmarish effects. Makeup is graphic and terrifying. Moore and Qualley spent 6-9 hours in the makeup chair!

Color palettes are also designed accordingly distinguishing striking colors. The film is offputting like we’re in another universe. Designs resembled sets from The Shining.

Coralie Fargeat’s direction is outstanding. She started writing this script in her 40s, centering on a topic most women relate to. Her direction is a potent blend of body horror and social commentary.

Our bodies change as we get older. They’re pivotal to who we are. That’s the main theme of The Substance. The moral is that you shouldn’t turn to drugs for change. You never know what will transpire.

Hear me out, The Substance is pretty graphic. The film centers on body horror. Elizabeth’s transformation is painful and gross as her skin rips open like a zipper. It’s not a film to watch while you’re eating. It makes your skin crawl.

The climax is one big blood bath. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, padding the film with an overly-long fight scene and nightmarish bloody sequences.

Watch The Substance at your own discretion. It’s not a film for everyone. It’s a cinematic experience that you will never forget.