REVIEW: ‘The Substance’ Is A Wicked And Feminist Body Horror

The topic of how people, society, and specifically Hollywood treat women who are aging and the beauty standards imposed upon them for millennia have been a more familial conversation as of recent years. Many an article, podcast episode, and film here and there have dabbled in or touched on the topic, but it’s safe to say it has assuredly never been tackled so viscerally until the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance premiered to a rapturous crowd.

One of the most buzzed-about films of the festival, The Substance — written and directed by Fargeat, is a demented body horror flick starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, both giving potential career-best performances and leaving nothing positive on the table. It follows one Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore), a fading middle-aged celebrity, experiencing being pushed out of her career as a model and star of her own home workout television show.

After a taping, she overhears an executive, Harvey — portrayed by a cartoonish Dennis Quaid like we haven’t seen him in years — on a call discussing Sparkle’s fate as they make room for more beautiful and youthful talent. Things come to a head when a devastated Elisabeth, on her drive home, is distracted by a billboard of her face being torn down along the interstate, leading to her getting into a serious car wreck. And hence, the horror begins.

It’s as she’s recovering in the hospital when a dejected Elisabeth is discreetly handed a USB drive by a nurse, containing an ad for a mysterious black market procedure — something called “The Substance.” It claims that with this underground procedure, The Substance, with a single injection and cell-dividing technology, can procure a more youthful version of yourself that will emerge out of your own body. The user will be able to live the life of this younger being for a week before returning to their original body for a week, and so on.

The ad piques her interest, and soon enough, the washed-out celebrity is beginning the procedure from the comfort of her Beverly Hills home. And as Sparkle reaches the point of no return and her slimy younger self begins viscerally hatching out of her spine and sliding out of her torn-open back, it’s more than widely grisly and horrifying.

This is the entrance of Sue, played by Qualley, who is happy to take the place of Sparkle’s career and live enjoying the limelight and fame. That is, until it’s time to swap bodies again, except Sue isn’t so sure she wants to follow the strict rules of The Substance…

The Substance is a career best for everyone involved.

The performances throughout The Substance are arguably a career-best for both Qualley and Moore, as they commit to the sheer absurdity and twisted nature of this dark fairy tale. Moore is as relatable as she is authentically frustrating as she tries to navigate the termination of her career first and then the birth of sheer horror as she plays with fate. Qualley is a bombshell on screen, matching Moore’s energy and performance with ferocity and youthful zest.

The juxtaposition of the two icons creates a tangible rift between the women, as they both willingly pit themselves against one another, just as society prophesied. When the stakes rise, both women up the ante and reach unexpected heights in their commitment to the bit and dedication to these roles. Simply witnessing their game is sheer, frightening, feral fun — even if it feels like it shouldn’t be.

The root of The Substance, as gory and shocking as it is, is quite a sad example of the self-hatred aging women experience and the despondent lengths women are willing to go to escape the inevitable in an attempt to thwart time and nature itself. Elisabeth Sparkle faces the bounds of self-loathing and is an example of how elevated the experience of aging can be in the eyes of the public. Instead of embracing the beauty and privilege of growing older, she resents her youthful self, which, in turn, resents the physical manifestation of that youth: Sue.

Feminism in society is often seen and experienced through a youthful lens — 20-somethings picketing and shouting from the rooftops. However, the focus of an older generation of women often seems to be left out of focus. If we are to act as one, it’s necessary to consider all experiences and all generations of women. And just how much more beautiful and powerful would it be if we all stood together and saw one another equally, in more sense than just one?

If the fact this is the same mastermind behind the brutal 2018 film Revenge is any indicator, audiences should buckle up and prepare to watch through their fingers, as The Substance is perhaps the grossest, nastiest thing to come out this year. With pedal-to-the-metal performances from all, horrifyingly creative gore, goo, and everything in between, and a narrative and thematically unique and fresh fable, The Substance is a knockout.

On the surface, it’s an untamed, gruesome body horror containing nonstop entertainment to no end. But its mastermind Fargeat, nearing her 50s herself, ensures this tale contains much deeper connotations and a serious social commentary. And when looking past the blood, bodily fluids, and carnage, it’s a bleak and woeful reality that could use more films like this to spur more constant conversation, lest things are fated never to evolve or change.

The Substance was screened as a part of Cannes 2024 and is available now on MUBI.

The Substance was nominated for five Academy Awards and won for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling (Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli)