This is an expanded rewrite of the review originally published as part of our coverage of TIFF 2024
A has-been actress uses an experimental drug to become a better version of herself in The Substance. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is a once-popular actress who has now been reduced to hosting the aerobics program Sparkle Your Life. However, Elisabeth ends up being fired, on her 50th birthday, by her chauvinistic boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid), who begins looking for a younger replacement.
After getting into a car accident, one of the doctors hands Elizabeth a referral for an experimental cloning program, saying that it changed his life. Desperate, Elisabeth injects herself with “The Substance,” resulting in the creation of the much younger and beautiful Sue (Margaret Qualley). Sue can stay dominant for 7-days, staying alive with daily spinal taps. However, soon enough the balance begins to be disrupted.
The Substance Synopsis
The Substance is a satirical body horror film written and directed by Coralie Fargeat (Revenge). The film stars Demi Moore as faded actress Elizabeth Sparkle, who creates the younger clone Sue, played by Margaret Qualley (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Sanctuary, Kinds of Kindness), who’s coincidently the daughter of Andie MacDowell, who starred with Demi Moore in 1985’s St. Elmo’s Fire. Sue quickly becomes the next big thing, taking over Elizabeth Spakle’s exercise program and it isn’t long until her boss Harvey, a grotesque spoof of Harvey Weinstein played by Dennis Quaid, pegs her to host the New Year’s Eve show.
With her growing star power, Sue strives to become the dominant personality in her symbiotic relationship with Elizabeth. This includes redecorating Elizabeth’s apartment and building a secret compartment in the bedroom to hide Elizabeth’s comatose body. Sue also begins taking more spinal taps than the 7-day allotment, resulting in Elizabeth waking distraught over the physical consequences.
My Thoughts on The Substance
The Substance is a biting satire that deals with the literal horrors of aging and Hollywood’s very unrealistic beauty standards. Coralie Fargeat visualizes this by depicting Demi Moore’s Elizabeth Sparkle in an increasingly unflattering light, while Margaret Qualley’s Sue plays up the hyper-sexualized young beauties that Hollywood is obsessed with. Despite being constantly reminded that Elizabeth and Sue are one, The Substance follows in the footsteps of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde and The Nutty Professor by having the two develop distinct personalities, with Sue developing into the film’s antagonist, even though she is technically the same person as Elizabeth.
Demi Moore is the perfect person to play Elizabeth Sparkle, as she saw her star begin to fade as early as her 40s, following a career peak in the 1980s and 1990s. Now at 61 years old, The Substance can be considered a comeback role for Demi Moore, if only because the Hollywood system that this film is satirizing allowed roles for her to dry up. Moore plays Elizabeth Sparkle as an extremely tragic figure, who despite the consequences of Sue taking more than she is allowed, Elizabeth’s self-esteem issues prevent her from from being comfortable in her aging body.
On the flip side, Margaret Qualley has the challenge of playing someone who can convincingly be a younger version of Elizabeth Sparkle, while also coming off as a completely different person. Qualley is also purposely objectified as Sue, with Coralie Fargeat often shooting her through extreme close-ups. Extreme close-ups are also used for nausea-inducing effect in an early scene of Dennis Quad’s Harvey eating shrimp. Quad delivers probably his best performance in years with his extremely disgusting embodiment of chauvinistic male behaviour.
One element of The Substance that is best kept a surprise to the viewer is how Coralie Fargeat progressively increases the body horror elements of the film. This includes a final act that has to be seen to be believed. This all builds up to an insane, and immensely bloody, body horror climax that continues Coralie Fargeat’s rise as one of today’s best up-and-coming horror directors.
