The Substance
This film had the right stuff although parts of the formula was difficult to swallow.
by Tracie Reddick
If I see one more film with a bald-headed, hunchback hag with droopy titties, I’m gonna scream.
Wait, that would defeat the purpose.
So, I’ll just sit here and brew, wondering why this old biddy is having a resurgence, showing up in movies such as, Barbarian (2022), Smile (2022), The Front Door (2024) and The Deliverance (2024).
And now this witch is the main ingredient in a potion dubbed, The Substance (2024), a film directed by Coralie Fargeat that’s being hailed as a female empowerment movie.
I bought into the hype — until the ending.
Some how the Death Becomes Her (1992) message that was supposed to dispell the beauty myth that women can only live happily ever after by maintaining their looks, morphed into another affirmation of that exact philosophy.
Cuz Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), the beautiful main character, caved into societal views about aging, concluding she’s just another ugly, old broad that should fade into the sunset, or in this case, the moon light.
I pitied the ghoul and therefore have to call bullshit since this was not an uplifting moment that made you cheer: You go, girl!
Unlike Bette Davis, who may have been a legend in her own mind, but at least she wasn’t delusional about her self-worth as she twirled confidently in front of frightened beach-goers in the conclusion of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962).
Oh well, it is what it is and to me, it was a disappointing climax to a film that started on such a high note.
From the jump, I found the imagery interesting. Like the needle being injected into an egg that was reminiscent of “this is your brain on drugs” commercial.
Only in this case, the users are under the influence of a 7-day fix that allows them to morph into their younger, alter egos via a life-sustaining liquid extracted from their spine.
Elizabeth dips into this fountain of youth after she crashes her car and is admitted to the hospital and an orderly slips her a flashdrive touting the concoction.
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It occurs after she’s fired on her 50th birthday by a Hollywood honcho named Harvey — as in Weinstein although its not implied but hard not to imagine.
Harvey (Dennis Quaid) views Elizabeth as an outdated Cabbage Patch doll whose shelf life has expired and needs to replaced with the latest Barbie.
Needless to say, Elizabeth samples it, turning into a younger, hotter version of herself dubbed Sue (Margaret Qualley) without wondering if the potion is detrimental to her health.
But, it’s apparent by the red phone she picks up that she’s about to tumble down a rabbit hole.
It’s a wild journey we get to watch as she unravels while coming to terms with her rejection and pondering life after 50 via a lot of weird imagery that includes:
- Three eyeballs appearing in her sockets that seemed to be a reference to the third/mind’s eye that typically appears on the forehead and is a symbol of enlightment.
- Flies, in the drink and on the extermination poster on the warehouse wall is a nod to The Fly (1986), which is one of the hallmarks of body horror films like this one.
- If you’re into Numerology, then you know 503 is a spiritual warning about a person’s unbalanced, inner synergy and a reminder for them to get in touch with their greater purpose.
- Like the snow globe Elizabeth is depicted inside of, she’s frozen in time, trying to reconcile her current life to a past period where she was in her prime.
- This is also represented via the Stanley Kubrick inspired corridor giving off The Shining (1980) vibes and an eras tour viz giant posters chronicling the highlights of Elizabeth’s life.
- On the flip side, the age progression of her Hollywood Walk of Fame star represents her fading celebrity that’s juxtapose to her deterioration into Monstro Elizasue, or a meshing of her two personalities that have split like the egg in the opening scene.
- Finally, the blood-shed finale reminded me of Carrie (1976) — but, with a twisted, self-inflicted sort of revenge that ends with Elizabeth turning into a cartoonish, exploding blob straight out of a Scooby Doo episode. When her face slid down the sidewalk, I was waiting for her to say: I almost got away with it if it weren’t for that meddling Sue. Instead, she just gazed up, wishing upon a star, content with this reinvented version of herself that wasn’t a true reflection of a woman who was aging gracefully.
That wasn’t the only mixed message I derived from this film. What was up with the camera always focusing on all of Sue’s cracks, crannies and poo-nanny? And how come Elizabeth had to be at odds with her inner-self, thus perpetuating the notion that women can’t get along.
Anyway, I liked Fargeat’s film Revenge (2017) better than The Substance, although Demi Moore was phenomenal and made it worth watching despite its flaws.
If you want to see this story told from a male perspective, check out A Different Man (2024).
In the meantime, you can add The Substance to a growing list of films revolving around aging such as Old (2021), Old People (2022) and Paradise (2023).
