An actress facing agism decides to give a black-market drug a try to see what her other self could allow her to do.
Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, this colorful take on agism, Hollywood, beauty, and womanhood is a fascinating watch. It’s one of those films that grab you from the first few seconds and doesn’t let you go. The characters are well-written, the dialogue is just right, and the story is on point. The writing and direction here see women as they are and as fully fledged humans, this is how you approach a film about agism and about women aging gracefully and not so gracefully at times, allowing women to show who they are and age as they are. Yes, the premise does make it sound like the lead is looking at wanting to remain young, but there is more to it all than just that. Yes, the pressures of the film industry and of society on women are very much shown, but morale of the story here is much more than skin deep. Not wanting to give anything away, this is a case of the least you know going in, the better. This is a story with layers upon layers, characters that are just right for the story in all their imperfections, and direction that brings it all together beautifully.
The cast here is brilliant. Demi Moore is better than ever, gutsy, powerful, beautiful, and the exact right choice for the part. Her work here is strong and fearless, she shows the duality of wanting to remain yourself and wanting to keep your success with just the right amount of inspiration and insanity, toeing the line where these latter two meet and making her character and the film that much more powerful. Margaret Qualley plays the younger lady in the story, the one who has the socially expected and beloved youth and beauty, the character showing us all the difference between Moore’s and what the world expect of its stars but also of women in general. Qualley’s performance is bubbly with a side of darkness, beautiful outside but maybe not so much inside. She’s the wanted ideal of beauty and personality when she’s on camera and with people of power. Qualley plays this exaggerated character perfectly, bringing the exact right energy to balance Moore’s. The two of them are the central characters and really, the only ones most people will remember because they take the spotlight, grab it tight, and never let it go. Their performances are phenomenal. The rest of the cast is decent, but let’s be honest here, this isn’t a movie about any of them. They add to the story, the vision of the film, and they each bring something to the story by being the peripheral of Moore’s and Qualley’s, turning the expected characters relationships onto their heads.
The film’s look is fantastic here. The set dressing is stunning, that hallway is visually just “chef’s kiss”, it brings the film together beautifully well and makes the images memorable. The wardrobe is more than on point, fitting perfectly with the characters’ personalities, their archetypes, and their bodies for those who need to show off for the story’s purpose. The cinematography by Benjamin Kracun is superb here. The images created by Kracun and his team bring the story to life and keep the viewer glued to the screen. This is one of those beautiful shot films that isn’t afraid to get in the viewer’s face. It’s a tour de force type of film from the visual arts teams involved.
This also includes the special effects. This is a movie that displays tons of practical effects and a lot of them are not obvious to see coming. Yes, some of this is shown in promotional images and the trailer, but there is more, much much more, to it all. The work by the special effects team is that perfectly grotesque and gruesome exclamation mark the film needed. It all adds just the right amount of punch to the whole film, bring it all full circle in a way. That ending is memorable in great part due to its content and what it says about image, femininity, womanhood, and living in the spotlight. This may be a bit much to many, but to some, it will be the perfectly Henenlotter homaging ending showing that filmmaker may have made a glossy film, but she sure didn’t forget about the horror of it all.
The Substance is a film about women, issues affecting them, and their being themselves in a society that imposes rules and demands youth and beauty in unattainable ways. This is something other films have done before of course but here; it’s done expertly while keeping the film incredibly entertaining on all levels. The use of in-your-face storytelling, grotesque moments, and body horror is perfect here, making the film a bit shocking to general audiences and perfect for horror fans. This is one of those films where everything from writing, directing, acting, special effects, cinematography, music, edit, etc all come together to make a film as perfect as they can be here.