In the age where many movies look and feel the same, it doesn’t take much to stand out. But if you make a film that deals with several things surrounding women and package it in the “body horror” genre, you have something unique on your hands. The Substance is “that something unique”, and whilst watching it, I knew halfway through that this would become a cult classic and (hopefully) one of the reasons smart body horror movies might come back into the mainstream.
The biggest reason I loved this movie was how unapologetic, raw and sure of itself it was. Coralie Fargeat isn’t a name I was familiar with, but after watching this movie, I will remember her, and she gained a new fan. The sign of a great director is to create a living, breathing world within your movie where we can get lost in, but more importantly, one that feels real. Despite everything that happens in this movie (especially in the last 30 minutes), The Substance always felt grounded, poignant and sure of its world and what it was trying to say; it was easy to just let go and get lost in this stylised world.
Many times, I can be critical of movies that seem to shout their message in your face, and there are many movies that lack any subtlety. However, with this one, “it’s not a bug, it’s a feature”, as the IT saying goes. As far as the main themes, The Substance can feel like it has a megaphone and is shouting at you for most of its runtime. But that is very much the point. The themes of beauty standards, the pressure society (whether it’s Hollywood or not) puts on women to look a certain way, how we deal with age, and just replacing an older woman with a newer, “fresher” looking one… Those are the most prevalent, “loudest” themes this movie wants to examine, alongside seeing men as these caricatures. But it never felt simplistic because the movie doesn’t say it hates all men. The one man we get to know is almost a personification of the entire industry, rather than the “men bad, women good” message, and I thought this was one of the most fascinating choices.
The man in question is Dennis Quaid, and I enjoyed his performance so much. He is hamming it up, dialling this awful character up to 20 and not once winks at the camera. You are disgusted by him and laugh at him, but there are a few scenes where you understand just how much power he has. All I will say is I wonder how Ray Liotta would have portrayed this role as he was originally scheduled to portray this character, but sadly, he passed away before the shooting began.
But as much as I liked Dennis’ performance, it has nothing on our titular duo, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Let me start with the Hollywood legend herself as Demi bares it all (both literally and figuratively) and her slow descent into this… different characters throughout the movie felt raw, vulnerable and honest. There is a scene where her character is getting ready for a date. And without giving anything away, that was her standout performance in that one scene alone. It takes about five minutes; there is no dialogue. We simply watch Demi struggle with her image and constantly question herself. The Substance, for all its loudness and the “main” themes being shouted at you, also deals with many other things that are communicated/shown in a more subtle way. This was one of them as Demi’s character, this absolutely stunning woman, fails to see how stunning she is because she is comparing herself against this younger, beautiful woman. And each subsequent visit to the bathroom for “just a tiny bit more” make-up kills her and makes you understand and feel for her character.
That brings me to Margaret Qualley. I understand she’s been acting for a bit, and they were high-profile movies, but I hope this movie will be her “coming out” film because she was perfect. From all her little mannerisms to her showing us she’s willing to do whatever it takes, she rules in this movie. What I found fascinating, almost on a meta-level, is the fact that for her nude scenes, she had a breastplate. Let me quote IMDb:
Margaret Qualley has revealed in interviews that her breasts in the movie are not her own. They are a prosthetic designed by French makeup artist Pierre Olivier Persin. Qualley: “Unfortunately there is no magic boob potion, so we had to glue those on. Coralie (the movie’s director) found an incredible prosthetic team to endow me with the rack of a lifetime, just not my lifetime.”
Source: IMDb.com
The reason I am mentioning it is that it fits the theme of this movie so well. The idea that even someone as stunning as Margaret Qualley “had to” wear a breast prosthetic because she wasn’t “perfect enough” in the movie about self-love and how the pursuit of perfection can send you down a spiral you might not come back from… That is meta as fuck. Anyway, every time her character Sue is on the screen, you are glued to her. Margaret showcases her star quality, and I hope this will change the trajectory of her career, and she will get more challenging and intriguing roles.
One thing I expected (and got) was how we put pressure on women to look a certain way, no matter their age. What I didn’t expect was how the film openly talks about women hating other women, mainly at these high-profile jobs that are “based” on looks and how that goes back to societal pressure. It doesn’t take long for Elisabeth to despise Sue and vice versa, but as the movie keeps reminding us and them, they are one. It is the same person, except one is younger. That is where the theme of self-love, respecting your body and finding a healthy balance between living in the moment and not on the account of your future is very poignant.
I must touch briefly on the last 30 minutes because… the level of body horror this movie unleashes is next level. The best way to describe it would be “David Cronenberg‘s wet dream.” Again, without spoiling anything, the film goes insane, but in the best possible way, where it still has fun with all the craziness happening on the screen. I was so happy to watch this on the big screen because I guarantee you, this will be a future cult classic of this genre. Coralie Fargeat proved that she understood the assignment and delivered one hell of a movie that I will rewatch soon. We need people like her, especially in this day and age of “playing it safe” we need people like Coralie, who aren’t afraid to challenge us on our shit whilst having an absolute blast doing it. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Overall, The Substance is a movie I fell in love with the more I thought about the smaller things about it. It’s a film that won’t leave you cold, and you will either love it or be absolutely disgusted by it. It is a movie that proves that Demi can still be a leading lady and Margaret should be in the conversation as far as “future of Hollywood” goes. Most importantly, The Substance made me learn and memorize one name – Coralie Fargeat. Someone, please give her all the money and let her shoot anything she wants. The movie world desperately needs more unique voices like hers.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke