Review

The Substance is a batshit-crazy horror/comedy film that offers a modern take on The Picture of Dorian Gray while eviscerating Hollywood's obsession with youth and beauty. Although the film goes off the rails during its third act (not necessarily in a bad way, mind you) and runs for too long, it's as wild a ride as we have seen since last year's Poor Things (which, perhaps not coincidentally, also featured actress Margaret Qualley). Credit director/writer Coralie Fargeat, who appears to have studied the work of the two Davids (Lynch and Cronenberg) and isn't afraid to put them into play.

At its start, The Substance feels like a fractured fairy tale. It begins with an unconventional depiction of the gradual decline of superstar Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) over a span of years. Instead of employing de-aging techniques or displaying old photographs, the prologue shows the dedication of Elisabeth's Walk of Fame star followed by its slow deterioration as the impacts of weather and foot traffic cause it to fade and crack. This is allegorical, of course, as is much of what happens over the course of The Substance. Fargeat wants to entertain her audience but she has a message as well.

Elisabeth is fired from her popular morning workout TV show by studio honcho Harvey (Dennis Quaid), a boor with no last name (am I the only one thinking Weinstein?) who thinks she's too old to attract an audience. He wants someone younger, more vivacious, and able to capture the coveted 18-to-34 demographic. That's not Elisabeth. Angry at her dismissal, she foolishly places a call to a shady operation offering "The Substance," a black market concoction that will allow Elisabeth to split herself into two people (via a grotesque birth scene that could be straight out of an Alien movie). The "New You" for Elisabeth, who goes by the name of Sue (Margaret Qualley), is everything Harvey wants and she soon gets Elisabeth's old job. But the two women are tied together in a parasitic relationship. They cannot both be conscious at the same time and they must trade-off seven-day periods of wakefulness (no exceptions!). If the instructions aren't obeyed, the results can be ugly, disfiguring, and permanent. And, of course, Elisabeth/Sue almost immediately begin flouting the rules.

The Substance is a movie of powerful images. Early in the film, the contrast is made between the bright, poppy world of Sue and the less colorful place inhabited by Elisabeth. The bathroom in which most of the gory, behind-the-scenes work takes place is bright white, all the better to contrast with scarlet blood. Later in the film, there's an over-the-top scene in which one wonders where the fire hose is hidden as everything is sprayed red. Is the most disgusting depiction in the film the manual removal of teeth? The peeling back of a fingernail? Or Dennis Quaid making his way through a plate of prawns? Take your pick.

There's plenty of nudity from both Moore and Qualley. Although it's done via prosthetics later in the film, it's all-natural in the earlier scenes. Fargeat embraces a precise, matter-of-fact attitude and the nakedness is never associated with a sex scene. (Sex in The Substance happens mostly off-screen.) The nudity is never erotic or titillating; there's a point to what the director is doing and her actresses are on board.

The Substance is demented in the way it approaches the subject matter, wielding horror elements and dark comedy with scalpel-like efficiency. This isn't the kind of movie that provokes a lot of out-loud laughter (although there are a couple of moments) but there are numerous opportunities for wry chuckles and knowing smirks. There may also be walk-outs, although the depictions of blood and viscera are so over-the-top that it's hard to believe anyone would be grossed out by them. As indicated above, the Dennis Quaid-eating-shrimp scene is almost harder to stomach than anything that happens during the hardcore monster movie homage.

At 141 minutes, The Substance runs too long. There are times, especially late in the proceedings, when it seems to be repeating itself or spinning its wheels. There are also occasional hiccups in the tonal shifts. Issues of this sort are minor and the amazing performances of Moore and Qualley go a long way toward allowing the viewer to ignore them. Fargeat has delivered what the cinema too often lacks these days - a bold, uncompromising approach to a specific vision. This is off-the-beaten-path movie-making that calls attention to itself by how different it is from the cookie-cutter stuff playing next door while never losing the capacity to entertain those who enter this bizarre world.

© 2024 James Berardinelli

Synopsis

Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?You. Only better in every way. You’ve got to try this product: The Substance.It changed my life.Demi Moore gives a career-best performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and suddenly fired from her fitness TV show by repellent studio head Harvey (Dennis Quaid). She is then drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug: THE SUBSTANCE. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. A perfect balance. What could go wrong?

Playing At

• Belcourt Theatre
  2102 Belcourt Avenue, Nashville, TN
• Regal Opry Mills
  570 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville, TN