As a woman who has spent far too many years in Hollywood, I can wholeheartedly affirm that Coralie Fargeat’s “The Substance” is a cinematic punch to the gut that feels incredibly cathartic. The film’s unrelenting brutality and biting satire on the beauty standards that plague our industry resonate deeply with me, a survivor of countless Botox injections and collagen treatments.
Caution: Plot details for “The Substance” ahead – this film, released barely a week ago, is rapidly gaining attention as one of the most discussed movies of 2024. The buzz is well-earned, as director Coralie Fargeat delivers a gripping cinematic experience that mercilessly lampoons sexism and ageism in Hollywood while masterfully combining body horror with campy style. Notably, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley deliver standout performances, ones that warrant serious Oscar contention (despite the Academy’s longstanding bias against horror films).
To put it simply, “The Substance” is not for those with a weak stomach. It’s recommended to avoid eating before or during viewing because this film ranks among the most gruesome in recent times. In fact, it recalls the visceral disgust found in David Cronenberg’s “The Fly”. The final 15 minutes might even challenge the boundaries of the R-rating, and one can imagine the sensitive viewers considering leaving. However, the film doesn’t employ its intense gore gratuitously; instead, it uses it to convey significant themes.
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The Substance Perfectly Walks a Tonal Tightrope
Without a doubt, The Substance contains sequences reminiscent of Happy Tree Friends, given the abundance of body parts being hurled around, especially towards the end. However, Coralie Fargeat masterfully escalates the violence onscreen, maintaining a balance between realism and restraint during the initial stages. As the story progresses, she subtly increases the level of gore, culminating in an explosive finale that leaves a lasting impression.
The gradual build in the movie works effectively because it skilfully balances a narrow tightrope of tone. Unlike other serious body horror films such as “The Fly,” which provided inspiration, The Substance is equally comedic and horrifying. It’s also a film that expresses profound anger, unapologetically criticizing the ageism and sexism prevalent in the entertainment industry. Consequently, the intense gore in the climax aligns with the script’s blunt and forceful tone.
Demi Moore’s performance as Elisabeth is significantly helpful, as she skillfully traverses the dramatic highs and lows inherent in the script. In her subdued scenes, we empathize with her self-hatred and isolation, while her attempts to undermine Sue, her younger counterpart, introduce an over-the-top, somewhat campy flavor akin to All About Eve or Sunset Boulevard. Her portrayal is so exaggerated that she convincingly portrays Elisabeth’s physical repulsiveness by the end, which would seem out of place in a more realistic film.
The main reason why the film’s tone requires such intense gore is due to its genre. Audiences accustomed to body horror movies anticipate that these films will go to extremes, disregarding whether it becomes too extreme for typical viewers. In other words, the movie The Substance caters specifically to a certain group of horror enthusiasts and provides them with an excessive amount of gore that exceeds their expectations.
The Substance Holds a Mirror to Hollywood’s Dark Side
10 minutes into the movie, it’s evident that “The Substance” is not trying to conceal its subject matter. The director’s views on the unrealistic beauty standards in the media and the self-hatred they foster in numerous individuals are hard to overlook. Some might find this straightforwardness overwhelming, but given how deeply ingrained ageism remains in Hollywood, why should Fargeat choose subtlety? Just as “Parasite,” a film with a similar lack of subtleness, much of “The Substance’s” impact stems from its passionate and indignant delivery of the message.
In essence, the film’s intense grotesqueness serves as a means to convey its underlying themes. Notably, Elisabeth’s physical transformation throughout the narrative is significant. Despite the rule that they must switch places every ten days without fail, Sue develops an addiction to Hollywood’s spotlight. To maintain her extended waking hours, she extracts more Stabilizer fluid from Elisabeth’s spine. This action, however, hastens Elisabeth’s aging process, transforming her into a figure resembling Gollum by the climax. If we interpret the central metaphor that Sue and Elisabeth represent two parts of the same person, then this horrifying appearance powerfully symbolizes Elisabeth’s internal fear that she is no longer attractive or desired.
In Fargeat’s film, the harshest criticism is reserved for Hollywood executives, exemplified by Dennis Quaid’s character Harvey, who seems like an over-the-top villain. He leers at his younger female colleagues and immediately lets go of Elisabeth once she turns 50, despite her youthful appearance. As the movie reaches its end, Sue’s health deteriorates due to a lack of stabilizer fluid, and Harvey cruelly remarks, “Pretty girls should always smile.” Faced with the same pressure to remain attractive as Elisabeth, Sue resorts to using Activator fluid in an attempt to reinvent herself.
Instead, she produces a grotesque blend of Sue and Elizabeth, affectionately dubbed “Monstro ElisaSue.” On live television, Harvey boasts proudly, “She’s my masterpiece.” The message couldn’t be more apparent – in their pursuit of an unattainable beauty ideal set by Hollywood, both Elizabeth and Sue have made significant physical sacrifices. Monstro ElisaSue is the monstrous creation that Harvey and his associates have fostered. The gruesome finale underscores this notion powerfully, offering a satisfying sense of justice for the audience as it serves up the cold-hearted executives their due.
Gore Serves The Substance’s Story
In a world where many modern horror films seem to hold back on the gruesome aspects, the intense gore in “The Substance” offers a refreshing change. This is largely due to the film’s apparent eagerness to explore the boundaries of an R-rating, but it’s mainly because the grotesque body horror fits perfectly with the movie. For a film that’s so brutally satirical, as sharp as an 18-wheeler, and with such a deft handling of tone, the extreme violence was perhaps the only way to make it as successful as it is. Currently playing in theaters: “The Substance“
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2024-10-02 04:01