[MOVIE] The Substance (2024)

It's fucking insane, I loved it! This is a short version of the review ahaha

A fading celebrity Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) takes a black-market drug: a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself Sue (Margaret Qualley).

TW: body horror,.. lots of it. lots of gore in general. and also gross things.

Before I start I want to praise the acting which was incredible, directing is awesome, operator's work is insane, cinematography is chef's kiss, the sound effects are great (that ringing in the ears though), the music is top, the idea of putting everything almost into your face is perfect for this.

Where do I even begin with this? If one haven't seen it yet, I recommend to do it, it doesn't matter who, female audience will see a lot of what we're struggling with that can't be warpped in just a simple sentense and male audience can see the female rage that women can direct at themselves and understand better what years of "younger, more beautiful" brainwashing did to many of us.

Some may not even consider it a deep topic, but honestly if countless women suffer from body dysmorphia due to brainwahing, I think we can share some thoughts about it. It feels like many women can't accept that they're aging, because for so many years our brains were soaked in these consuming ideas that we can't simply be ourselves, we should be youthful and beautiful and then we are the most perfect existence. But what if our body is not even close to what is considered perfect? What if our face doesn't fit the standard? Can I create a better version of myself that fits? In the meantime it feels like it became scary to get older, it's scary to lose your youth, your peak time, your body starts to change in a direction you don't expect and the insecurity grows stronger. Not to mention older women, young women nowadays who are barely 20 are not afraid of doing plastic surgery, just because it's a trend, just because it's more favorable and the beauty from the IG photo whispers to you to do it (even if you know that the photo was filtered to filth). But you can be the same, right?..

It's also such a hard chase after yourself, something you once were.

I honestly really loved the idea and how it played out. Because it's so true.

Spoilers, here they come.

We start with Elisaeth who is basically fired from her position on the show on her 50th birthday (the producer has symbolic name - Harvey, I mean you couldn't be more direct), she gets a pat on the back and a bouqet of roses, with a symbolic phrase "You were amazing"

Elisabeth's career is over, so on her ways she saw how her billboard ad was torn down and this distraction caused a car accident. Breaking down in the hospital she receives a USB hidden by a male nurse, with words "It changed my life".

Although listening to the content, Elisabeth is set to throw the flash away, but the morning she finds that she not only is replaced but the newspaper also has an ad about the new show's casting (don't ask about the newspaper, it's deliberate) she decided to make the phone call.

This leads to her receiving the package, she travels to a remote place and follows the corridor to a prim and proper room with perfect renovations and several lockers (only two used). Hers is 503

(I love this homage to what will happen next, if you saw the spine on the cover, you will know)

That scene in front of the mirror, ugh, so true, nothing makes you more critical that a fluorescent light above your head that makes you see all the folds and imperfections about your body when you look at yourself naked. I applaud Moore for not being afraid to fully show herself, because the lighting and camera showed everything, the camera this time had no intention to beautify anything, it is how it is, all the folds and sagging (and let's all remind ourself, Moore is 62 as of now). Following instructions she injects the activator from The Substance kit. She thinks she's crazy but then things drastically change, in pain and agony she "births" another self (which came from the back, like a butterfly almost) and now we see Elisabeth / Moore paralized on the floor, but the one who stood is a young and beautiful woman, with amazing body. And she almost instantly starts to enjoy herself, looking from different angles, aren't they all perfect?

But the kit comes with strict instructions:

YOU ACTIVATE only once

YOU STABILIZE every day

YOU SWITCH every seven days without exception

REMEMBER YOU ARE ONE

Interestingly, Sue did not choose any other career or just enjoy life she now has in her new body, as being one she has all the aspirations that Elisabeth has, the glitz. So she auditions for the show and meets Harvey as her new self. She is set to have her own show "Pump it up". Btw the movie is full of close-ups like this:

And when the show is filmed later on, it's a lot of close-ups. The shots are aesthetic and pleasing, almost screaming "Look at this perfection". Sue gets a lot of those to bring a striking contrast to the body of Elisabeth. Because Sue is "perfect" and it boosts her confidence too.

But here's a catch, she has to switch. Note, the first switch is pretty voluntarily.

Switching back Elisabeth sees Sue for the first time, I think you could see looking almost cherishingly. But now there's another problem, since Elisabeth moved behind the scenes she actually has nothing to do. She did not make any goals for herself outside of letting Sue appear. So she spends her time watching TV, the only time she went out was to get the kit re-fill.

When Sue wakes up all young and pretty she can see that the TV is on and that the armchair feels very "used". She almost scoffs at it.

And here is where I find it fantastic in a way, Elisabeth and Sue are one and two people at the same time. But because of this the feeling of separation begins to grow stronger. So the feeling of disgust and rejection will also appear. It's almost like self-loathing, that this is my true self, some old woman, past her best years and I don't want to be like her. But she is you, you are one.

Not to get into trouble, after all there is a body lying around the house, Sue opens up a wall (very handy girl) and creates a safe room. Btw she is interrupter by a neighbors who instantly calms down when he sees Sue in person, all his rage at the noisy neighbor disappears with appearance of the beauty.

Sue drags Elisabeth into the safe room and starts her days. Enjoying the new billboard advertisement with herself that is right in front of the window, a symbolic reminder all day long.

Honestly, you really must be confident to pull what Qualley can do, all those close up during filming of the show. And after filming she comes out to have a good time wearing a tight bodysuit and high heels.

And here is the first time that Sue gets late to switch due to her partying and not wanting to miss sex with a young hot guy. So she drains more stabilizer above the normal dose. Stabilizer is Elisabeth's spine liquid.

When Elisabeth wakes up all she sees are the after party mess, but it's not the only thing - her finger is now aged. (Praising the sfx department, they outdid themselves in this movie).

This old skin is not an illusion, so Elisabeth makes a call, but the answer is - what is taken, can't be returned. Basically, she can't control when the other part of her decides to drain her spine liquid to prolong the number of days outside without switching.

But does Elisabeth decide to stop? She does not. Even knowing the risk she continues. She cleans up the mess and sees the new show on TV with Sue's close-ups. It's such a complicated look. As if deeply inside there is a brewing thought - You exist because of me, your beauty is taken from me, everything you have is mine, but she still can't let go. Unlike Sue, Elisabeth can not stabilize herself and exist longer, so she has to switch no matter what.

Elisabeth again travels for the refill kit, but this time she meets a person, the owner of the other locker, number 207, and she is reminded of the young male nurse, but the old man asked her about still mattering in this life and also if the other half started "eating her"?

And here I think of that fascinating small note that will be shown later on the fridge (screenshot above) - It changed my life - but whose life did it change? It actually changed the younger sef's life, not the original. I love that this part is so tricky.

To prove to herself that she still exists, that she's still there Elisabeth finds a phone number of a man who asked her out, someone from school. So she dresses up and puts on make-up, but before going out she stops and looks at the Sue outside the window, thus after overfixating on herself and how she looks, changes her lipstick, adds gloss, changes again, adds blush, then she's dissatisfied with how her chest looks like in a dress and covers it up, but then when she sees herself again she basically gives up. her date asks if she's late or anything wrong, but Elisabeth just sits there with a feeling of brokenness.

The scene is actually amazing, so much hate is directed at yourself in the mirror, almost paranoid.

Moore totally didn't spare herself.

She turns to food. Which is symbolic to many people turning to food for comfort.

Ngl the food is presented in this movie in such a way that it will make you feel uncomfortable, but that's the catch.

Sue saw a nightmare as if she took a chicken drumstick from her body and woke up to whole chiken eaten by Elisabeth and only the bones left behind.

Sue makes a call and is outraged that she has not enough time as herself, but Elisabeth does nothing, there is so much disgust in those words, as if she matters, but Elisabeth now doesn't. But she can't change the process.

She finds that the studio is not ready, she is afraid being let go aagin, tears in her eyes, as if it's the most that matters, but Harvey says the show had tremendous success and they will get her new time slot and will let her host a New Year's show.

Thus for Sue her career is more important than any balance, she starts to extracting more and more "stabilizer" and promises each time "It's the last day, I promise" and also tells about her progress as a rising star.

The scene with taking the spinal fluid is very body horror trigger warning all over the place, because the injection place starts to get almost like infected. Ah, scary.

But the one who is scared the most is Elisabeth who realized that Sue did not care about her at all and did not change for much longer than the last time. Now half her body is of that of an old woman.

Again, sfx team, props to them and also Moore is not scared to play at all.

But even if she's bitter and angry and sarcastic and is enraged at Sue on TV show who also points at her in a sarcastic way, while answering and even if Elisabeth is asked by the operator if she wants to terminate, Elisabeth does not terminate. She can't terminate, after all that beautiful part of herself exists and she can't let it go. Yet it doesn't mean she is not angry. The TV show interview with Sue makes her so angry that she makes a whole mess of the apartment making the woken up Sue enraged to such extent that she completely disregards the consequences and drains a full load of spinal liquid from Elisabeth. She doesn't want to switch anymore. And thinks she'll be fine.

3 months later she is ready to host the New Year's show, goes to inject the stabilizers but find that her stash is empty, unbothered she enters the safe room which is filled with packages of "food matrix" that are supposed to be for her and Elisabeth, but we do not see the body, yet we see Sue who had not taken any more liquid.

She calls and gets an answer that without switching there will be no regeneration of the spinal liquid, but it's a critical moment for her. But she has no other option but to switch.

And now we see Elisabeth. Boy what a view, they went all out on that bodysuit, it's a bit funny ngl. So Elisabeth is now a deformed hunched old lady. She is now completely ruined.

She makes a decision to finally terminate. But during the process she again sees the new poster outside with the upcoming NY show and half through the process she stops and tries to revive Sue, she is successful, but Sue who saw the half-empty syringe is the most outraged and in the process brutally kills Elisabeth (interestingly Elisabeth doesn't put up a fight, but only defends). Feeling after that something is wrong with her body she stops. We again see the reminder of "You are one".

This is the evening of the New Year show and Sue gets ready, but again hears the ringing in her ears and can barely concentrate, something is definitely wrong with her body. Left alone she sees herself getting worse, almost desintegrating. Afraid she runs back to grab the "activator" (that funny green liquid) in an attempt to make a copy of herself, but activator only for the original and for one use only, what comes out of Sue is a morphed version of some body monster. Elisasue get ready for the evening, they re-arrange the dress, also put the jewellery on, maybe the first time they look in the mirror normally. She cuts out the Elisabeth's face from the big portrait and sticks it on herself, this is me. She goes to the venue and is met by people, as if they don't see her behind that obvious mask and she goes on stage letting others see what she looks like.

The audience is scared and hates her instantly and wants to get rid of her.

TW: Too much of blood lol. But that gush of fake of blood as the responsive violence to audience's hate is something else. I bet they had lots of fun.

FInally Elisasue leaves and falls apart on the street, the last bit of her, Elisabeth's face that was part of the morphed person almost crawls to the thing we saw first in the movie, her star on the walk of fame.

She finally disappears when she reached the moment when she is truly free.

The movie is so grotesque, it's definitely not for those with weak stomachs, but at the same time so vocal about the issues it presents.

It's interesting to see that both parts basically hate each other, despite the fact that they are the same person, but one sees value in the other or more like wants to prolong that life through the other part, while the other part disdains the original for being a drag. It's such a vivid inner conflict and the final freedom.

RATE: 9/10. Shaving one star for the gore, although I know and understand the idea why it was done, but I truly lost my appetite after watching ahahaha