The Substance leaves its mark on viewers with its beautiful cinematography juxtaposed with shocking body horror and depiction of what we all must experience: getting older.
The Substance was written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, and stars Demi Moore, who plays Elisabeth Sparkle and Margaret Qualley, who plays Sue.
Elisabeth was once one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood and was known for her aerobics show, Sparkle Your Life. However, she is no longer seen in such high regard.
When the movie starts, we see that it’s Elisabeth’s 50th birthday, and she overhears the show’s studio executive, Harvey who is played by Dennis Quaid, saying she is past her prime and they need someone to replace her.
On the way home from the TV studio, Elisabeth ends up in a car accident that lands her in the hospital. After finding no injury, they send her on her way, but not before a young nurse hands her a USB and a note that says “It changed my life.”
Elisabeth then discovers The Substance. The Substance creates a better version of the host, or Matrix, called the Other Self by replicating their cells. The only catch is that they have to consistently switch with zero exception, 7 days as the new you, and 7 days as the old you.
The two selves are technically 2 different people since they do not share a consciousness, but there are constant reminders of the fact that they are one and the same, the balance must be respected.
From Elisabeth comes Sue, her younger and more beautiful self. She then goes to an audition that was actually for the role that was meant to replace Elsabeth, and she ends up getting it.
As the movie progresses, we see Sue’s lack of respect for Elisabeth. I won’t spoil the ending, but it’s fair to say that the balance was not respected.
Demi Moore is supposed to be portraying this washed up actress that is past her prime, seeing this especially when looking at how the show producer spoke to and about her, and the way that Sue thinks of Elisabeth.
Many critics complain about this aspect, believing that the director panders to the male gaze in the light that they show her appearance in, making it seem like it’s the worst thing to happen to a woman to have some wrinkles.
However, I disagree with this. To me, it’s clear that it’s satirical and calls out the way that society looks at women aging, not that the movie is trying to further perpetuate this idea.
This movie also shows really well the way that older women, or women who may not be deemed as beautiful by society, aren’t as respected as those who are. With almost identical shots of Sue and Elisabeth walking down the street in the same outfit, people cleared the way for Sue, stealing a glance, while people almost walked into Elisabeth. It was almost like she was invisible to them.
In addition, when Elisabeth went to lunch with Harvey, she had asked him a question about what he had said when he was explaining why it was time for her to retire. Instead of answering her, he just stands up and walks away to talk to a fellow producer friend of his. When comparing this to how he had decided to work around Sue’s very specific scheduling issue of only being able to work every other week, he had no issue going out of his way for her.
I think that this movie is so important in this day and age, where it feels as though aging is a woman’s number one enemy. I can’t go on social media for more than 10 minutes without seeing a new procedure, skincare routine, or gadget being promoted to women to make them look younger, thinner, “better.”
As a young adult in this day and age, I have seen the changes in media of what is deemed as beautiful. Despite the fact that there has been a lot more acceptance towards different body types, there is still a lot of work to do.
Over the past few years, I have seen an alarming rise in blatant body shaming and bullying online towards innocent people because they don’t fit the beauty standard. This has also bled into seeing more social media pages and influencers that promote unhealthy eating habits that is reminiscent of the rise in eating disorder culture on sites like Tumblr in the early 2010s.
Seeing this movie, it was honestly scary, and not because of the body horror, but because of the fact that it is more realistic than it seems. Seeing actresses, musicians, and even influences slowly destroying their bodies to try and keep up with the ever changing beauty standards is difficult to witness. It’s especially alarming with how many of these people have such young fans that don’t see issues in the way these celebrities upkeep their images.
I interact with girls around my age, sometimes older or younger, that make jokes about participating in substance use, dangerous procedures, or eating habits, because at the end of the day, all that matters is being beautiful. Beauty holds value in society and there are seriously people who will die trying to be that.
This was not the start of the conversation of ageism and unrealistic expectations of women’s beauty, nor is it the end, but it has been a positive voice in making sure that the conversation does not wane in a time when women’s appearances are still under constant scrutiny.