Review: The Substance

You are not prepared for The Substance. I could tell you everything that happens in this movie and it still would not prepare you for what happens in the film. It is an epic, fearless, gross, shocking film featuring two dynamic performances. It’s as visceral a filmgoing experience as I have had in 2024.

Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging celebrity whose star has diminished since she peaked in the 80s. After getting fired from her 80s-centric workout show because the studio decides she is too old and not “hot” anymore, she realizes that may have been the last of her fame. She is introduced to something called The Substance, a black-market drug that duplicates cells to create a younger, better version of yourself. The bodies share the same brains but must switch off every seven days to allow each other’s cells to rejuvenate. Desperate to stay in the spotlight, Elisabeth uses the drug, and it produces Sue (Margaret Qualley), who instantly becomes a star but struggles with only living in her fame every other week. Jealousy, resentment, greed, and the Hollywood spotlight start to cause a conflict between Elisabeth and Sue, which leads to dire consequences.

The Substance is not a subtle movie, and it doesn’t want to be. It is deliberately over-the-top but talks about serious issues when it comes to how Hollywood treats older women and ridiculous beauty standards. Writer/director Coralie Fargeat brilliantly blends grotesque body horror with artistic filmmaking to make one of the best-looking movies of 2024. From the color contrast of utilizing bright colors for the young and hot to blues and dark colors for the older and sad to the brilliant cinematography that can at times be jarring and uncomfortable and other times deliver one of the best shots of 2024, The Substance is a gorgeously shot and constructed film, which only makes the body horror elements even more disturbing and shocking. Fargeat does not shy away from the blood, gore, and grotesqueness of what happens to our characters in the film. There are a lot of gross and vile moments, along with some extraordinary prosthetics, that will surely make you squirm in your seat but are done purposefully and not just to shock the audience.

Moore and Qualley are the stars of the film and they both give sublime performances. Moore gives arguably the best performance of her career. We’ve never seen her in this light before. She masterfully portrays the aging superstar desperate to stay in the spotlight but broken by how she was thrown away in Hollywood. Moore becomes increasingly more heartbreaking as the movie goes on, as Sue starts to take advantage of Elisabeth and her remaining youth and beauty. Moore doesn’t say much in the film, but the brokenness in her face, even when piled on with makeup and prosthetics, is soul-crushing and masterfully done. This is one of the great performances of 2024.

Qualley continues to prove why she is one of the best up-and-coming actors working today. She is an exciting and fearless performer, and she gives her best performance to date as Sue. Qualley exudes Sue’s sexuality, but what most impressed me was seeing the slow-burning rage Sue keeps hidden inside as her jealousy and resentment grow toward Elisabeth. It’s spectacular work from one of the most exciting talents we have today and between this performance and her performances in Drive-Away Dolls and Kinds of Kindness, 2024 is shaping up to be the year of Qualley.

The Substance is a knockout. A brilliantly made Hollywood satire with a lot to say about the treatment of women and aging and it says it all as loud as possible. Stunning in its craftsmanship and led by two of the best performances of the year, you won’t see another movie like The Substance this year.

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