The Substance, one of the most anticipated releases of the year, is finally set to arrive in Canadian cinemas this week. Starring Demi Moore in a career-best performance opposite the consistently impressive Margaret Qualley, this sophomore effort from up-and-coming French director Coralie Fargeat (Revenge) plumbs the depths of the feminine psyche to deliver a twistedly entertaining fable on the fine line between self-obsession and self-hatred.
Melding the vibrant palette and melodramatic tone of Pedro Almodóvar (think Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) with the visceral body horror of David Cronenberg, Fargeat’s uncomfortably honest examination of the darkness within us is not only unquestionably horrifying and full of arresting imagery, but also surprisingly funny.
Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an aging Hollywood starlet in her Jane Fonda Jazzercise era. Teetering on the edge of her fiftieth birthday, Elisabeth’s entire existence is constructed on a rapidly crumbling foundation of youth and beauty. Even her posh apartment serves as a temple to her own vanity, with a giant portrait of herself (preternaturally flawless) leering over the living room and out the floor-to-ceiling windows at a giant billboard for her show, framed meaningfully against the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills.
When the big day finally arrives, she is unceremoniously put out to pasture by her outlandishly chauvinistic boss, Harvey (played with gusto by Dennis Quaid). Before she knows it, Elisabeth is approached with a mysterious opportunity to inhabit the most perfect version of herself, thanks to a secretive beauty treatment called “the substance.” She jumps at the chance despite knowing nothing of the consequences, dodging a series of red flags to secure her dosage from a clandestine location in a seriously sketchy part of town.
Holding a grotesque mirror to the horrors women put themselves through every day in the name of beauty, Elisabeth strips down (literally and figuratively) to activate the process. In this moment – Elisabeth’s “flaws” laid bare for all to see – the irony and genius of Moore’s casting becomes painfully apparent. Now in her sixties, Moore remains as stunning as ever, throwing the absurdity of her alter ego’s insecurities into stark relief. With barely a moment’s hesitation she sets the process in motion, enduring what looks like unspeakable pain as her back splits open, leaving her an immobile husk on the tile floor as her younger, hotter self (Qualley) emerges to admire herself in the mirror.
But of course, it could hardly be that simple. Elisabeth and her counterpart must exchange places every seven days without exception, or suffer the consequences. As the story unfurls, they jockey for power over their shared existence, with increasingly devastating results. Despite near-constant reminders, the pair soon forgets that they’re in this game together, playing out an all-too-familiar feminine battle of self-hatred in a way we’ve never seen before, culminating in a final act that needs to be seen to be believed. Months later, I’m still digesting the ending of the film, which goes out not with a whisper, but with a great big bang.
Moore has been (quite rightfully) getting a huge amount of attention for her performance, and I think I can safely say that this is Demi Moore as you have never seen her before. Diving headlong into the character, Moore is fearless at every turn, and you won’t be able to take your eyes off her. However, the piece is very much a two-hander, and would not be nearly as effective without Qualley, who is more than up for the challenge of serving as foil to the more established actress.
I was surprised, viewing the film, at the number of laughs it elicited from the (mostly male) audience that surrounded me. Despite the film being shot through with moments of genuine hilarity, I found it hard to laugh as they felt so genuinely rooted in the reality of the female experience. Less interested in skewering the external forces women face than in examining the battle that too often rages within, The Substance lays bare the ways that women can often (quite literally in this case) be their own worst enemy.
The Substance opened TIFF’s Midnight Madness programme on September 5th and lands in Canadian cinemas on September 20th.
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