Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? Younger, more beautiful, more perfect. One single injection unlocks your DNA, starting a new cellular division and will release another version of yourself.
This is the premise of, The Substance (2024), French director Coralie Fargeat’s latest feature film starring Demi Moore (Elisabeth), Margaret Qualley (Sue) and Dennis Quaid (Harvey) that kicks off the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Midnight Madness lineup for 2024.
The film’s narrative follows Elisabeth Sparkle, a Hollywood film and television star, who has continued her fame into network television via a 70s/80s themed aerobics show called ‘Sparkle It Up’ and viciously illustrates Hollywood’s (and the world’s) obsession with youth and beauty.
Harvey, grotesquely but superbly portrayed played by Quaid (replacing original cast member Ray Liotta following his death in 2022), is the network executive who makes your skin crawl the more you watch him on screen, plots to replace Elisabeth for being too old with a younger host – on her birthday no less. This sends Elisabeth into a tailspin of self-doubt, resulting in being hospitalized, and ultimately leads her to The Substance, a black market drug that promises a better, younger, more beautiful, more perfect version of yourself.
The Substance (2024), through the familiar depiction of aging out Hollywood actors, satirically explores the obsessive nature society has undertaken with appearance and cosmetic procedures in the pursuit of maintaining a youthful and beautiful appearance for attention, desirability and an artificial sense of relevance. It’s really a matter of how far we’re willing to go – turning a knowing eye to physical and mental self-harm in the process.
A whirlwind of psychological distress, the fight for fame and a ton of blood (at one point a scream-rock blood opera), Fargeat has pumped out a highly-stylized, minimal dialogue body horror where acting returns as the main storytelling vehicle (earning Moore a ‘career-best’ performance review by critics) and ultimately forces the audience to realize how desperate and obsessed societies become with unrealistic standards of beauty while never forgetting how truly disposable we all are.
You can’t escape from yourself.
★ ★ ★ ★ ½ ☆
Note:
The Substance (2024) won the People’s Choice Midnight Award during it’s North American Premiere at TIFF 2024 (September 5th – 15th, 2024).
Actor Demi Moore (Elisabeth) arrives to the North American premiere of The Substance (2024) at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada during TIFF’24.
Photo Credit: Sean Young aka SERIAL SEAN
Director Coralie Fargeat arrives to the North American premiere of The Substance (2024) at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, Canada during TIFF’24.
Photo Credit: Sean Young aka SERIAL SEAN
The Substance (2024) film still.
Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival.
Header Image:
The Substance (2024) film still.
Courtesy of Toronto International Film Festival