‘The Substance’ is an Unflinching Look at Beauty and Fame

The Substance

★ ★ ★ ★

‘The Substance’ is a cinematic masterpiece. Demi Moore’s performance as aging starlet Elizabeth Sparkle promises a late career resurrection. The tightly wound screenplay wraps intrigue, tension and an unapologetic commentary on the price to maintain fame when industry defined beauty begins to wane. The original editing style has both an independent film feel and big-budget gravitas. The cinematography is bright and vibrant while capturing a very dark and unforgiving premise.

This is the film you watch and then go out for dinner and drinks and discuss. It’s unsettling, and by the end, you’ll likely wonder what the heck you just watched. It’ll inspire conversation, which is what films like this should do.

Demi Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle
© Working Title Films

Elizabeth Sparkle is a celebrity fitness instructor whose beauty has faded, and thus, so has her career. She’s told this by television executive Harvey (Dennis Quaid) in a restaurant while she watches in disgust as he eats shrimp in the most sloppy and vulgar way. He’s robotic in his pleasantly frank approach as he tells her “at 50, well, it stops.” It’s obvious Harvey is an old pro at telling actresses they’ve aged out of stardom.

After a violent car crash, she’s checked over by a doctor (Tom Morton) and a male nurse (Robin Greer). She’s virtually uninjured from the accident and the doctor clears her to go home. The nurse does a further examination of her spine and tells her she’s a good candidate. For what, he doesn’t say, but hands her a USB flash drive with “The Substance” printed on it. The drive is wrapped in a note that says “It changed my life.”

Elizabeth Sparkle Blows a Kiss
© Working Title Films

To summarize, the substance is an injection designed to unlock a person’s DNA. It will create another version of yourself. This other version will literally produce itself from your body (graphically depicted in this film). Your other version will have 7 days to be active while you are in a comatose state.

During those seven days, your other version, who is considerably younger with flawless skin and features, will need to remove fluid from your spine each day and inject itself with it to continue to function. While you’re comatose, your other version is responsible for connecting you to a seven-day food supply fed to you intravenously.

Margaret Qualley as Sue
© Working Title Films

When the seven days are up, the other version of you connects your bodies via needles and a tube. You then awaken and your other version goes comatose. Now you have the same 7 days and similar rules to follow to keep your other self alive. This cycle continues.

Elizabeth’s other self, who is considerably younger, goes by Sue (Margaret Qualley) and auditions for Elizabeth’s television spot. She lands the spot and the immediate adoration of Harvey, who has found his new daytime moneymaker.

Sue Blows a Kiss to the Camera
© Working Title Films

Of course there are serious repercussions for violating the 7 day balance. It doesn’t take Sue long to violate it and it takes a toll on Elizabeth. The first instance causes Elizabeth’s right pointer finger to be decrepit. As you can imagine, things spiral downhill from here for Elizabeth and eventually Sue.

This film is full of allegory and should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone pursuing a career in showbiz. Even more so for someone who has landed one.

Sue Walks Along Hollywood
© Working Title Films

It’s incredibly brutal, wickedly horrific and fantastically honest in its assessment of the entertainment industry’s absurd beauty requirements. There is a lot to unpack because there are so many metaphors, both subtle and outright. This movie is certainly worthy of close observation in a college film class, because of what it’s trying to say plus to the expert level of filmmaking.

It’s been said that the cost of fame is high, especially when grasping to hang on to beauty. The Substance gives us an honest, merciless look at how high that price is.

Horror, Drama