When I first heard about “The Substance” and initially saw the trailers, I’ll admit I was sort of hesitant about the film and would just eventually catch it when it’s available on streaming or PVOD. But, once I saw the numerous awards and nominations that the film has been receiving, my curiosity for the film grew.
For those who are not familiar with the plot: Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for her aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her.
Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.
The recent Best Picture nominee, “The Substance,” delivers a promising start as we see Elisabeth Sparkle realizing that her infamous and highly successful career is coming to an end. As she keeps taking “The Substance” (which is what it’s actually called in the film), the film does a complete turn and dives into body horror territory.
To get this out of the way, the performances in this film are really good, especially Demi Moore (who has been earning numerous accolades for her role). I’m usually not a huge Demi Moore fan, but she definitely deserves all the awards recognition she is getting for this film. The rest of the cast (mainly Dennis Quaid and Margaret Qualley) also do a stand out job and, honestly, Quaid’s role in this film is probably the sleaziest role he has ever played (if you have seen the film, you’ll know).
The first half of the film shows us how her character is grappling with age-related insecurities after losing her job. We actually see how her soon to be ex-boss doesn’t really care in a pivotal scene as he lets her go in a public restaurant (while in the middle of eating a lot of shrimp). During those moments where we see her grappling with reality is where Moore really shines, as her performance can be a little emotional. The film really kicks into high gear once she is introduced to “The Substance.”
Once her younger, more enhanced self begins to overuse the mysterious substance, the film quickly turns into a body horror kind of feature as we see what her body is going through. Her enhanced self (named Sue) really enjoys living her life, which soon changes drastically (which I won’t spoil here). And all of those drastic changes eventually leads to one of the most bizarre endings I have recently seen.
“The Substance” can also deliver a couple little moments that will give you a light chuckle, including a couple of ways that the actor’s perform (especially Quaid’s over the top performance) as the film is also considered to be a satire. The last twenty minutes of the film is entirely unexpected and can honestly get really bizarre. Another thing I really liked about the film is that we really don’t have a direct explanation of how the “substance” came to be and where it came from.
The Oscar nominated film also delivers a message about the fixation on outward beauty and we see how the film also uses the horror genre to make a statement about the obsession of youth and lengths people go to defy aging.
So, if you ever get a chance to see this on the big screen, I suggest you check it out at least once. And, despite the numerous accolades the film has been receiving, “The Substance” isn’t for everyone!
Cast: Demi Moore (Elisabeth); Margaret Qualley (Sue); Dennis Quaid (Harvey); Edward Hamilton-Clark (Fred); Gore Abrams (Oliver); Oscar Lesage (Troy); Hugh Diego Garcia (Diego)
Writer/director: Coralie Fargeat
Trivia: Ray Liotta was initially cast in the film in February 2022, but he died in May that year before he could film his scenes. Dennis Quaid replaced him, but Liotta is still mentioned in the director’s “Thank You Notes” during the credits. Honestly, since Liotta was always known for sleazy roles, he would’ve knocked this out of the park. Universal Pictures originally was attached to distribute the film through their deal with production company Working Title. At some point during the making of the film, they ended up stepping away from the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, multiple sources said Universal was “worried about the prospect of releasing the film.”
Demi Moore’s Golden Globe win for this film is her first major win in her career that has spanned more than forty years.
MPAA: R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language (running time 141 minutes)
Ray Liotta was cast in the film in February 2022, but he died in May that year before he could film his scenes. Dennis Quaid replaced him, but Liotta is still mentioned in the director's "Thank You Notes" during the credits.
In the film, Elisabeth Sparkle turns 50 years old. Demi Moore, who portrays the character, was almost 60 at the time of shooting the film.
Demi Moore wasn't Coralie Fargeat's first pick. During a meeting in Paris, Moore gave Fargeat a copy of her 2019 memoir which then convinced Fargeat to cast her due to its depiction of her relationship to her body during the early and peak years of her film career.
Demi Moore's Golden Globe win for this film is her first major win in her more than 40-year career.
Universal Pictures originally was attached to distribute the film through their deal with the film's production company Working Title. At some point during the making of the film, they ended up stepping away from the project. According to The Hollywood Reporter, multiple sources said Universal was "worried about the prospect of releasing the film". Mubi ended up acquiring worldwide rights for the film shortly before its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in competition.
The movie was filmed in France. Elisabeth's apartment view of LA is a photograph backdrop.
Demi Moore was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for this film. This is her first ever Oscar nomination after her 40 plus year career.
Dennis Quaid ate two kilograms (four pounds) of shrimp during the notorious shrimp eating scene.
This is the seventh horror film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The first six films are The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Sixth Sense (1999), Black Swan (2010), and Get Out (2017). Of these films, only The Silence of the Lambs (1991) won.
Received an 11-minute standing ovation at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the longest of all films shown at the event.
Demi Moore worked alongside Margaret Qualley's mother, Andie MacDowell, in St. Elmo's Fire (1985).
The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Coralie Fargeat, Best Actress for Demi Moore, Best Original Screenplay for Fargeat, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli.
The film is partly inspired by Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray", which is about a man who manages to avoid aging by allowing the signs of aging to appear on a painting of him instead his real body. However, instead of merely showing the signs of aging, the portrait ends up becoming progressively more monstrous, as a reflection of Gray's immoral behavior (just as Elisabeth's body starts to decay quickly when Sue tries to abuse The Substance). Gray hides the portrait by moving it to a more private room of his house and ends up stabbing it. This is reflected in the film as Elisabeth, herself, smashes the poster of Elisabeth that hangs in the living room and ends up hiding it in a secluded room.
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