Every year we seem to get at least one movie that attempts to push boundaries and brings something new and unique to the cinematic table. This year that movie is The Substance from writer/director Coralie Fargeat. It’s a film that’s entertaining from start to finish, but it may not appeal to a wide audience. Let’s take a closer look in our full review of The Substance.
If you’ve seen episodes of the Netflix series Black Mirror, you already have a pretty good idea of what to expect from The Substance. It takes place in a reality in which a drug has been developed in secret that allows people to create the best version of themselves. It essentially uses the subject as the base for a new you, meaning there are two different people that come out of the process, the original person, and their improved version.
We won’t spoil the details of exactly how everything works, but essentially, only one of the two people can be active at a time. They have to trade off every week, which also means they can’t directly speak to one another. Of course there are a number of restrictions to this in addition to switching back and forth every week, and when those restrictions aren’t specifically adhered to, things start to go off the rails.
The first half of The Substance focuses mainly on world and character building. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is a famed actress that’s past her prime. When she’s fired from her exercise show, she looks to the new drug as a way to deal with aging and falling out of the spotlight. Enter Sue (Margaret Qualley) as the new and improved version of Sparkle, who also has mental issues of her own.
In many ways The Substance is a borderline satirical look at the societal pressure that surrounds success, beauty, and aging. Moore’s subtle nods that show her nearing the breaking point bring an almost thriller-like atmosphere to the proceedings. She’s vulnerable at many points throughout the film, and cornered animals are the most deadly. Once Sparkle feels cornered, things turn sour.
On the other side of that coin is Sue, who basically has everything handed to her. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to let go of her newfound spotlight just to give Sparkle her allotted time. Sue’s mental decay isn’t quite as subtle as Sparkle’s, but the contrast between the two characters helps build tension that otherwise wouldn’t exist between characters who don’t have a direct line of communication.
The Substance doesn’t go out of its way to explain everything to the audience. How do Sparkle and Sue know all of the rules to the new drug beyond what’s in the box? How does all of this work? Very little is explained initially, which maintains the mystery, but also makes some scenes happen only due to plot convenience. This causes plot holes in which the more you think about it, the less the film makes sense.
While Black Mirror also had some plot holes, sharp scripts helped to minimize these. That sharpness is missing from The Substance, which forces audiences to just go along with the story and not ask too many questions. It’s nice to not be bogged down by exposition, but when a Netflix show does everything comparatively better, it creates a sense of disappointment as the movie plays out. It doesn’t help that the final act of the film elevates the insanity to 100, lessening the thought provoking social commentary of the movie up to that point.
The Substance is like a mix between an average Black Mirror episode, and the plot-breaking insanity of Sorry to Bother You. It works until it doesn’t, and without the attention to detail that Black Mirror offers, the insane ending is more of a turn off than an exclamation point. Still, the first half of the film is worth the price of admission for the social commentary alone.
About The Substance
Synopsis: A fading celebrity decides to use a black-market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Writer: Coralie Fargeat
Stars: Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid
Runtime: 2 Hours, 20 Minutes
Rated: R
Bryan Dawson has been writing professionally since the age of 13. He started his career as a video game writer and has since worked for Random House, Prima Games, DirecTV, IGN, AOL, the British Government, and various other organizations. For GNN, Bryan taps into his passion for movies.
