The Substance

After hearing all of the buzz about The Substance, my nephew and I were really excited (and a little nervous) to see it at the Broadway last night.  I think it is a bold repudiation of the beauty standards imposed on women, especially as they age, and it is absolutely bonkers.  Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is an Academy Award-winning actress now relegated to hosting a morning exercise show on TV.  She is unceremoniously fired by her misogynistic boss (Dennis Quaid) on her 50th birthday and then gets into a car accident when she sees the show's billboard being taken down.  She receives information about a black market drug called "The Substance," which can create a younger and more beautiful version of anyone who uses it, while being treated at the hospital and eventually decides to order it.  She injects a one-time "Activator" and a new version of herself, who takes the name Sue (Margaret Qualley), is born from a slit in her back.  Elizabeth is rendered unconscious when Sue injects a daily "Stabilizer" extracted from her back but, because the two are connected, they must switch places every seven days.  Sue embraces life and achieves fame as Elisabeth's replacement on the exercise show when she is conscious while Elisabeth is forgotten and becomes more and more despondent when she is.  Sue ultimately abuses the established boundaries in order to have more time which results in a physical deterioration in Elisabeth and, ultimately, a bloody confrontation between the two.  This features some really gruesome body horror elements (the visual effects and prosthetics are incredible) and the last 20 minutes are wild once the feminine rage is unleashed (eliciting lots of nervous laughter from the audience).  The themes could not be more obvious but I enjoyed the extreme camera angles and close-ups on Sue's body to mimic the male gaze, the campy performances from the men in the cast (particularly Quaid) to highlight the double standards for women in the entertainment industry, the contrast between the vibrant neon colors and bright lights for Sue and the muted colors and low lights for Elisabeth to telegraph their worth in society, and the symbolism of having a bathroom as the setting to portray Elisabeth's insecurities and dissatisfaction with herself (it is so relatable). I also enjoyed the commentary on the price of fame because both Elisabeth and Sue are willing to do anything to stay in the spotlight and the sequences at Elisabeth's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are brilliant.  Finally, Moore gives the best performance of her career with a vulnerability that is often heartbreaking, especially when she views herself in a mirror.  I was blown away by this and highly encourage fans of the genre to see it in the theater.