“The Substance” is bloody, exciting, tragic – The Collegian

A substance that can transform people into the most beautiful versions of themselves is distributed with an imaginary warning label that says, “You cannot escape yourself.”

Demi Moore’s character Elisabeth Sparkle learns this lesson in the most brutal way in “The Substance.” It’s painful, bizarre and utterly tragic as she fights tooth and nail to maintain beauty standards created to capitalize on inevitable insecurities, particularly those of women.

As a celebrity who loses her charm and influence in the public eye by simply existing as an aging woman, the desperation is great. The appeal of a substance that claims to restore beauty to its maximum potential is irresistible, regardless of the consequences.

At first it’s magical. She is reborn as Sue, the most beautiful girl in the world. Sue gets the TV contract. Sue is loved without question. Everyone just treats them better.

But Elizabeth still exists. Sue can only exist for seven days at a time before she is Elizabeth again, and the balance must be respected since they are one and the same.

Sue is pretty. Elisabeth doesn’t think it’s her. She finds a dangerous loophole to prolong her time as Sue, which ultimately leads to their shared bloody demise.

Attempting to describe the body horror in this film would be unfair. It is an experience that is not for the faint-hearted. I cringed and covered my eyes, but I was still interested in what would happen next.

However, it’s not a perfect film. It drags on longer than necessary and relies on the same shock factor to keep it going. A lot of it might be condensed, which might make it stronger.

Still, there’s a lot to love. The sound design was incredibly immersive and was further enhanced by the impressive visuals. It was impossible to ignore the performances of the two leading actresses, Margaret Qualley and Moore.

The film is direct in the way it lingers on the curves of the younger woman’s body, making her obsessive vanity clear. The fixation on being beautiful doesn’t let up, even as the characters begin to rot into something monstrous.

This fixation is reflected in the real world in many ways. There is a surge in online communities surrounding eating disorders, a space based on self-hatred and achieving unattainable standards of beauty. The community is mostly made up of young, directionless girls who rely on being beautiful to feel valuable.

“The Substance” got it exactly right. The desire to be beautiful inevitably becomes grotesque or even violent when it is placed above everything else. It’s a slippery slope that Elisabeth slides down and ends in a brutal accident from which she can no longer recover.

If you can stomach it, The Substance is a must-see cinematic experience. It’s gross, it’s gory and it has the courage to show how ugly femininity can be.