Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s what’s on the inside that counts. Beauty is only skin deep. We’ve all had these ideological platitudes ingrained in us from the moment we can speak.
Everyone agrees that we shouldn’t judge a person’s value based on their attractiveness — good looks have nothing to do with talent, personality, and intelligence. And yet, no one denies the undeniable value of being hot.
Sexual attraction is hardwired into our DNA. And like it or not, people naturally show greater interest in attractive people. We’re judged by our looks every day, so sex appeal definitely has its perks. This fact of life is especially true in the entertainment industry, where talent and ability can play second fiddle to a celebrity’s sex appeal.
Writer-director Coralie Fargeat’s latest film, The Substance, examines the chilling interplay between beauty and celebrity. The film offers a stylish, and often unhinged look at what a former Hollywood star must endure to stay in the spotlight. Fuelled by a once-in-a-lifetime Demi Moore performance, The Substance offers a riveting interrogation of Hollywood’s toxic ideals.
Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) used to be a major Hollywood star but her career lost its lustre as she aged out of “It-girl” status. She hasn’t headlined a hit film in years, and to make matters worse, she’s about to face the kiss of death for a female sex symbol: turning 50. Now, Elisabeth makes a living hosting a slick television fitness program where she gyrates, sweats, and smiles her way through each episode.
One day after filming wraps, Elisabeth overhears her producer, Harvey (a cartoonishly slimy Dennis Quaid), discussing her replacement. The show is Elisabeth’s last claim to fame, and losing it to a younger, “hotter” woman is a real slap in the face.
In an act of desperation, Elisabeth tries out an experimental new treatment guaranteed to reinvigorate her looks, and in turn, her career. The treatment delivers on its promise, but comes with life-altering complications. Elisabeth struggles to manage the treatment’s severe side effects while desperately clinging to the vestiges of her fading career.
Hollywood has produced countless movies about washed-up stars, desperately fighting to maintain relevance, but no one has done it quite like Fargeat. She’s crafted an outrageous social commentary which tackles real-life issues through a fractured lens.
The Substance examines themes of misogyny, objectification, the male gaze, clout-chasing, and the pursuit of unattainable beauty standards. Fargeat tackles these concepts with cartoonish zeal. She’s crafted a violent and absurd cinematic romp that brazenly marches into high camp territory.
There are two things you need to know about this movie. It’s as subtle as a jackhammer and it isn’t for the squeamish. There’s no length Fargeat won’t go to drive home a point (usually in some over-the-top manner). Expect to endure brutal acts of violence, stomach-churning body horror, and geysers of blood. At one point the film introduces a twisted visual metaphor that’s so grotesque it makes The Shining’s “Room 237 Hag” look like Mary Poppins.
Yet it all unfolds with a tongue-in-cheek tone, which makes the extreme visuals more palatable. It’s closer to the irreverence of an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon than the brutality of Human Centipede.
Moore’s wild performance is the secret ingredient that makes the extreme tone work so well. She brings a delicate vulnerability to a character who throws her humanity to the wind in her desperate bid to stay relevant. Moore’s work here is so audacious the only way to describe it is as Nic Cage-level unhinged. That’s right, Demi Moore goes Nic Cage crazy in a must-see performance.
DP Benjamin Kracun often shoots the action with wide-angle lenses that give the world a distorted look. Everything feels surreal and off-kilter, evoking the trapped inside a dream quality found in David Lynch’s work.
Beauty is subjective, and what people consider beautiful exists on a wide spectrum. The problem is that societal beauty standards only occupy a sliver of that spectrum. The Substance explores what happens when someone in the top 1% finds themself on the outside looking in.
Fargeat’s bonkers showbiz satire uses Hollywood as a microcosm for society at large. She highlights the toxic fallout radiating from a culture obsessed with youth and sex appeal. With its knockout lead performance and audacious tone, The Substance is destined to be one of the year’s most discussed films.
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