For her second feature, the French filmmaker goes Hollywood, literally and figuratively, as she brings in recognizable American stars and sets the action in Los Angeles. Played by Demi Moore, Elisabeth Sparkle is an actress whose star has lost its luster; both her literal one on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the metaphorical something<\/em> that made her the object of lust and attention when she was younger. After she is unceremoniously fired due to her age from her role as the lead of an \u201880s-style aerobics show by icky network exec Harvey (Dennis Quaid), she is desperate to regain her youth and beauty. She is offered The Substance, which promises to turn her into the best version of herself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That version is Sue (Margaret Qualley), who is perky and bouncy in both personality and form. Yet there\u2019s a catch (as there always is in fairy tales like these): Elisabeth can become Sue for seven days, but then she has to switch back into her older self for seven days. Inevitably, that seven-day period feels too short for Sue, but there are consequences for dwelling too long in the younger body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fargeat has made a gloriously gross movie that made me cackle like the witch that society imagines me to be at the ripe old age of 42. The Substance<\/em> is wild and wildly funny, unafraid of going there with scenes that make your skin crawl while simultaneously making you giggle at the gore. Shot by Promising Young Woman<\/em>\u2019s cinematographer Benjamin Kracun, the colors are bright and the sun is shining, a fine contrast to the thematic darkness. Its cultural references range from The Picture of Dorian Gray <\/em>to The Fly<\/em>, but it is a distinctly female take on the genre and the horror of existing in a woman\u2019s body in this world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lot of The Substance<\/em> is marvelously over the top, but it still rings true. One of the most affecting moments involves Elisabeth preparing to go out\u2014but she is never quite satisfied with the results of her work on her hair and her makeup, redoing and erasing and overdoing her look for the night as the clock ticks by. She\u2019s late, but she\u2019s more concerned that she just can\u2019t get it right<\/em>. As someone who has attempted and failed (and attempted and failed) a smoky eye, a cat eye, and any makeup look requiring a modicum of skill, I\u2019ve been there. But this isn\u2019t about the makeup; it\u2019s about Elisabeth\u2019s basic unhappiness with her looks, especially at this point in her life, and she won\u2019t find a fix through even the perfect application of blush or lipstick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Substance <\/em>mulls over the time spent and the pain experienced in the name of beauty, but those efforts are never enough. Moore is absolutely stunning at 61, but even she is discarded. <\/em>It also interrogates what men are allowed to get away with in both their looks and their behavior; Quaid\u2019s Harvey is a disgusting character who remains in power despite his advancing age and awful suits, with the camera zooming in on his pores and his leering grin in tight, shudder-inducing close-ups.\u00a0 “The Substance” is in theaters this weekend.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/substance2-1024x681.jpg\")
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At 2 hours and 20 minutes, it <\/em>sometimes feels like an endurance test. Elisabeth\u2019s experience is a grueling one that we feel in our bones and in our guts. The Substance<\/em> is arguably too much, but that is absolutely its intent.<\/p>\n\n\n\nB+<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n