November Movie Pick: 'The Substance' – I F*cking Love Horror!

This movie feels like Smile 2 and Malignant had a baby that was raised by Glenn Close's Alberta character from Deliverance (Netflix, "I can smell your nappy p*ssy"). The Substance, just like the ones I mentioned, was full of surprises, with an ending that postpones itself only to present more shocking developments. But here, they just went from 0 to eleven and stayed there. There was a scene where I burst into laughter because I loved the brave outcome they took. The performances here from everyone except our two main stars are over the top, grotesque, and everything you would imagine of such a film once you finish it. I didn’t expect the depiction of Hollywood to be so wrapped in satire to the point of disgust, directly contradicting the powerful, realistic performance of Demi Moore. I have to give it to her, this power move—joining this movie and what seems to anchor it on the way to becoming a classic—is commendable. She is incredible here. I literally applauded one of the scenes because I forgot I was watching a movie, while Moore displayed her talent. For those who have no idea what the movie is about, brace yourself, nothing can prepare you—not even slight spoilers, so I will keep them to a minimum, because you have to experience this thing for yourself. I was entertained! The other MVP of this project is definitely Margaret Qualley. In the beginning of the movie, I was longing for more scenes with Moore, feeling that Qualley could never match her, but she did. She delivered, on par with the best performance of Moore's career—her own best game. I loved those two, and while between them the movie creates such an interesting dynamic, I cannot comment on their relationship without spoilers. The movie is very successful in everything it comments on. The grotesque manager, who I could've sworn was Ewan McGregor behind some kind of mask or prosthesis, turned out to be a totally different person, which is absolutely meta and probably an unintentional commentary related to the movie and the messages it explores. Over the top performances that very much capture what the business of exploitation is.

Spoilers:

What stood out for me is that the movie separated the body, but while it was exploring this element, their behavior and minds seemed to separate as well. The whole time, Sue was actually Elisabeth, driven by the longing for more time in this new youthful body. She began to steal time and youth from herself, creating... Incredible commentary on body image and how we damage ourselves trying to be better, younger versions of ourselves, but what we were is perfect enough. Demi Moore is so beautiful, but the business and society's expectations just crushed her to test something that ultimately ended her. The movie seemed to take shots at Jane Fonda, Joan Rivers, and others who are no strangers to the nip and tuck, which I found kind of annoying, but for the commentary, it was completely necessary. But how she split between the two bodies, creating a totally different persona, was so well depicted that for a good chunk of the movie, I forgot that these were one, and when I was reminded of that, it just blew me away.

The body horror here and what Demi Moore shoots for is unbelievable. I just love those two actresses. They immediately became horror sweethearts, just like Mia Goth entered the horror scene with X, Pearl, and Maxxxine. Another three movies that deserve the attention of more people, and they probably will get it at some point. The Substance is an instant classic, fusing many genres, jumping from one to another with no problem, never losing the quality in the movie or the performances.

Is the message of the movie loud and clear? Pretty much. Learn to love yourself and accept the natural order. We cannot escape being old if we want to stay alive, and the work within is as important as the physical activities one should do to remain youthful. The movie also tackles, behind the main topic, the problem of addiction, and how the influence of substances is often the loud idea that under it, you are this better version of yourself, while we completely forget that the changes we put ourselves through often destroy our soul and physical appearance, not to mention the cost of time.

It’s so funny — I recently told my first cousin that she reminds me a lot of Demi Moore, and now, this compliment could take on a whole new direction.

Iliya Badev