Like Faust selling his soul to the devil, so does the Elisabeth Sparkle of The Substance. Director and screenwriter Coralie Fargeat proposes a story that explores the condemnation of growing old in the entertainment industry. At Cannes, Fargeat won the award for Best Screenplay, and from that moment on, great expectations began for its release in commercial theaters.

The first sequence of The Substance is presented as a synthesis. A fixed overhead shot that shows us an analogy of our protagonist Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore). We watch as a star is installed on a boulevard sidewalk highlighting Sparkle’s career, and then we see the relentless effect of time, the pristine symbol fading into oblivion. Elisabeth’s best years have already passed, she can sense the end of her career and her replacement by a younger, more beautiful talent. Amid her existential crisis comes a solution, a promise in the form of a unique substance capable of replicating her cells to create a better version of herself.

The Picture of Elisabeth Sparkle

The story of Coralie Fargeat can be interpreted as a reinvention of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Dorian had his portrait as a reminder of his transgressions and the infallible passage of time. In The Substance Elisabeth becomes the living portrait that serves as a testament to the excesses of her “improved” version Sue (Margaret Qualley). The film takes us on a path that delves into horror cinema, but its discourse is powerful and serious. Within the grotesque, disturbing, and hilarious we find a subtext that forcefully proposes an analysis of the cult of the body, especially within the film and television industry.

The Substance leaves us with unforgettable sequences and shocking images that will undoubtedly become horror film trademarks. Benjamin Kracun’s cinematography is fueled by suffocating close-ups that oppress us and force us to suffer with the protagonists. Kracun’s lens also finds fertile ground in the great production design and visual effects to immerse us in a universe that reminds us of David Cronenberg’s films. And it is no coincidence that we think of Cronenberg since the director herself mentioned The Fly (1986) as one of the sources of inspiration.

Along with its sharp script, The Substance is supported by fabulous performances by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley that are consummated in an eccentric and imposing third act that closes with a sequence that evokes Carrie (1976) by Brian De Palma. Coralie Fargeat makes a provocative and daring film that has all the substance that its title promises.