The Wasteland Reviewer

The Substance (2024) Written Review

How often do you feel insecure about your body and your aging? You look at an extra gray hair (or two…or ten). You look at a new mark that you have no idea where it came from or what you might have done to yourself to acquire it. You feel your clothing getting just a bit tighter. Insecurity is such a powerful force in the human mind. This insecurity can push us with great motivation, or it can drive us to reckless and erratic choices. The Substance is a cautionary tale about those rash decisions we can make that lack the understanding of consequences. A tale of a beautiful but aging screen performer who takes a drastic avenue to stand young. But this is the type of experience that you will find hard to ever forget. 

What makes The Substance so impactful? There is a reckless abandon that director Coralie Fargeat brings to the table. If you have seen Fargeat’s Revenge, you know there is something wild and intense about her approach to filmmaking. There is a visceral nature to every single frame in the film with bold angles, editing, color, and energy. The dynamic choices that Fargeat makes are incredible as they come together weaving together a fully unique cinematic experience. The camera loves the human form, and the camera “gaze” is more intense than you have seen before. What is even more intense, and engrossing is the soundscape around every moment of the film. You can hear every little bodily sound from fluids slurping to tongues lapping, and groping commencing. The music is peak clubbing style and brings a rhythm to every moment of the film. Raffertie brings the goods while creating this score that is such an essential piece to the film. Slow motion can feel tacky and cliché, but the way Fargeat chooses to use it works so well. 

What is the most impactful element of Fargeat’s horror experience? The body horror. The Substance would make David Cronenberg so proud…and even might make him blush at times. The commitment to bodily manipulation is strong. The film builds up to a wild final 20-minutes that offers up some of the most impressive and disturbing body make-up in recent memory. There are so many haunting details about the design that it will live in your nightmares for long after. But throughout the film, there are so many unnerving elements from needle usage, aging body parts, and the splitting and ripping of human flesh. The visuals in this film (paired with all the wild and dynamic filmmaking choices of Fargeat) create one of the most singularly haunting cinematic experiences of 2024. 

But where does the soul of the film come from? Demi Moore. She has never been considered a great performer, but The Substance will make you rethink that quickly. Moore must battle through plenty of uncomfortable physical elements of her character with layers of emotions. There is one sequence in the film where Moore must allow insecurity to overcome her as she struggles with her make-up for a date. This just might be one of the best acted scenes in film this year. Moore is matched with the intense sexuality and confidence of Margaret Qualley. This young performer is an absolute force as she commands every frame and pulls the gaze of the camera to her every movement. The ratcheting up of tension and mania that Fargeat cultivates offers space for Moore and Qualley to go huge with their performances and they do not disappoint. Dennis Quaid even shows up fleetingly with a high energy and uncomfortably intense performance that is a joy to watch (but probably not matching the joy Quaid is experiencing in the role…because he looks like he is having the time of his life).

When all is said and done, what does The Substance have to say? There is so much to process about the human body, society’s obsession with beauty, and the crippling insecurity that lurks underneath the surface for all of us. The final sequence of the film takes an overly blunt approach to the themes (with Fargeat trying too hard to spell things out for mainstream audiences) but that does not take away from the might and power of the ideas and themes that Fargeat injects into her film. There will be moments that bring too much emotion as they resonate too deeply. There will certainly be moments that will shake you to the core due to how grotesque body horror can be. But this is the beauty of this film. Fargeat does not pull back or compromise for a more palpable experience. This is a singularity in cinematic artistry that will linger with you for hours…days…and weeks to come.