La sustancia

This is a desperately overrated film. It's an interesting watch, for sure, but as a whole it falls flat. While the director utilizes artistry for the story, ultimately the plot holes are undeniable, and worst of all, the ending is just ridiculous to the point where everything good that they were selling for the first hour about it devolves into a mess of a movie.

Have you ever heard of the term 'reaching'? That is what the people praising this are doing. They are reaching because in the first hour of the film, the movie showed promise, and they are ignoring everything that came after, which is plot holes galore.

Also, spiritually, it is a negative movie experience. The energy is negative and pointless by the end. There are no moral lessons here of which should have been if they stuck with the depth and substance of the first hour of a woman trying to regain her youth. Instead, it just devolves into a vapid gore fest in the third act that is just meant to stir up publicity and cause shock.

The first hour was pretty decent, but if this is what passes as a "good movie" or a "classic" these days as many reviews are trying to push, then we are in trouble. It has those very few elements at times of a masterpiece like many movies that try to push boundaries do, but ultimately it's a bad movie that doesn't even come close to a Wes Craven Scream film, and those aren't even masterpieces.

We need to cut down the hyperbole these days. Being different is not enough to be a masterpiece, and I feel bad for people who think this is anything great. They must have only seen twenty films in their lifetimes.

The movie starts off strong, with a solid story that suggests a clear narrative. However, as the plot unfolds, it begins to lose focus. Midway through, the film becomes disjointed and chaotic. Initially, it seems like the two main characters are connected, perhaps sharing a mind, but then the story abruptly shifts, revealing them as separate individuals in conflict with each other. By the time you reach the end, the movie veers completely off course, diving into B-movie absurdity.

This had the potential to be a great film, but the third act desperately needed a rewrite. The overall execution feels as if Rob Zombie was brought in for rewrites and reshoots, lending it an uneven tone. Despite its flaws, Demi Moore delivers a strong performance, portraying her character with conviction. While the movie is okay, it ultimately falls short of its potential.

This movie really stuck with me for a while and was thought provoking. Luckily at the grotesque bits I was looking away so I wasn't plagued by nightmares like the other person I watched it with. There are very graphic scenes, but I feel it added to the campiness and I didn't see the really gross ones. The message was clear cut and necessary in this day and age. My only real question that I never felt was addressed was how separate and connected their minds were, overall they both acted as entirely separate beings and I thought part of the point was that they were the same being but the disconnect between the characters mentally and their actions and how they affected each other was surprising.

I've been looking forward to this from the moment it was first announced to premiere at Cannes. The premise caught my eye, I love some good body horror, and I like Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. That filmmaker Coralie Fargeat won Best Screenplay at Cannes further stoked my interest, and I was eager to see 'The substance' as soon as it was released - only the third film I've made a point to see in theaters in 2024, and only the eleventh total since the COVID-19 pandemic began. I had very high expectations. And I've been very disappointed. I question the praise and accolades this has been awarded, and I don't think it's nearly worth going out of one's way to see.

All the way through to the end there are strokes of brilliance throughout the film in various ways. It begins so very promisingly, with small touches of cringe-worthy body horror prepping us for more gnarly visions to come. There's a strong undercurrent of psychological horror on hand, too, as the connection between Elisabeth and Sue runs deeper than a one-line synopsis suggests, and the story is primed to explore the splintering of not just bodies, but minds. More readily evident are the themes on hand, and rest assured that this dives headfirst into the difficulties of aging in modern society, specifically as they apply to women, and even more specifically to women in entertainment: the way that anyone older than thirty suddenly becomes invisible; the way that producers, casting directors, and talent agencies are always looking for the hot young thing; the desperation to feel and remain relevant, outright vanity, and reckless and/or selfish impulses; how young stars are molded and affected by all these factors, potentially resulting in a proverbial monster far removed from the person they were before. And from the outset 'The substance' latches onto a tendency for extreme detail that dovetails neatly into all such big ideas and juicy potential: camera and microphone alike accentuate mundane minutiae that are jarring and off-putting when heavily spotlighted; the ordinary human body, and indeed undeniable beauty, has never been more repulsive; Dennis Quaid is so disgusting in this instance, owing to both audiovisual presentation and characterization, that he's almost as revolting as the figure he portrays in another current release, the biopic 'Reagan.' And that's saying a lot.

From the start this also had a couple issues that gnawed at me, including music that at the outset was unnecessary and which began at an 11, trying to artificially assert ambience before anything had happened. More substantively, details in the picture as we see it - or rather, a lack of rounding details - raise a skeptical eyebrow as Elisabeth is selected out of the blue; questions nothing about the offer that has been extended to her at no charge, nor the set-up that the mysterious, wholly unexplained organization has devised; and has been given no actual instructions or meaningful information about "the substance," but charges ahead while understanding perfectly what the procedure is. Now, I've seen it remarked that modern audiences are too obsessed with plot, looking for details (present or absent) that poke holes in one's immersion, instead of just enjoying the show. I've never understood so clearly what that remark is referring to, and all the same my viewing experience was tripped up by these details, and also by the fact that in no time at all our protagonist is so careless as to disregard the scant few instructions she was given. As a further demerit, an early sequence probably needed a disclaimer, for I worry about viewers with photosensitivity. And still these matters, and some others of a smaller and less overt nature, are nothing compared the most significant problems plaguing the feature.

I said that 'The substance' begins promisingly, and I truly mean it. Would that Fargeat had stayed the course. There comes a discrete point somewhere around the halfway mark where the measured, nuanced body horror and psychological horror are set aside, and the tone shifts significantly. The fact is that this tries to be about half a dozen different movies, and while some of the flavors ably mix, others do not. Body horror and psychological horror do not mix with the most wildly over the top acting and direction that takes over, suddenly and then periodically. The flick almost becomes horror-comedy as it irregularly slips into bare-faced satire that leaves behind the more deliberate sensibilities with which Fargeat first approached the material. At times this is so simple-minded in its ordinary horror-thriller ideations that it becomes dull; there comes a time when the growing darkness of the more subtle thoughts is just discarded outright, and we're now watching a pure monster flick. Before all is said and done, this also embraces a level of blood, gore, literal splatter, and outrageous visuals that one is reminded of Brian Yuzna and 1989's 'Society,' if not also Stuart Gordon with his own irreverent genre frolics. Through to the end there are strokes of brilliance in all these capacities, and even the body horror and psychological horror continue to rise and recede. But the amalgamation as a whole doesn't work, and the doing is instead so messy and aggravating that I came close to just walking out. I've never done that before, and I still haven't, but this was almost the first time.

In all other regards this is tremendously well made. The stunts and practical effects are stupendous, including instances of violence, blood and gore, and certainly special makeup and creature effects. Where computer-generated imagery is sparingly employed, that judicious utilization blends seamlessly into the filmed footage. The production design and art direction are impeccable, and the costume design, hair, and makeup (of all stripes) are flawless. I love Raffertie's music in and of itself, themes that resonate powerfully as they complement the sordid tale, and I take issue only with how it is employed at times. Moore and Qualley give fantastic performances of admirable nuance, range, poise, and physicality, ably bringing to bear all the turmoil of Elisabeth and Sue; Quaid is solid in his supporting part. The sound design is terribly robust in the best and worst of ways, Benjamin Kracun's cinematography is sharp, and the editing is keen. The very concept is outstanding, and the procedure that Elisabeth and Sue must maintain is kind of ingenious. Unfortunately, none of this matters so much when the storytelling swerves so inelegantly between airs that do mesh, that don't mesh, or which downright compete for dominance. At its best I can understand why Fargeat was honored with "Best Screenplay"; I can also understand why she won "Best Screenplay" and not "Best Film" or "Best Direction." At its worst, I think even that honor was undeserved.

I entered with very high expectations, and I've been very disappointed. 'The substance' could have been many things, but it couldn't be all of them. The best notions that it had going for it, the measured, mounting body horror and psychological horror, unquestionably represent the best possibilities for the concept, but the others might have been just as swell all on their own. All together, it falls apart, and it does so as a discernible juncture. I wondered many weeks ago how this genre piece could be a whopping two hours and twenty minutes long, and the regrettable answer is that it tries to do and be too many things. With all this having been said, while it's possible I'm being too kind, I'm not inclined to say that the title is altogether bad. I don't dislike it. But then, any broad words of positivity, extended to the entirety instead of to particular elements, also seem several steps too far. I suppose I'm glad for those who get more out of 'The substance' than I did, but I find it difficult to offer an especial recommendation.

Every scene of this film wowed me at TIFF. The casting, atmosphere, visual and sound design, music, and, of course, the symbolism of it all.

Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley couldn't have been more perfectly cast as leads. Their devotion to the process and trust in their director was clear to me. Their vulnerability pulls this off and leads to a very compelling fever dream.

Everyone involved should be really proud of this film. To me, it's a future cult classic.

It is body/psychological horror, so don't expect jump scares. It's deeper than that. I found myself getting lost in reflection during the film (as a 47 year old woman it really spoke to me).

But it's also extremely fun to watch!

Take it seriously as a true work of art, but don't at the same time, and you'll have a blast.