A dose of thrills: 'The Substance' bewitches and disturbs

SARA MIGUEL celebrates a surreal body horror film of substance which critiques ageism and sexism  at the rotting heart of Hollywood

A new body horror film, exploring the curse of ageing as a Hollywood star, thoroughly deserves its Best Screenplay prize at the legendary Cannes Film Festival.

The Substance is directed by the French film-maker, Coralie Fargeat, extracting sublime performances from Demi Moore (Elisabeth Sparkle) and Margaret Qualley (Sue), two halves of the same infinitely divided unit. They reveal themselves in authentic, non-sexual nudity, denouncing the machismo of Hollywood society. The original (the ageing Elisabeth) and her ‘freshly made’ double, Sue, begin by sharing the same consciousness after taking a mysterious drug known only as ‘The Substance’, the only rule being that they have to alternate their existences every seven days – whilst one plays out their existence in Hollywood, the other lies dormant on the bathroom floor. But Sue, intoxicated by the adoration of her audience admirers, oversteps the mark by monopolising their existence. By ignoring the rules of balance prescribed by The Substance, little by little, Elisabeth suffers from this life and falls into old age and chaos, until she attempts to wreak a startling revenge on her younger self.

"A pretty girl should always smile" (producer Harvey)

The Substance not only offers a very intense, feminine perspective on women's bodies, but also sends a very important message to the film industry. Fargeat denounces current Hollywood society and the artistic world of appearances, where you have to stay ‘young’ to continue your career. She advocates a willingness to accept ourselves as we are, whatever our age, and that old age should have no impact on our careers. This strong message is sent to directors who swear by beauty, youth, aesthetics whilst scorning superfluous wrinkles by encouraging cosmetic surgery to remain within the ‘norm’ of beauty. All imperfections are denigrated, and old age is seen as the end of a career. One of the messages of The Substance is that excessive beauty through surgery is in fact total and irreversible self-destruction.

This beauty is particularly visible on screen through the many exaggerated and hypersexualised zooms and pans where the camera seems to venerate parts of the female body (breasts, wet lips, buttocks, legs). These close-ups imitate the male gaze on popular culture. This is further established as the film progresses, with the elasticity of the skin shown perfectly with the transformation of the bodies.

Sue and Elisabeth: from obsession to chaos

This duality of the Elisabeth/Sue character is revealed by a struggle against the balance of their two bodies. From the very first transition we know that this cannot end well for the pair. This reflects the internal conflict of famous women - an inner battle against the gaze of others, the fear of growing old and being replaced. This duality can also be seen in the colour palette used by Fargeat, with a predominance of blue and red. These often opposing colours symbolise conflict and contradictory emotions. Blue, associated with calm and coldness, represents science, rationality and isolation, while red evokes passion, danger, chaos and even violence. In The Substance, the red of the blood or the scenery signals the moments when the situation becomes uncontrollable or terrifying. Elizabeth and Sue, who should be one and the same, are constantly contradicting, opposing and destroying each other. Red and blue reveal the tensions between reason and passion, life and destruction, science and ethics. These colours are common in science fiction films, as they often signify a futuristic or technologically chaotic environment. They appear in films such as The Matrix, Blue Velvet and Drive. These bright colours represent transformation, where Elizabeth is torn between a logical decision and an uncontrollable impulse. The recurrent use of mirrors, photographers, cameras, television and publicity also accentuates this vision of thedouble.

A macho society: Using the female body as an advertising tool

The Substance uses sublime cinematography that is a visual delight for film buffs and those who enjoy a visual spectacle. It’s a perfect balance between shock, gore, disgust and humour. As director, producer and editor, Coralie Fargeat alternates between slow sequences revealing Elizabeth's long depression, and fast, typically advertising-style montages, such as the sequences of Sue's TV show, where the use of very fast editing reveals and exposes Sue's body from every angle. It's a visually monstrously rich film that uses shock and horror to promote its messages.

The director presents each shot as a painting, provoking a horror aesthetic that shakes our senses. Indeed, The Substance goes beyond a simple critique of macho society. The film immerses us in the language of advertising, both in its script and in its direction. Each shot is meticulously worked and studied, as if she were selling us a product. Every frame is presented with precision, with recurring graphic visual references, very characteristic sets, geometric shots and very intelligent over-framing to isolate the actress in her descent into hell. These anxiety-inducing shots are a nod and a wink to cinephiles, with references to scenes from cult films such as The Shining, The Fly, Alien and The Thing. There are almost no fixed camera shots, but rather low-angle, bottom-up, or maximum close-ups to once again convey the discomfort, awkwardness and trouble of these two interconnected entities.

A dose of mystery that shakes the senses

But the editing is not the only virtuosity in this film. It wouldn't be very effective without the perfect soundtrack, which moves the viewer viscerally during the most macabre scenes. Whether it's the techno music whose bass resonates in the audience's bodies or the everyday sound effects, everything is a pretext to terrify. The sound of shrimp being eaten recalls the sound of bones, the aspirin falling into the water as if a bomb had exploded, and Elizabeth holding a raw chicken carcass is evocative of the transition from one body to another. It's a real sound discomfort.

Finally, the plot keeps us on our toes throughout the film. The psychological, anxiety- inducing and oppressive progression builds to a crescendo, ending with a majestically horrific finale!

Written by SARA MIGUEL (BA Journalism student, University of Chester, UK)