☆ ☆ ☆
The Substance (2024) – C. Fargeat
While I am definitely on board with the central theme here
(essentially “women are judged on their looks, objectified, sexualized”), the
film felt too chilly or clinical for me and, let’s face it, it descended into a
silly mess by the end. Demi Moore makes
a late career comeback (even if she never really went away) as Elisabeth
Sparkle, a fading star relegated to aerobics videos who is tempted to take an
underground drug that creates a new younger version of herself (“Sue” played by
Margaret Qualley), apparently by some sort of genetic fission. Naturally, there
are rules around the “use” of this younger self: they must rotate every seven days, although
there are some ways around this which Sue soon exploits. It’s not subtle but the entertainment
industry (and presumably the public at large) treats young Sue and older
Elisabeth very differently (even though we are reminded that they are really
one and the same) and the pressures they feel are similarly different. Writer-Director Coralie Fargeat aptly doesn’t
restrict things to the male gaze (epitomized by TV producer Dennis Quaid) but
explores the competition for that gaze that is experienced by women (who would
be hard-pressed to swim against the societal tide and rewards, forced to choose
between becoming complicit or rejected; I exaggerate but you know). Sounds great as a plot and premise,
especially for those who like horror or sci-fi, but, yes, it doesn’t really land
the finish, except in the most outré way imaginable, which I guess will cement
its reputation as a cult film for all time.
