Body horror is one of the most selective film genres when it comes to exploiting images of hideous and gruesome bodily harm. Many people also consider this a “cheap” genre when using 18+ elements and gore to attract customers. But The Substance (Vietnamese title: Divine Medicine) has changed the above prejudice with a story with many twists and meanings.
Main character of The Substance is Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) – a Hollywood star who just turned 50. She is considered out of date and old, so programs and brands end their contracts one after another. During a dead end, Elizabeth found a “miracle drug” called The Substance. From her body, a younger version separated and took the name Sue (Margaret Qualley). Thanks to her natural beauty and hot body After being burned, she quickly became a new star in Hollywood, but the scary truth behind her was gradually revealed.
Unique ideas, script with many twists
The story of using a “miracle drug” to become young again is not new, but it is a way The Substance The implementation is very different from other works. Instead of becoming young again, Elizabeth was given birth to a new body. When Sue is awake, Elizabeth is in a sleeping state and vice versa. The two must maintain “balance”, exchanging positions every 7 days. For each delivery, the mysterious company only gives nutrients to the sleeping body for 7 days. In addition, Sue must also use a fluid removed from Elizabeth's body to prevent rotting.
It can be said that Sue and Elizabeth's bodies depend on each other. If both of them adhere to the “balance” then nothing will happen and Elizabeth can always end Sue's life. It sounds simple but the truth is not like that. The film shows the despair and fear of older people when they see their bodies gradually getting older, wrinkled, and losing vitality. They miss and miss the explosive youth and worry about the ravages of time and what is to come.
People like Elizabeth crave youth even more because it is associated with fame, money… Once you find the “miracle drug”, it is like an addictive drug, impossible to stop. Sue wanted to spend more and more time in her youthful body, receiving endless amounts of that brilliant aura. Producers surrounded her to fawn over her, audiences went crazy for her, young men lusted after her, even the grumpy neighbor changed his attitude 180 degrees when he saw Sue.
Although Elizabeth wanted to stop many times, the director skillfully created situations so that she could not escape the “addiction” of youth. Day by day, the aging female star grows deeper and deeper, being pushed into a situation where she can neither move forward nor turn back. She has lost too much for the “miracle drug”. If she stops, all her efforts will go up in smoke, but if she continues, the consequences will be even more unpredictable. The knots are installed so that viewers will not feel bored even though the film is very psychologically heavy.
It can be said, The Substance is a “style over substance” film (style greater than content). To serve hidden meanings and unexpected twists, female director Coralie Fargeat ignored quite a few logical elements. Many questions remain unresolved, such as the mysterious identity of those behind the “miracle drug”, whether Sue and Elizabeth are the same person or two different individuals… The movie has quite a few flaws but it can be accepted. It's possible if you clearly understand what the director wants to convey.
Full of 18+ and body horror
As a film that directly talks about the difference between youth and old age, The Substance There are a lot of explicit nude scenes. The movie especially emphasizes Sue's hot body compared to Elizabeth's. Director Carolie focuses on many close-up angles and sensitive parts of Sue, her curves, seductive lips, sexy eyes… Her choreography also displays maximum sexuality. However, this is not an element to attract customers but to hide the meaning of the female director.
Through Sue and Elizabeth, Carolie wants to emphasize women's desire to hold on to their youth. Elizabeth's fear of being ugly in the eyes of others is so great that she is willing to endure extreme pain just so Sue can have glory. Even when her life was threatened, Elizabeth could not stop and could not accept her current appearance when comparing herself to Sue. Obviously, more and more women, especially actors around the world, are turning to cosmetic surgery with all the risks and dangers just to be more beautiful or younger than their age.
Besides, the sexual scenes of The Substance is an allusion to the fact that men always sexualize women in the film capital. The producers' eyes looking at Sue always contain perversion and lust. The close-up angles on Sue's body imply that when men look at her, they only focus on those sensitive parts. Reality shows that many movies are using women or 18+ factors to attract customers like the way Carolie reflects. Actresses have to wear revealing outfits to the fullest, their role is nothing more than attracting male audiences to the theater or watching TV.
However, behind that goddess-like beauty lies a haunting disgust. In the first few minutes, The Substance made many people cover their faces because of the scene where Sue emerges from Elizabeth's “shell”. While one person is active, the other person has to lie motionless in the dirty toilet. The images of devastated and twisted bodies are shown so realistically that they shudder. Even just watching, many people can still imagine the pain the characters must endure.
The makeup element of the film is also very impressive, the image of Elizabeth becoming increasingly old or Sue's decay is very terrible. The cooking and eating segments are also shown to be as creepy as possible. Even many scenes can make viewers turn away because they are too hideous. It is the nakedness of old age, life and death that makes us shudder and fear.
Impressive acting by two actresses from two generations
Female director Coralie Fargeat was so excellent when she chose Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley for the two main female roles. It can be said that Elizabeth and Sue are somewhat who they are in real life. While Demi Moore was a major Hollywood star in the 1990s and 2000s, she is now past her prime and gradually no longer appears on the big screen. Meanwhile, Margaret Qualley is an emerging name, appearing in 2-3 movies each year. Even in 2019, she appeared in six movies.
Demi Moore shows an Elizabeth suffering from old age, indignant at the betrayal of producers and close colleagues for decades. The character has a fierce internal struggle, both afraid that Sue could take his life but also afraid of having to return to his old life, without Sue's halo. Margaret Qualley showed youthful enthusiasm and charm through powerful dance moves, facial expressions, and sexy expressions. The two actresses are like two sides of a coin, both different but dependent on each other.
Scoring: 4/5
The Substance There is a topic that is not new and has been exploited by many cinema industries. However, director Coralie's implementation method is extremely unique and different. Hot or horror scenes are just the female director's way of conveying metaphorical meanings, showing the harsh truth of old age. This is something that Vietnamese directors should learn instead of worrying about finding ideas from anywhere in the world or adding too many things and forgetting about an attractive script.
