The Substance is loud, bright, and completely unafraid. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once a huge star. Now she hosts a TV aerobics show, and her slimy boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid) decides she is too old. Alone and hurting, she tries the Substance, a mysterious treatment that gives her a younger self, Sue (Margaret Qualley). There is just one rule: they must switch every seven days. No exceptions.
Demi Moore gives the performance of her career. She is brave, raw, and heartbreaking as a woman who is told every day that she no longer matters, and who starts to believe it. Margaret Qualley is perfect as Sue, all bright smiles and youth, with something hungry underneath. Dennis Quaid plays Harvey as a gross cartoon, and that is the point: the men in this film are shown as ridiculous as the system they run.
Fargeat's style is bold. The colors are bright, the sounds are huge, and the camera gets uncomfortably close to bodies, food, and wounds. Most of the effects are real, made with prosthetics instead of computers, and they are some of the most disgusting and impressive in years.
It is not subtle, and it is long. Some will find its message too obvious, and the final act goes so far over the top that it becomes almost funny. But that is exactly what makes it unforgettable. Love it or hate it, you will not forget it.
