The Substance Is Everything We Yearn From a Body Horror Epic
Should you be able to design the perfect version of yourself, what would you do? Would you risk your life in the search of perfection? Would you use drugs to enable all of your fantasies come true? After her long career in Hollywood ends suddenly, Elisabeth "Lizzy" Sparkle (Demi Moore) is confronted with these problems. Her employer, Harvey (Dennis Quaid), of her workout entertainment company wants someone younger, more energetic, and hotter to replace Lizzy. Lizzy signs up for the chance of a lifetime to build the ideal version of herself after an unexpected accident leaves her feeling alienated.
The Substance is an outrageous, brutal thrill; the ultimate fearless takedown of unachievable beauty standards is just that. Lizzy leaps in without questions as she receives the directions for the route to excellence, "activate, stabilize, switch." Fargeat at this point masterfully captures the art of bodily horror by presenting us a transforming scene full of blood, shock, and misery. Perfectly smiling and physically fit, Sue (Margaret Qualley) is ready to spend her life as the younger, sexier, new and improved version of Elisabeth. From here, the movie leaps into an exotic rainbow of vibrant scenes that will blow your mind with detail, eroticism, and excitement to witness how it all comes tumbling down.
The Substance is a Masterclass on Fearless Commentary on Idealistic Beauty Standards.
The Substance performs so effectively for a number of factors. It is a quite interesting body of work that employs extremes to hold up a mirror reflecting our ludicrous beauty standards. exquisite women have always been small figures with exquisite skin and perky breasts. But Fargeat is come to destroy that idea by presenting the monster within of us that truly upholds those difficult to reach ideals. Simply said, the ideal woman does not exist.
The play teaches the value of confidence as well. We miss out on the individuals who already care about us as is while we are chasing people and objects that reject us and/or change who we are. Through a real and lovely connection much needed emotional release for Lizzy, Fargeat conveys this basic lesson. Whether that is sufficient is addressed shortly after, the outcome is magic in horror films.
The Substance: An Exiter
One feature at every film festival always makes me utterly mesmerized for one reason or another. That movie was absolutely the Body Horror epic, The Substance, at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Designed and written by French director Coralie Fargeat, who is no stranger to great work, the video questions and challenges beauty standards using style. Fargeat directs her amazing achievement with sharp daring, fearless comedy, and dysmorphic body terror while critiquing the ludicrous beauty standards of the world. Not only was it the buzz of the festival, but The Substance will be talked about for years to come.
A fading celebrity chooses to use a black market drug—a cell-replacing agent that momentarily produces a younger, better version of her. With a film like this, the director is prepared to push audience members. With the greatest of intentions to provide us a very scary and intriguing story, this movie will challenge those who are reluctant to face reality and instead will pleasure those ready to face difficult facts.
A Bloody Conflict Starts
When the time comes, The Substance picks up great momentum following a struggle of the new against the old. This results in an epic gory conflict never seen on film before. When our primary motivations are shallow, our behavior can be lethal. To capture this, Fargeat increases the level, which results in a magnificently unhinged Demi Moore performance and an equally insane Qualley to back her. Ultimately, what we have left is a wonderfully bloody epic that is funny, horrific, and so great that it will be difficult to turn away even if one must cringe.
The Substance is an outrageous, violent thrill, the ultimate fearless attack of unachievable beauty standards. With Moore, Qualley, and Quaid giving flawless performances, Fargeat has a certified winner on hand. Given all the unattainable standards of women about beauty, it is clear why this feature left many viewers at the Cannes Film Festival shouting with praise. Though it offers humor and complete pleasure, this Body Horror epic is every bit nasty and unsettling.
