From the opening shot, Coralie Fargeat’s direction of The Substance stuns with colorful satire, and body horror that shocks and disgusts but makes the experience darkly exciting. Demi Moore gives her best performance in ages, playing a middle-aged woman whose superstar days have passed her, having been rejected by a patriarchal society that favors younger, more beautiful women. Once the science fiction/horror elements kick in, she and Margaret Qualley have a thrilling dynamic without ever actually sharing the screen together. Throughout the disturbing gore and game of tug-of-war the two lead actresses have over their shared identity, the through line is the strong if unsubtle commentary about the impossible standards society have set on women, especially as they age, and the effect it has on women’s outlook on their own self-worth.
It’s not for the faint of heart, and perhaps leans too far into the silliness in the final 20 minutes for the darkness to keep resonating anymore, but that balance between its bleak tone and its awareness of its genre and the audience’s longing to have some fun is a great line that it balances. The macabre fest of gore and the bleak reality created for Moore and Qualley that envelops them -- and us -- makes The Substance a distinctive, memorable, and often even delightful horror film.
4/5
Review by: Gal Balaban