Long Live the New Flesh: The Substance is a Disgustingly Good Time

Mubi

4/5 stars

Since at least All About Eve, filmmakers have told stories about older starlets competing with pretty young competitors. Well-worn stuff, to be sure, but I don't think anyone has told the story quite like Coralie Fargeat (Revenge) with her new film The Substance. She gives us a campy retelling of Jekyll & Hyde mixed with Dorian Gray and a healthy dose of Cronenbergian body horror added to the mix. The result is one of the most sickeningly fun times at the movies in years.

The plot follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), an actress who suddenly finds herself aging out of her job as the host of an exercise program. Fate leads her to a mysterious company that offers her a chemical known only as "The Substance." Injecting it causes her to split into two selves; herself and Sue (Margaret Qualley), a younger version of herself. They must now alternate between each other each week. Sue uses her time to reclaim her fame and beauty, but what happens when she refuses to let go?

Fargeat has some sadistic fun satirizing the shallowness of the entertainment industry as well as society's perverse obsession with youth and beauty. Her film creates a kind of hyper-reality full of intentionally hammy performances, gaudy colors, and extreme close-ups of both food and the human body. This makes the horror elements all the more stomach-churning. Her wild story culminates in a climax that is surely one of the most grotesque I've seen in quite some time. To explain any further would spoil the enjoyment of this strange film, so all I can say is see it with a crowd. The Substance is coming to Max on Nov. 24.

Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat // Starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Gore Abrams, Olivier Raynal, Tiffany Hofstetter, Tom Morton, Jiselle Burkhalter, Axel Baille, Oscar Lesage, Matthew Geczy, Hugo Diego Garcia, and Dennis Quaid // Mubi // 141 minutes // Rated R