Watching The Substance was like witnessing the consequences of aesthetic pressure on women in fast motion. It isn’t new that the patriarchy thrives while women are busy worrying about beauty standards. How thin they should be, or how they’re going to fix the wrinkles that often don’t even exist yet. This is exactly what a misogynistic society wants, that we don’t have time or energy to claim our place in society.Â
The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where Coralie Fargeat, the director, won the award for best screenplay. However, despite the film’s great recognition in the world of cinema, it seems that the public has failed to grasp the issues raised by the plot. On the contrary, the number of people who used social networks to glorify the use of the “substance” was frightening.
The plot of the movie, for those who haven’t seen it, revolves around Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a Hollywood star who, after turning 50, is fired for being too old in an aerobics tv show she used to be the host of. After ending up in the hospital, she encounters “The Substance”, a liquid that allows her to form a symbiotic relationship with a younger version of herself, Sue, played by Margaret Qualley. It’s worth noting, however, that in order to maintain balance, Elisabeth had to respect the one-week period in each body and then make the switch.  Â
As expected, Sue initially gets everything Elisabeth wants, thanks to her youth and looks. After a while, the balance begins to be disregarded and the consequences quickly appear, which leads us to the first criticism I will make of this movie: the search for beauty never ends, we women will never be satisfied and everything we consume contributes to this.
Another much-discussed aspect of the movie was the exaggeration of the body horror scenes, which I believe was intentional, as the intention was to shock with a grotesque aesthetic and to visually emphasize the movie’s problems. This brings up another important aspect of the plot: how far are we willing to go to achieve the perfection that is imposed on us?Â
Male chauvinism is also one of the central themes, dealt with in a way that many may find caricatured, but which I find quite realistic. In the film, it’s the men who are in positions of power and who set the standards. You don’t have to pay much attention to notice this, because the characters have very noticeable features: gray hair, wrinkles, paunch, yellow teeth, exaggerated and, dare I say it, disgusting. I say this not because of their physical characteristics, but because of what they represent.Â
Now, if you haven’t seen the movie, or don’t like spoilers, I’d advise you not to read the next paragraph.
The truth is that it’s easy to answer the question posed earlier in this text about how far we would go for perfection, especially after watching the movie. The movie ends with Elisabeth’s face on her star of fame – the face that came off her body after it exploded – with spotlights and voices saying the following words in a loop: “beautiful, irreplaceable and loved”. We could imagine Elisabeth being sad, but as she is cheered, genuine happiness appears on her face. She has achieved the perfection she sought, but at the cost of her life.
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The article above was edited by Malu Panico.
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