The Substance (directed and written by Coralie Fargeat) is receiving much well-deserved attention, and I am absolutely here for it. It’s bold with its visuals and message. I’ve watched this film several times at this point and during each rewatch I find myself picking up more details and allegories woven into the film. There’s a lot to say but I’ve decided to delve into Elisabeth’s loneliness and how she perfectly represents women in (working) society. If you haven’t seen the film I suggest you pause here and watch it as this article contains spoilers and won’t make much sense unless you’ve seen it.
Before taking The Substance
Throughout the film’s run, we come to realize that Elisabeth doesn’t have a social life. Her self-isolation reminds me of the misconception pushed onto women about how they can either have a career or a family, but they can’t have both. She has chosen her career and once that’s taken away, she feels as though she has nothing. Some people have also commented that her apartment contains a lot of squares which are prevalent on the set of her show. This can mean she embraces her work and personal life as one.
On her last day on the set of “Sparkle Your Life Up”, we see that both she and the cast and crew are sweet and caring with one another. However, there is a lack of intimacy between her and her co-worker. This is only taken a step further when Harvey’s cruel treatment was all it took for her to believe her life was ruined. I actually found that detail really interesting, that it only took one person to knock down Elisabeth.
Vanity (kind of)
Stepping away from loneliness, I want to discuss Elisabeth’s vanity. For the vast majority of the film, Elisabeth is a little vain. However, I feel as if that’s because of the corner she found herself in long before she took “The Substance”. Throughout her career, she was praised for her looks so she more than likely internalized it and believed she’s nothing without her beauty; Not to mention, she had a massive portrait of herself hanging in her living room. I’m not exaggerating, the movie will briefly pause just to show the characters struggling to move that thing.
When discussing vanity within this film, I can’t help but think of how modern society is pushing against this film’s message. Accessibility to cosmetic injections and plastic surgery is getting easier by the day (most if not all types of surgeries have increased in popularity in 2023). Influencers are constantly posting about cosmetic injections and it only fuels the idea that aging and being yourself isn’t enough.
Hamster Wheel Effect (Sue)
I’ve talked about Elisabeth before “The Substance” but once she takes it, does anything change? Nope! While it’s not explicitly stated, I got the impression that she used Sue as a way to relive her youth. She goes back to the same job even though they threw her out like trash. I also guessed that she used to do similar things that Sue did (drink excessively, hook up, goes back to her terrible boss, the list goes on). She is trapped in an endless loop as she likely never considered a life outside of working.
To add to injury, even as Sue, she doesn’t have a social life. We see Sue hang out with people one time, but I’m taking a safe bet that those were her co-workers (which is fine, but the relationships between her and them are surface level). The two other people we see her with are just guys she hooks up with. And they don’t even care about her. During the scene where Sue is struggling without the spinal fluid, her Hookup (Diego) thinks she’s on her period and leaves after hearing Elisabeth “wake up”. He runs out of the apartment NAKED. He doesn’t give a damn about her beyond her body.
The Substance is an onion so there are a million details people can pick up on while watching along with some allegories that are woven into the film. If I had the time, I would gladly analyze the film frame by frame and report back on it.
At the end of the day, the only person who can determine your worth is yourself. No job, contest, or really anything can determine how deserving you are of happiness. We shouldn’t sacrifice one part of our lives to satisfy something so temporary. You also won’t improve by stretching yourself thin just to impress the people around you. Anyway, Coralie, you are amazing, so go watch this film and take care of yourself!
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