THE SUBSTANCE

 

Directed and written by Coralie Fargeat, this thriller film premiered in September 2024, featuring a strong cast including Margaret Qualley, Demi Moore, and Dennis Quaid.

The story centers on Elisabeth Sparkle, a Hollywood actress who’s shined on screens for years. Elisabeth is proud of her fame, but there’s a problem: she’s aging. On her 50th birthday, her producer tells her, “We’re looking for someone younger,” echoing her own growing anxieties about her age. Amid her internal turmoil, Elisabeth finds herself drawn into a strange and terrifying journey. After an accident lands her in the hospital, a healthcare worker suggests that she might be able to live as a “better version” of herself. Tempted by the idea, Elisabeth takes the first step on this mysterious path, opening a kit she’s been given. Following its instructions, she essentially “splits” her spine, creating her younger alter-ego, Sue. Now, Elisabeth will live one week as her 50-year-old self and the next as Sue, each taking turns. The repeated message is that they are not different; they are one. Yet, as time passes, they learn in bitter ways that, when they don’t play by the rules, they end up stealing something from each other—and ultimately from themselves.

The film’s raw, intense scenes and close-up techniques reveal how the director has forged a style drawing from various influences. Open to multiple interpretations, the film has already garnered the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival.

When analyzing this award-winning script, it first seems to explore how modern beauty standards corrupt society. However, the message, to me, goes deeper. Recall the ancient tale of King Gilgamesh, who set off in search of immortality after the death of his close friend Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s struggle suggests that humanity has long wrestled with similar fears. For centuries, people have tried to escape the inescapable—the reality that we’re all moving toward an end.

Today, while people might accept that immortality is out of reach, they’ve become fixated on beauty instead. In our society, often governed by totalitarian ideals, a single standard of beauty has begun to dominate. The producer in the film embodies this concept: he’s vulgar and single-minded, and his decisions reflect a rigid, almost authoritarian regime over what beauty means.

As Irving Yalom writes, “They are each products of what others think. In other words, their happiness lies in the hands—or minds—of others.” This quote perfectly encapsulates the concept of a beauty standard dictated by society. Although Elisabeth and Sue may seem like two different people of different ages, the story is really about confronting and reconciling with one’s own “other.” Yalom suggests that the solution lies within: “The more empty a person’s internal world, the more they’ll look to others to fill it.” I believe that if we invest in our inner selves, we’ll be less susceptible to outside approval and find security within.

Another theme in the film is human insatiability. Elisabeth’s acceptance of the “healthier” option after an accident—even after learning that she is perfectly fine—illustrates our inability to be content. This craving for “more” leads to bitter consequences in later scenes. Her belated realization that some things she wouldn’t normally do aren’t so bad after all echoes Spinoza’s famous words: “Things that trouble us daily appear less troubling from the perspective of eternity.”

One of the film’s most striking scenes is Elisabeth’s moment of naked self-confrontation in front of a mirror. In this raw moment, Demi Moore’s character—and perhaps Moore herself—unflinchingly faces fears that many actresses contend with. This role, given its vulnerability, required a certain level of courage.

To conclude, I want to end with a quote from a novel that repeatedly came to mind while watching this film. I believe it captures the essence of the themes discussed here and Elisabeth’s journey.

“…to influence someone is to give him one’s own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of someone else’s music, an actor of a role that was not written for him. The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly—that is what each of us is here for. People are afraid of themselves, nowadays. They have forgotten the highest of all duties, the duty that one owes to one’s self. Of course, they are charitable. They feed the hungry and clothe the beggar. But their own souls starve, and they are naked…” – Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

To those about to watch the film, enjoy; and to those who have, best of luck. Stay safe, and stay inspired.