Kee Soe, ks420@uakron.edu
“If you follow the instructions, what could go wrong?” Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is a beautiful grotesque body horror thriller released on September 16th and features Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley in the main cast. The film makes the audience feel queasy, disgusted, and shocked as it dives into society’s obsession with youth, beauty, and external validation through the main character, Elizabeth Sparkle. Growing older and losing her fame, Sparkle uses a black-market drug that can split the cells to replicate a younger, “better” version of herself,
“One single injection unlocks your DNA, starting a new cellular division, that will release another version of yourself. This is the Substance. You are the matrix. Everything comes from you. Everything is you. This is simply a better version of yourself. You just have to share”.
The film does a phenomenal job of capturing the frustration of not appreciating your looks and the jealousy that comes with growing older, hating the younger people who will now replace you. The set designs in the film allow for a feeling of nothingness as vast amounts of space are used with minimal props which highlights the character’s actions and emotions, along with emphasis on society’s empty beauty standards in women. From the music to the use of blood, The Substance is a sensitive, violent story of exploring self-love and showing the audience that you should appreciate your beauty instead of destroying it. I definitely recommend this movie if you’re ever feeling insecure and contemplating plastic surgery because you will walk out scared but also confident.
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