At first glance, The Substance might seem like just another gory entry in the body horror genre, but a closer look reveals that it’s a sharply self-aware, feminist fable.
Directed by French writer-director Coralie Fargeat, in her sophomore effort following 2017’s critically-acclaimed Revenge, the film offers a graphic cautionary tale about the dangers of obsessively chasing youth.
The premise is simple: celebrated actress and fitness icon Elisabeth Sparkle, portrayed by Demi Moore in a commanding performance, is living the high life with her own star on the Walk of Fame and a popular exercise show.
As she celebrates her 50th birthday, she gets devastating news—her crass and unscrupulous boss Harvey, played by Dennis Quaid, is firing her.
Distressed by the sudden turn in her career, Elisabeth learns of a mysterious black-market drug called “The Substance,” which promises a rejuvenated, younger version of herself—though not without significant consequences.
Enter Margaret Qualley as Sue, a younger, more vibrant incarnation of Elisabeth, eager to recapture her former glory.
Together, they must follow a set of strict, non-negotiable rules set by the shadowy company behind the drug. Naturally, their precarious balance soon spirals out of control.
Without revealing too much, the film takes viewers on a wild ride as Elisabeth’s desperation to stay on top collides with Sue’s growing addiction to the admiration she garners from others. The chaotic culmination of these tensions brings new meaning to the word “bloodbath.”
In an interview, Fargeat revealed that as she entered her 40s, she began experiencing a wave of violent thoughts—feelings of being devalued, ignored, or overlooked.
“I realized how powerful and violent those thoughts were,” she said. This realization drove the film’s theme, capturing the brutal ways society perceives aging women.
Fargeat added that she “wanted the movie to express the violence in that depiction,” pushing the limits of what audiences might be used to in order to convey how extreme those pressures can feel.
This theme resonated with Moore, who has spoken about how The Substance exposes the harsh standards imposed on aging women, but also reflects on the internal damage people—both women and men—do to themselves.
In a candid conversation on The Interview podcast, Moore recalled being told to lose weight on several films before she even had children.
“Those were humiliating experiences,” she said, “but the true violence was what I was doing to myself… I tortured myself, did extreme exercise, weighed and measured my food, because I put all of my value in how my body looked and gave more power to others’ opinions than my own.”
In The Substance, the battle between Elisabeth and Sue represents an internal conflict many face—the voices in our heads telling us we’re not good enough, not attractive enough, not successful enough.
Fargeat wanted the characters to reflect those internal struggles and the pressure society places on people to look and feel eternally young.
Moore also addressed the film’s nude scenes, noting that while they were vulnerable experiences, they were integral to the story.
“It was really spelled out from the beginning—the level of vulnerability and rawness needed,” she said, adding that it required sensitive conversations to ensure the story was told authentically.
The slick packaging of the titular drug, “The Substance,” delivered via injections, evokes the modern obsession with quick fixes and trendy treatments like Ozempic.
It also recalls the 1992 dark comedy Death Becomes Her, soon to be adapted as a Broadway musical.
With influences from All About Eve and Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray to John Carpenter’s The Thing, The Substance still manages to stand on its own as an original, provocative work.
The film is anchored by strong performances from both Moore and Qualley, the latter of whom comes from a lineage of actresses—her mother, Andie MacDowell, has spoken openly about the pressures of aging in Hollywood. Dennis Quaid, too, delivers a solid turn as the repulsive entertainment executive Harvey.
The Substance debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, where it competed for the Palme d’Or and won Best Screenplay. It also recently picked up the Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Now playing in theaters, The Substance offers a sharp, bloody commentary on societal pressures, self-worth, and the relentless pursuit of youth.
