THE SUBSTANCE – CONTROVERSIAL, SHOCKING AND VISCERAL, A REDEMPTION OF DEMI MOORE

Bruno Ricardo de Souza Dias
Edited by: Marco Aurélio Lucchetti

The traditional Cannes Film Festival It always brings us unique works – unique for their daring themes or for causing shocks that end up leading to many controversies. In 2024, the film that served this important role was the feature film... The Substance, written and directed by Frenchwoman Coralie Fargeat.
The film is a science fiction horror movie that divided critics, despite receiving a long standing ovation at the end of its screening.
At the festival, it won the prestigious Best Screenplay award. But what caused the most commotion was its explicit and brutal aesthetic, in which the protagonist, actress Demi Moore, a Hollywood muse of the 1980s and 1990s, shows a courageous side that surprised everyone. In the film, Demi exposed herself in such a way that it will certainly cause mixed feelings about her performance.
During an interview, the actress, who turned sixty-two in November 2024, revealed what attracted her to the script of... The Substance: “"It was completely unique, out of the ordinary. You could tell it was visually stimulating. At the same time, we had no idea how it would end, which made it even riskier and more exciting."” Then he added: “Part of what made it interesting was going to such a raw and vulnerable place, to really let go. The film was quite liberating in many ways.”
According to Nicholas Barber, BBC film critic, Demi Moore delivers a great performance in The Substance, “"His best role on the big screen in decades."”.
DAccording to Corlalie Fargeat, the casting choice was a “"great challenge"”. From the beginning, she knew that, with the type of story told in The Substance, Choosing an actress to play the main character would be extremely difficult..
“"And the moment Demi Moore's name came to mind, I was sure she wouldn't want to work on the film. She would find the role too daunting.". When I heard that she had reacted positively to the script, I thought: ‘'My God!'’ I was very surprised.”, revealed the director.
“"I felt great being able to look and appear like trash!"”, "Demi stated.".

One of the original movie posters. The Substance.

Demi Moore, in a scene from The Substance.

Clearly a modern and feminist work, The Substance It has been generating very different analyses from the public since its premiere in commercial cinemas and in... streaming. But is all this controversy justified?
Having the audacity to push various visual and thematic boundaries, the film uses absolutely impactful and visceral images, not fearing to shock or generate controversy with its excessive violence, use of a lot of blood, or explicit nudity, creating a kind of... body horror (body horror), very common in films by Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg, such as the classics Videodrome: The Video Syndrome (Videodrome, 1983) and The Fly (The Fly, 1986), or even the recent Crimes of the Future (Crimes of the Future, 2022).

In the photo above, Jeff Goldblum, in a scene from The Fly.

In The Substance, Cronenberg is certainly a clear reference for Fargeat: like him, she opts for practical effects in her scenes, with various prototypes and makeup that easily create an effect that goes from visual shock to disgust. All with the aim of shocking the viewer and taking them out of their comfort zone, a device that worked perfectly, considering the situations experienced by the characters.
As the film is a feminist work of critical nature, all this absurd visual aspect is complemented by discussions about female suffering in relation to fame, since the main character, Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), reached the peak of her career and lost everything abruptly, thanks to the ageism of Hollywood and American television. This ageism only affects women, because Cinema and TV are predatory media that, in their pursuit of audience, only care about the need for female beauty. So, as they age, women are discarded, a fact that does not occur with men, who, in addition to generally being those who historically hold positions of power, are seen as more experienced when they get older, not losing any of their privileges, quite the contrary.
It's important to talk about how a patriarchal society influences this context of treating women as mere objects of male pleasure. With its inhumane judgments, patriarchy is toxic and ends up reflecting in all spheres and in most people, including women themselves. In the film, the focus of patriarchy on men is clear. All the male characters are portrayed as disgusting, monstrous, and self-serving figures; and they are shown in a deliberately caricatured way.
One point that could generate criticism of the director is the overuse of female nudity. Because of these scenes, some may consider Fargeat a sexist. Personally, I disagree with this opinion, as the filmmaker sought precisely to criticize sexism.
We can't finish without talking about the performances.

Coralie Fargeat, flanked by the lead actresses of The Substance: Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore.
Photo taken during the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, held in Toronto, Canada, between September 5 and 15, 2024.

Young Margaret Qualley is already showing promise for the future. She is the daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, famous for her role in the acclaimed film... Groundhog Day (Groundhog Day, Margaret, born in 1993, has already made sporadic appearances in films by renowned directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Yorgos Lanthimos, showing from an early age a desire to stand out in challenging works and projects. We will be keeping an eye on her.
But the absolute highlight is Demi Moore, who had her heyday in the 1980s and 1990s as one of Hollywood's divas. And, after trying to break free from glamorous roles by acting in more challenging work, she suffered a boycott from producers, who didn't accept that a beautiful woman would play other characters. Thus, she was sidelined from major films and remained forgotten in blockbusters for a long time. Now, in The Substance, Demi finds redemption, acting in a film where, in addition to being completely daring and courageous, she was able to demonstrate all her talent, something that had been denied to her for a long time.
The Substance It's a modern masterpiece that may not be for everyone. But above all, it's the crowning achievement of Demi Moore. The actress deserves this recognition from all of us who, influenced by the vultures of Hollywood, have despised her for many years.

The Substance (Tthe Substance, France/United Kingdom/United States, 2024, 141')
Direction: Coralie Fargeat
Road map: Coralie Fargeat
Production: Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner & Tim Bevan
Photography: Benjamin Kracun
Assembly: Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet & Valentin Feron
Prosthetic Makeup: Pierre-Olivier Persin
Cast: Demi Moore (Elisabeth Sparkle), Margaret Qualley (Sue), Dennis Quaid (Harvey), Edward Hamilton Clark (Fred), Gore Abrams (Oliver), Oscar Lesage (Troy), Robin Greer (nurse), Tom Morton (doctor), Hugo Diego Garcia (boyfriend), Christian Erickson, Daniel Knight, Jiselle Henderkott, Akil Wingate
Synopsis: Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for her aerobics TV show, faces a devastating blow when her boss fires her. In her despair, a laboratory offers her a substance that promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.

“"The substance is a slap in the face."”
Margaret Qualley

“"Without a doubt, the best performance of Demi Moore's career."”
Vogue

“"Extremely engaging and deliriously ambitious."”
Variety

“Fargeat takes body horror to the extreme, challenging the viewer to keep looking, instead of hiding, moaning, or even vomiting – all reactions are entirely possible.” 
Anna Smith, in the August 2024 issue of the British edition of the magazine. Rolling Stone

Bruno Ricardo de Souza Dias has a degree in History and is a great connoisseur of films.

We would like to thank Professor, illustrator, and film enthusiast Cayman Moreira for the illustration he created in homage to the film. The Substance.