"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?" asks The Substance . Repeated like a ritualistic chant, this provocation and promise echoes via the in-universe advertising for a mysterious body-swapping product, which allows people to create a younger version of themselves. The insecurities of a middle-aged actress take center stage in Coralie Fargeat's sophomore feature, the body horror romp that won her the Best Screenplay award at Cannes.
However, despite featuring a few astute ideas about aging, the result feels dramatically scattered, and — ironically, given its attempted takedown of how women are perceived in Hollywood — aesthetically superficial. While visceral in spurts, The Substance is never quite in control of its satire on sexualization, an excess in which it revels without always meaningfully subverting. Its lead performances are fine-tuned — especially from Demi Moore, who delivers intrepid, career-best work — but the film is more a collection of mild jabs than a full-throated deconstruction of a cultural gaze.
That said, if gory practical delights are what you seek, then The Substance might thrill you on occasion, especially in its blood-soaked finale. However, its gestures toward empowerment and cinematic reclamation are too often insubstantial. What is The Substance about? Fargeat introduces us to '80s sex symbol Elizabeth Sparkle (Moore), not through her on-screen work but through a static close-up of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as.