Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Two in one: Fargeat applies ‘The Substance’

Cinema | October 1st, 2024

By Greg Carlson

gregcarlson1@gmail.com

The epic ambitions of Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore feature “The Substance” are trumpeted by its whopping 141-minute running time, a length that may please body horror aficionados and exhaust the less patient. Demi Moore is brilliantly cast as Elisabeth Sparkle, a longtime media personality and aerobics segment host whose cruel boss (an absolutely repulsive Dennis Quaid) fires her in favor of a newer and younger ingénue. A devastated Elisabeth soon decides to try the Substance, a self-administered kit of injections, stabilizers, and liquid food packs that rather miraculously divides her in two. From Elisabeth’s own body, Sue (Margaret Qualley) is born. The only hitch is that consciousness must be traded every seven days without exception.

Fargeat’s fierce allegiance to David Cronenberg manifests most directly in the gruesome procedure that first brings Sue forth from a fissure along Elisabeth’s spine and then in a multitude of increasingly horrifying transformations that earn comparison to special effects hall-of-famers like “The Thing,” “The Fly,” and “Society.” The chic, gleaming modernism of Elisabeth’s antiseptic, subway-tiled bathroom will be interrupted with several types of fluids. The sun-drenched landscapes, gleaming lip gloss, and neon spandex struggle to hide the decay of thinning hair, rotting teeth, and putrefying flesh. Slick production design stands in for sturdy world building; Fargeat elects to keep the provenance of the Substance shrouded in mystery.

The satiric blade that slices into Hollywood’s insatiable hunger for youth and beauty also carves out empathy for the self-hating Elisabeth. The most effective element of Fargeat’s script (which received best screenplay honors at Cannes) is the extent to which the viewer understands the protagonist’s impossible bind. Sue and Elisabeth, we are constantly reminded via the Substance’s minimalist marketing materials and customer service line, are one and the same. But in dramatizing the weekly cycle of turn-taking, Fargeat makes the choice to pit the two halves against one another, amplifying the damage caused by breaking unbreakable rules.

In a different universe, Elisabeth and Sue might have attempted to cooperate with one another before descending into the depths of hell. Fargeat’s own obsession, however, favors visceral gut-punches and a barrage of stylistic homages to cinematic heroes including Hitchcock and Kubrick. Opportunities to play around with aspects of the mind-body problem are left unexplored. The film’s reception has sparked conversation about all manner of subtext, from the refreshing way that Fargeat focuses on an older woman to the critique by Amy Nicholson that “It’s a superficial film about a superficial world.”

Ultimately, Fargeat elects to withhold characterization to the point of near absurdity, perhaps to point all attention to her queasy burlesque of the cruel entertainment industry. Without any interiority to parse, we are outsiders looking in. In her tough-minded takedown of the movie, Hannah Strong calls it “hagsploitation.” A film of deliberate circles, cycles, and repetitions, “The Substance” keeps insisting that none of the procedure’s side effects can be reversed. Some will find in the Grand Guignol ending an affirmation of feminist ideals, while others identify the complete opposite. In either case, “The Substance” owes to Demi Moore a debt that cannot be fully paid.   

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakota communities will join a “nationwide day of defiance” against authoritarianism and President Donald Trump’s policies on Saturday, June 14. A range of "No Kings" events…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…

Fighting the good fightBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance.…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comA syndrome is defined as a group of signs and symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition and any complex of symptoms of an…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com The weather warmed up quickly here in the upper Midwest this spring, sparking prime eating season. This means burger battles, food trucks and lake-season food travel. The 2025 Downtown Fargo Burger…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com As we continue to deal with the ongoing horrorshow of racism, misogyny and transphobia embraced by the current administration, films like “Sally” can serve as an important reminder that…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

North Dakota play about mental health launches Midwest tour in AugustBy Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com A new one-act play inspired by patients buried in the Old Cemetery at the Jamestown State Hospital will tour festivals in…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…