I found out about the movie the substance after watching an Amanda the Jedi video (link) where she explained the plot of the movie and instantly I was hooked I went to watch the movie for myself and I was extremely taken aback at how much I enjoyed the movie, which was surprising considering I am not really much of a body horror fan however I do love cinema which has feminist messages and because of my love for director Coralie Fargeat, whose previous venture, Revenge was a movie that I loved I knew that the substance would not disappoint, and it did not disappoint indeed.
This ramble contains spoilers and references to the movie, so I advise you to watch it first to understand the depth of my rant.
The film critiques society's obsession with youth and beauty, especially in Hollywood. Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth, symbolizes how aging women are often discarded in favor of younger stars as shown how she was replaced by Qually’s character, Sue. While this is indeed a critique of Hollywood’s obsession with viewing people as commodities with limited shelf life it can also be seen as a critique of our behavior. I found myself reminded of how I keep trying to replace the “old” me with a more desirable version, be it a “skinner” version of me, a “more intellectual” version of me, a “more productive” version of me, and so on. Instead of making small necessary changes just to improve myself, I find myself stuck in a mindset where I need to undergo a complete replacement of myself to “be the better version of me” and often times the “better” version of me is just a way of molding myself to what society told me was perfection and in turn I end up trying to completely discard or hurt my “imperfect” self.
In the movie, we see how Elisabeth’s dependence on the substance leads to deep self-hatred. She resents her natural self and her younger version (Sue), exposing the psychological violence of beauty standards. She shows this behavior by angrily lashing out at the portrait of herself, angrily lashing out at Sue when she is on the tv, and so on.
With the rise in content centered around pushing products that are “anti-aging” and constantly being told either directly or indirectly that you are not yet at your perfect stage and need to keep evolving or else you do not love yourself it is easy to see how self-hatred can be created, whether we recognise it or not. I am sure if you have used any social media platform you might have been advertised or watched people talking about viral beauty products with claims that it will change your entire life for the low cost of your entire savings, I have found myself ordering multiple products without even really asking myself if it is really necessary and just constantly spending to purchase more and more products with hopes that it would fix me and then getting frustrated with myself when the results are not what is seen on other people or when they do not make me attain perfection after just one use and I put the blame on myself rather than the product or even stopping to give myself time to let the product work.
The body-sharing dynamic between Elisabeth and Sue reflects the struggle many women face between societal expectations and their true selves, showcasing how identities can be fractured under pressure.
I think it is easy to recognise how this theme applies in our life, how even when we reach our “glowed up version” it is still not enough, and how oftentimes we feel like a cheap imitator or an imposter and struggle with the idea of not feeling comfortable in our new skin leading to even more fuel to the already growing fire of self-hatred.
The movie focuses in great detail on the fights between Elizabeth and Sue, they are constantly in battle with each other and choosing to torture each other- This is an excellent visualization of self-hatred
To me, the fights between Elizabeth and Sue were an excellent way to show the ramifications of self-hatred and how quickly that can delve into self-sabotage and self-harm. Ask yourself how often you find yourself being unkind to yourself. How often have you found yourself mimicking the scene of Elizabeth dolling herself up only to angrily scrub it off her face due to the inner voice that keeps comparing herself to Sue leading her to miss out on a date with a man who found her “the most beautiful woman on earth”, This scene made me think back on how many times I have missed out on opportunities or self sabotages chances to attain happiness in my own life.
My final thoughts are that The Substance is a movie that should be ingested by all kinds of people in society- men, women, nonbinary people, and so on because at the end of the day, everyone can find something to connect with on this movie and self reflect on their behavior and learn and hopefully move towards a better version of themself
There is so much more I could discuss this movie, how this movie could be seen as an allegory for drug use, how this movie could be a commentary on today’s plastic surgery and Ozempic use, and so on but I think for now this is enough.
I am interested to hear your views, Reach out and let me know what you think about the movie! I would love to have a discussion!
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