By Sara Bright
In 2024, The Substance directed by Coralie Fargeat has emerged as one of the most divisive films of the year. But it’s more than just a visceral horror spectacle – it’s a timely and cutting exploration of society’s obsession with youth and beauty, particularly through the lens of Hollywood’s problematic relationship with ageing. Starring Demi Moore, the film delves into the grotesque and the gory, yet its story echoes the anxieties faced by women in an industry that often deems them expendable after a certain age.
The Beauty of Fear: Hollywood’s Battle with Ageing
From its inception, Hollywood has been a haven of beauty, glamour, and perpetual youth. The industry has created an idealised vision of beauty that is nearly impossible to maintain, particularly for women. Films such as All About Eve and Death Becomes Her tackled similar themes decades ago, showing women fighting against the inevitable march of time and the threat of younger replacements. The Substance revisits this theme, but with an unsettling twist.
The film’s protagonist, Elisabeth (played by Moore), a famous aerobics instructor, is pushed aside by television executives as she reaches her 50th birthday. This moment sets off a chain of events leading Elisabeth to try a bizarre and experimental beauty treatment – The Substance. The serum promises youth, beauty, and vitality. What follows is a nightmarish transformation that is both visceral and symbolic of the relentless pressures placed on women to remain youthful.
In this sense, The Substance is not just a grotesque spectacle, but a reflection of an age-old battle: the fear of becoming irrelevant. For decades, Hollywood has perpetuated the myth that ageing diminishes a woman’s worth. This pressure, amplified by the ever-present male gaze, often leads women to seek out extreme measures to retain their status. Fargeat’s film explores this in a way that both horrifies and intrigues.
The Rise of Body Horror: A Feminist Lens
Body horror, the genre to which The Substance belongs, is not a new phenomenon. Yet in recent years, it has evolved into a space where female directors have been able to explore themes of identity, autonomy, and control. Directors like Julia Ducournau (Titane), Rose Glass (Saint Maud), and Amanda Nell Eu (Tiger Stripes) have brought their unique perspectives to the genre, using the body as a canvas to comment on societal pressures, particularly those placed on women.
In The Substance, Fargeat uses the physical transformation of Elisabeth to depict the destructive nature of society’s beauty standards. Elisabeth’s journey into the grotesque reflects the lengths to which individuals, particularly women, will go to maintain their place in a world that values youth above all else. Her metamorphosis becomes increasingly horrifying as she loses control of her body, a metaphor for how women often feel disempowered by the unrealistic expectations placed upon them.
What’s striking about Fargeat’s approach is how it merges body horror with feminist commentary. Films in this genre are typically defined by graphic depictions of bodily mutilation, mutations, and disfigurement. Yet for female directors, this genre becomes a vehicle to explore deeper questions: What does it mean to have control over one’s body? And what happens when that control is lost?
A Divisive Masterpiece: Criticism and Praise
Despite its clear message and artistic ambitions, The Substance has not been universally embraced. Critics have been quick to call out its extreme stylisation and grotesque imagery, claiming that it detracts from the film’s message. There are questions as to whether the film’s focus on Elisabeth’s physical transformation actually critiques Hollywood’s obsession with beauty, or if it falls victim to the very tropes it seeks to challenge.
Some, like critic Hilary A White, argue that the film leans too heavily on objectifying the female form, particularly in its portrayal of Elisabeth’s replacement, Sue (Margaret Qualley). The camera’s lingering gaze on her body is reminiscent of Fargeat’s previous film, Revenge, where the protagonist’s body was similarly objectified before she turned the tables on her abusers. In The Substance, however, this objectification feels more gratuitous, undermining the film’s feminist intentions.
On the other hand, many praise the film’s unapologetic style and its refusal to conform to conventional storytelling. The hyper-stylisation, the excessive gore, and the brutal depiction of bodily transformation all serve a purpose. The Substance is not meant to be subtle. Its message is meant to hit the viewer hard, forcing them to confront the uncomfortable realities of ageing and beauty in modern society.
The Hollywood Machine: Perpetuating Beauty Myths
At its core, The Substance is a critique of Hollywood’s obsession with youth and beauty, and the immense pressure it places on women to conform to impossible standards. While the film is set in a heightened reality, the themes it explores are all too real. In a world where actresses are often discarded after a certain age, where cosmetic surgery and anti-ageing treatments are rampant, and where beauty is commodified, The Substance holds up a mirror to the industry and forces it to confront its own ugly truths.
There is a long tradition of films that explore the dark side of beauty and ageing in Hollywood. Sunset Boulevard is perhaps the most famous, with Gloria Swanson’s portrayal of Norma Desmond serving as a haunting reminder of the way Hollywood disposes of its former stars. More recent films like She Will and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? have continued to delve into the madness that often accompanies a woman’s fall from stardom.
What makes The Substance stand out is the way it fuses these classic themes with modern-day body horror. The film doesn’t just critique the system – it tears it apart, piece by piece, in the most visceral way possible. Elisabeth’s transformation is horrifying, but it’s also liberating in a strange way. It’s as if, through her descent into monstrosity, she’s finally able to break free from the societal chains that have bound her.
Beauty as Power: The Double-Edged Sword
One of the more interesting aspects of The Substance is its exploration of beauty as a form of power. In Hollywood, beauty can open doors, create opportunities, and elevate a person to stardom. Yet it is also fleeting, and when it fades, so too does the power that comes with it. This is the predicament that Elisabeth finds herself in. As she ages, she loses her relevance, and the industry is quick to replace her with someone younger and more “desirable.”
The film explores the paradox of beauty – while it can empower, it can also imprison. Elisabeth’s decision to use The Substance is born out of a desperation to reclaim the power she once had, but in doing so, she ultimately loses herself. Her body becomes a battleground, not just for beauty, but for control.
The Verdict: Is The Substance a Triumph or a Failure?
The debate surrounding The Substance boils down to whether its extreme stylisation enhances or detracts from its message. For some, the film is a brilliant piece of feminist cinema that uses body horror to explore the destructive nature of beauty standards. For others, it’s a shallow, grotesque spectacle that sacrifices substance for style.
What is clear, however, is that The Substance has sparked a much-needed conversation about the way women are treated in Hollywood, particularly as they age. The film forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about our society’s obsession with youth and beauty, and the lengths to which individuals will go to maintain these ideals.
Whether you see The Substance as a feminist triumph or a hollow spectacle, there’s no denying that it leaves a lasting impression. And in a world where beauty is often prized above all else, that might just be its most powerful statement.
