The Substance (2024) and the Natural Order of Things

Coralie Fargaet’s The Substance (2024) was one of the most expected and popular films of the year 2024, obviously for a good reason. Veteran actress Demi Moore (Elisabeth) and up-and-coming Margaret Qualley (Sue) take the spotlight with their brilliant acting performances in order to convey the actual message of the film. The Substance tells us the story of a now-fading TV actress/host and her method of re-conquering the entertainment industry by inducing herself with a chemical compound named “Substance.” This material—which is extremely dangerous if it ever were to be misused—is used by Elisabeth to switch her place and appearance with something that is better than her current self (Sue). The chaos, disarray, destruction, and demolition, however, ensues as both parties—though Elisabeth and Sue are actually “One”—do not take the precautionary warning that misemployment is dangerous and fatal (Elisabeth and Sue have to switch places every 7 days in order to naturally sustain the balance).

In her 50s, Elisabeth no longer resembles the vivacious and beautiful young woman that she used to be who hosts “Sparkle Your Life with Elisabeth.” Her withering beauty is a case of scandal in her industry, which prompts the manager of the show to seek a replacement for her—for someone, as it is described in the film, who is young, beautiful, and full of life. And, at this stage of her life, Elisabeth encounters the so-called Substance. This chemically produced medication prompts a better version of yourself into the real world in case your present self is no longer satisfactory for maintaining your mode of life. Therein, emerges Sue from the back of Elisabeth—similar to the birth of Athena, but much less gory and bloody.

There are obviously some conditions for the survival of both Elisabeth and Sue: each week Elisabeth has to return to her original form, as well as Sue stabilizing herself with Elisabeth’s fluid and feeding her with a tube. When Sue is born and at the center of the camera, the scene generally gives off optimistic features with upbeat music added. In contrast, Elisabeth’s life resembles an advert for a suicide hotline, a call for help from the outside. Moreover, as previously mentioned the show was looking for a replacement for Elisabeth, Sue gets the part for hosting Elisabeth’s eponymous show, but under her name. Everything goes extremely well in favor of Sue until one day the first aberration from the cautionary tale behind the Substance is animated right in front of our eyes.

Sue postpones the seven-day limit by one day. In turn, Elisabeth pays the price with one rotten index finger. Although it would have been a rational course to pay attention to the dire consequences of misuse, the film would not have existed if there were no divergences. Keeping the balance and harmony between two parties, between dual existence, has to be her primary objective instead of oscillating between either side. Sue, however, is too vainglorious and caught up with the glamor, opulence, and beauty of youth to see the truth as it is, so the subsequent aberrations result in much more distressing and disturbing—not only for herself but for the audience as well—occurrences. A crucial element of the plot is the coexistence of Elisabeth and Sue right across one another, even if Elisabeth is in her natural form. Right across her house, the extensive and grand banner of Sue’s advert is situated; seeing it and being penetrated by its gaze drives Elisabeth to insanity and jealousy since the pristine beauty of Sue is envy-inducing. Poor Elisabeth is constantly reminded by her counterpart that she is no longer an object of attention and loving glances, only that she is no longer sufficient.

As the film continues on, a more interesting topic emerges at hand: depersonalization, or the separation era begins. Both Elisabeth and Sue start to view each other as different, separate entities even though they are “One.” While Sue bemoans that Elisabeth is not doing anything of value during her spare time, Elisabeth laments that Sue does not respect the balance and suffers physically from Sue’s abuse. This constant blame-shifting continues until the end of the film.

All in all, The Substance (2024) is one of the most successful and discussed film of the year 2024. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley taking the lead in the film, their acting concur exponentially with the storyline. The Substance is a cautionary tale that represents, in something of a fantastical and sci-fi-like manner, the consequences of abusing certain elements in your life instead of keeping them at a natural balance. If the natural order of things and harmony are broken, so will everything around you.