Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

When Elisabeth Sparkle ages out of the showbiz industry, she goes to extreme lengths to remain relevant, loved and beautiful.

There is a lot to be said about this sci-fi horror that has hoovered up praise during awards season. The Substance is a beautifully constructed film that draws a perverse line between reality and our desires for perfection…. and it doesn’t get much more complicated than that.

Demi Moore is Elizabeth Sparkle, a former starlet discarded by an industry obsessed with youth. There’s an unsettling irony in watching Moore—who remains undeniably stunning—play a woman deemed past her prime, despite the effort and surgical interventions she’s undergone to maintain her looks. Of course, I’m referring to Sparkle, not Moore…

The film is visually striking, with cinematographer Benjamin Kračun capturing beautiful compositions in locations that rely on absence – such as Sparkle’s all white bathroom, and moments that indulge in the grotesque. There is a lot of silence in the script as Elizabeth withdraws further into herself, amplifying the horror of what unfolds. Despite its blunt-force messaging about aging, beauty, and society’s treatment of women, The Substance still managed to shock, disturb, and occasionally gross me out—a rare feat in modern horror. I will 100% be reading the script for this one.

Demi Moore delivers what is said to be a career-best performance, however it was her younger double Sue played by Margaret Qualley that stood out to me. Yes, the irony of highlighting the younger actresses performance over Moore, is not lost on me. But what can I say? Sue was an insatiable character that I really wanted to smack upside the head.

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