Move Over Barbie, The Substance Is Here!
Hannah Hughes - Rotted Pumpkin Editor-In-Chief
Margaret Qualley in The Substance (2024)
We all remember the summer when Barbie dominated cinemas. Viewers flocked to screens clad in their best bubblegum pink to get a taste of real, authentic girlhood.
But what about when the girlhood turns to womanhood? When the pretty pink dolls and dream houses are laid to rest, we have to come to grips with growing up, growing old, and going out of style. As we get older, it seems to become second nature to envy others. Those younger than you, prettier than you, better than you. But what happens when the one you envy is just another version of you?
The Substance focuses on aging movie star Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) as her worth in Hollywood diminishes by her fiftieth birthday. Filled with self-loathing, Elizabeth turns to an illegal drug, just called “The Substance,” which promises to speed up cellular division to create a younger version of the user. Like anyone would, she jumps at the chance.
For seven days, Elizabeth is not herself. She is Sue (Margaret Qualley), the young beautiful star of the daytime workout program, Pump It Up With Sue. The other seven, she’s Elizabeth, spending her days in front of the television, gorging herself on leftovers, and counting the days until she can be her other half. Soon, it’s hard to tell that these women are the same person, as in their selfishness, they begin to forget that they are, in fact, one.
The Substance (2024)
What I feel Gerwig’s Barbie merely glosses over is the difficulty in aging gracefully, the sheer ugliness of what it feels like to age as a woman. For many, it is a process filled with envy, regret, sadness, and even rage. The Substance does not skimp on visuals, letting viewers see every inch of the side effects and transformations that Moore & Qualley experience from not only just the drug, but from simply being a woman. Whoever said that jealousy is the green-eyed monster, I don’t think they could even picture what manifests in this film.
The sound design only adds to the grotesque, skin-splitting gore, painting the entire film with a sense of unease. It never outshines or undermines the intensity of what we’re seeing, merely supports it by just adding that much more to that pit in your stomach.
Much like Mary Harron’s American Psycho, The Substance uses its over-the-top, satirical tone to its advantage. When it comes to the message, I find the symbolism to be a bit heavy-handed at times, but it feels purposeful. It is meant to be bold, in your face, and loud. And really, the same can be said for its previously mentioned pink predecessor.
The visuals and sound are highlighted by excellent performances from both our leading ladies, Demi Moore & Margaret Qualley. It’s marvelous to watch both of the women not take themselves too seriously as they dive in, truly giving themselves up for two excellent performances.
Demi Moore In The Substance (2024)
Dennis Quaid is a real surprise in this movie, playing the sleazy network executive Harvey. He loses himself in the role, becoming almost unrecognizable as he also gives a stellar performance. He provides a perfect foil to Elizabeth and Sue, creating a physical manifestation of the societal noise and pressures surrounding aging & womanhood as a whole. In terms of a stand-in for Gosling’s Ken, he’s not much of a catch, but I think he would enjoy a Mojo Dojo Casa House.
So how would I rate The Substance on my Rotted Pumpkins Scale?
In an age where girlhood seems to become womanhood faster than ever before, The Substance offers an unofficial follow-up to 2023’s Barbie. The real question is, do you think Robbie’s Barbie would take The Substance? After all, life is still good for her. She’s yet to get her first wrinkle.
