Demi Moore used to be phenomenal and it’s not entirely wrong. Just in the case of this movie, The Substance, Demi Moore impersonates the character of Elisabeth Sparkle quite beautifully and in the most gory way possible. Her otherself is impersonated by Margaret Qualley and she is as phenomenal as Demi Moore. Though I only know her performance from the critically acclaimed series Maid, I think she is indeed a very good actor.

If you’re convinced with the acting performances which in fact is an outcome of the perfect blend of direction and editing, you would wonder why such a harsh treatment to such a simple storyline. The screenplay is written in such a way that it leaves no stone unturned when it comes to present goryness onscreen. Either it’s a treat to watch for the most or it’s annoying to fathom for the rest.

The movie is based on a loner television show celebrity who had no family to look into or hope for something from the other. ‘The Substance’ is what for her what is for the rest of us is a family. Coralie Fargeat is only known to me from her debut movie Revenge which was a counter-adaptation from I Spit on Your Grave. The Substance looks more like an amalgamation of Possession and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The urge to live in the past and dream of a younger and better version is something not unusual. Most people go through the same in some phase of their life and only if they get a chance like that they would ideally go for it even if it’s a substance. We often forget that our children are in fact the younger and better version of ourselves and the entire point in raising a family deals with this very idea. We try to nurture our younger ones to a point where we feel they can now replace us and be ready for the world. All the unfulfilled dreams that we had in the past, we hope that our younger ones will achieve it someday. But, that’s still termed as control over the children. The younger ones might want to choose an entirely different path and maybe being an adult we should try more to come to terms with it.

I think the urge to make such a movie is a gruesome reminder for many to look for the real alternatives like family to not hope for such a substance to exist in the first place. Coralie Fargeat’s movie is yet another treat like Revenge on the body focused screenplay for the female character while the rest of the cast exist only to be around the central female characters for her body.