Hello, Operator? Yes, I have a problem… with myself

"People always ask for something new, it's inevitable.

At 50, well, it stops."

Constructors are placing a star in the insignificant Hollywood Walk of Fame. We can see how it's built, how the honored star greets the crowd that screams her name, we can feel that fervor and, seconds after, we witness how the "decomposition" process starts. People's footsteps cause the logical time erosion of the material, snow that makes people's blood run cold falls from the sky, rain that can wet thoughts pours and, on an average day, a tourist—or someone who was simply passing by—accidentally drops a hamburger right in the middle of the star. This person picks up the ketchup, along with the onions, and walks away. I thought "it looks like intestines" and I don't think I got it wrong. The immediate symbolism of this masterfully recorded initial scene with a cenital shot—by which the camera is placed vertically focusing on the floor—allowed me to joyfully enter this universe. It's also interesting to mention that, simultaneously, this overly clever introduction can be interpreted as a summary of the story we are about to witness.

Hollywood's fascination with self-sabotage is simply fantastic. Many times, we've seen how the industry itself approves stories that criticize and shamelessly target its darker side just like Damien Chazelle did just a few years ago with Babylon, his magnum opus. Nonetheless, I take the risk of saying that no one had dared to turn this kind of "audiovisual sincericide" in an actual feast of blood, deformation and nudity as Coralie Fargeat did with her hypnotizing body-horror coded satire title The Substance. The director was able to create a fictitious universe—but not so different to what could happen in Los Angeles' suburbs—in which we meet Elisabeth Sparkle, a star dancer and host of a TV work-out program. She knew how to uniquely savor her past glory and, now, she's metaphorically and literally consumed by topics related to the inevitable insecurities of aging, the cult of beauty and human greed.

"Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself?" The question, which can easily reflect the worst kind of poison that current fake prophets use on social media to sell their—also fake—lives, is actually The Substance's slogan. The movie's substance is a liquid promise of human perfection—created without following regulations and under doubtful circumstances—that the famous dancer obtains almost coincidentally after a car accident. But we all clearly know that there's no coincidences in celebrities' glamorous—and also decadent—lives. A time comes when all sparkle gets lost and that's when Fargeat's defiant and fantastic idea of turning beauty's superficiality into a grim horror that's borderline ridiculous appeared.

The concept is simple: after injecting the liquid, a new version of yourself will emerge from your own body, which will be your concious and active version for seven days since your other "version" will be sleeping and obtaining nutrients through an IV bag. When those seven days are over, you must carry out a transfusion and return to your other version. This cycle can be repeated as many times as wanted.

The minimalism presented by the director is masterfully enhanced by, among other aspects, an arrogant camera use—many frames use all the stylistic potential to make us feel what the characters are feeling—the warmth Los Angeles backdrop that is graphically shown with Elisabeth's view from her apartment—which has a huge poster in front of her window in which we can see her perfect face—and British composer Benjamin "Raffertie" Stefanski's magnetic and hypnotizing soundtrack. Nonetheless, the three main performances are the best part. On screen, Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley y Dennis Quaid's triad is seen as part of the average cicle of life of the concept of the word "celebrity".

Elisabeth Sparkle—the wordplay with sparkle is amazing—is a woman who turns 50 with a comfortable life, a luxurious apartment and endless money in her bank account, but, on the inside, she's empty. In one of the movie's first scenes, she encounters a former high school peer who tells her "you're still the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world," but she doesn't value his words, instead, she takes them for granted. This is what the industry made her believe all her life, and she willingly subjects to seeing her face in giant prints, frames and other advertisements daily to reinforce herself as an eternal shining star.

Harvey—any similarity with reality is mere coincidence; yes, I'm talking to you, Harvey Weinst***—is a disgusting, misogynist and superficial TV producer with one goal: success. He represents human trash in all its glory, a bloodsucker of old millionaires with suits who accompanied—in the worst sense of the word—Elisabeth throughout her whole career but, when it's time to replace her, we see his most despicable side. I never considered Dennis Quaid a great actor, but he for sure is an effective performer: he always delivers with his roles. In this film, he not only follows his character but also delivers a performance that perfectly conveys genuine repulsion for human beings.

Sue is Elisabeth's younger, most beautiful and perfect version. She's a child of obsession and modern fears and her creation and development is the perfect analogy of human alienation. What's interesting about her is that, on screen, she seems to be everything her "creator" wanted but, internally, she's everything she hates. In social media's era, are we the same person pretending to have two lives or are we actually collectively disassociating? It's interesting how this is addressed with the struggle Sue and Elisabeth put up with, triggering comic, ridiculous and insanely tragic consequences, in that order. Margaret Qualley doesn't fully shine on screen as Moore, but I understand that her role is more "plastic" and not so deep. Nonetheless, in the last minutes, various scenes in which she's in almost gave me a panic attack in the cinema.

The movie clearly has two parts divided by the vision of the body and human mind. In the first part, Fargeat presents women like the "perfect object," shot as if the camera lens emulated the masculine gaze. In addition, during the first scene in which Dennis Quaid is introduced while peeing, the lens seems to be around 15 to 20 centimeters at most away from him. The director is not scared of building from cult to superficiality an almost pornographic feast in which twerking and endless seduction can change even the most deconstructed masculine audience members. The idea that these primitive concepts haven't changed but the ways have is strongly present from the beginning: the current "inclusion" and "equality" disguise haven't altered much in many instances.

"Do I want to look pretty for me or for others?" Even though I know this question sounds kind of controversial, it's one of the foundations of what's progressively built in the second part's corporal hell. Elisabeth can't even think about deterioration and, as she starts to convince herself there's no turning back, she loses control again. The Substance perfectly balances both parts: even though the movie seems to be fake or not at all revolutionary, it actually is a ruthless critique of insecurity. Nobody forces Elisabeth to use such a substance. Althoug the instructions to use the product are perfectly explained and work wonders, as the other version starts to alienate, the adverse effects trigger an apparently endless chaos.

So, the question is: is this one of the best horror movies of 2024? To categorize The Substance is to limit its scope. It may not present the classic and essential jump scares as other horror movies, but it does offer a necessary twist for those who love the less stereotyped approach to horror. I wouldn't completely categorize the film as "horror" since it mixes dark humor elements with a strong social critique. But we do witness some concern and bad vibes capable of perturbing anyone in the journey the main character goes on to turn back time at all costs. What I'm sure of is that this is an unforgettable movie, a future cult classic and a reinvention of what we call the "cinematic experience".

BY JERÓNIMO CASCO

Posted on OCTOBER 22, 2024, 16:25 PM | UTC-GMT -3

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