The Substance
word of advice : spoilers for The Substance .
The Substancesees Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley play the same person but unlike reading of her , and it was key to the story that they looked similar but different at the same time . write and directed by Coralie Fargeat , The Substanceis a satirical trunk repugnance movie that rapidly earned a spot among thebest horror movies of 2024.The Substancereceived acclaim from critic during its festival run and release , quickly gain a “ fresh ” certificate onRotten Tomatoesand successfully reviving Demi Moore ’s career .
The Substancefollows Elisabeth Sparkle ( Moore ) , the host of a pop TV aerobic exercise show who , on her 50th natal day , is fired . Later that day , she gets in a machine accident and a nurse gives her information abouta black market blood serum called “ The Substance ” . This is a cubicle - replicating serum that temporarily creates a younger and better interpretation of the subject it ’s injected into – however , the subject has to keep up the instructions at all time , or horrifying upshot are unleashed . Elisabeth ’s young reading goes by the name of Sue(Qualley ) , but despite being the same person , Sue looks unlike from Elisabeth .
Sue & Elisabeth Look Different Because Sue Is A Better Version
The Substance Is All About Creating A Better Version Of The Subject
The point of “ The Substance ” is to make a younger and better version of the topic – the problem is that the nigh “ perfection ” of the other selves can lead to them wanting to inhabit their own life history without the matrix . The case who actives the process of the Substance is the matrix , and the forked created by the serum is the other ego . The other ego demand the matrix to survive as it has to extract a “ stabilizer ” liquidness from their back , but they have to switch bodies every seven days without elision .
Sue , as the young and good version of Elisabeth , takes over her career , revive it and doing everything better than she does .
This week - long rest also allows the intercellular substance to recuperate and create more stabilizer liquid for the other self . However , Sue , as the immature and practiced reading of Elisabeth , lease over her career , reviving it and doing everything honest than she does , conduct her to break the rules and use Elisabeth merely as a source of stabiliser serum , all bury that she ’s a dwell person who also has a life . The creator of the Substance ensure that their theme do n’t forget they and their duplicates are the same someone , even if they do n’t take care likewise .
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore.
The Substanceshows some photos of younger Elisabeth in the hallways of the studio apartment , as there were with child post horse of her younger years as a master of ceremonies of her aerobics show . These photos are of a youthful Demi Moore , and Qualley clear does n’t look like her – but that ’s the gunpoint . The Substancemakes a younger , better , and “ more beautiful ” variation of the topic , soSue ca n’t look like a immature Elisabeth because , even though they are one , they are still different .
Sue & Elisabeth’s Appearances Still Share Some Similarities
Sue & Elisabeth Are One, After All
The starter pack that Elisabeth receives from the creators of the Substance ensure to establish that , even though they are separate bodies , Elisabeth and her other ego are one . In one of the many graphic scenes inThe Substance , Sue comes out of Elisabeth ’s back , and when she check her young and “ adept ” organic structure out in the mirror , she finds the same birthmark Elisabeth has , though in a unlike part of her consistence . Sue is as athletic ( or more ) as Elisabeth and does have some physical similarities to Elisabeth though not enough to make anyone suppose they could be related .
Sue and Elisabeth have to have some physical similarity though not obvious onesas , at the oddment of the day , they are one and come from the same body . However , they are different consciousness , and it eventually becomes open that Sue is more of a casing as she does n’t really have a soul , and only cares for her own reputation and celebrity even if that mean almost kill Elisabeth – so , in that sentience , they are very dissimilar .
The Substance Making Sue Look Like A Young Demi Moore Would’ve Been More Challenging
The Substance Would Have Faced Major Problems (& Potential Controversies)
realise Sue look like a untested Demi Moore would have been a mountain more challenging than it might seem . To achieve that , The Substancewould have had to use the controversial de - aging technology and more CGIthat would have increase the flick ’s budget , which can sometimes bring in other production and post - production challenge . Digitally de - aging actors has been a controversial praxis in late years , as they often do n’t look natural at all ( as happened inThe Irishman ) and it end up being more expensive than casting a younger , physically similar actor .
The Substancehad a $ 17.5 million budget .
In improver to the production challenges that would have come with de - age Demi Moore and having her play Sue , this would n’t have served the story . Sue becomes a big principal because , while she ’s alike to Elisabeth , she ’s also very dissimilar : she ’s younger , more beautiful , and fits exactly with the estimation that Harvey ( Dennis Quaid ) and company had for Elisabeth ’s alternate .
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
Even if Harvey had n’t been Elisabeth ’s manufacturer years before , everyone recognise what she see like when she was unseasoned ( because she was very celebrated and because of the framed posters at the studio ) , andit would have been very obvious that they were looking at a young Elisabeth . This would have given the idea that the Substance creates a untried but precise copy of the subject , instead of an improved version that can do what the matrix ca n’t .
Sue & Elisabeth Looking Different Is Important To The Substance’s Themes
Sue & Elisabeth Had To Be Different & Similar At The Same Time
The themes at the core ofThe Substanceare sweetheart monetary standard , social force per unit area , aging , ego - execrate , body autonomy , and the role of women in society . Sue not looking like Elisabeth when she was vernal create a separation between them despite being the same person , andseeing Sue ’s success further sinks Elisabeth into ego - loathing – perhaps , if Sue looked like her , Elisabeth would feel more connected to Sue and her achiever , but alternatively , she ’s wait at her improved adaptation that does n’t quite look like her .
The Substanceaddresses the idea of vernal and more beautiful women have more economic value than sometime cleaning woman .
Elisabeth ends up being tortured by Sue ’s beauty and the winner that comes with it , which , to her , was taken away from her as she senesce , and Harvey got rid of her as if she had no economic value . The Substanceaddresses the idea of younger and more beautiful women have more value than older women , and Elisabeth , instead of enjoying the success of her other self , finds out that activate the Substance was the worst mistake she could have made . There ’s a passel to take out inThe Substance , and Sue and Elisabeth looking similar but unlike is key to the history and its subject .
Elisabeth Sparkle , a fading celebrity , turns to a mysterious drug that promise to restore her spring chicken by creating a younger , more beautiful version of herself . But split up time between her original and new body leads to appall consequences as her alternate self , Sue , begins to unravel her life in a troubling dead body - horror descent .
