Fearless Demi Moore confronts the horrors of aging, or not, in 'Substance'
In the 1990s, Demi Moore briefly became the world's highest-paid actress, earning $12 million for her striptease routine. Although Moore's career slowed after this peak, she has worked extensively in a variety of fields, most recently stealing a few scenes as a struggling socialite in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans. But it's been a while since she's played such an exciting leading role in The Substance, a gritty physical horror sci-fi satire that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 19th. French writer and director Coralie Farget's film brutally takes aim at the culture Moore knows so well, one where women are under terrible pressure to always be young and beautiful. Director Moore cast wisely in this regard. Throughout her 40-year career, she has been criticized, scrutinized, speculated about, and sidelined by the media. Perhaps Moore wants to vent all of this, or at least comment on it, so Moore jumps into "Substance" and engages in the attack of someone who has something urgent to say.
She plays Elizabeth Sparkle, a former movie star and TV fitness guru (obviously referring to Jane Fonda) who lives a lonely life when she's not smiling and posing for the camera. It seems there is. When Elizabeth learns that the producers of her show are replacing her with her new model, she creates a younger version of herself, as her disembodied voice in her video promises. Obtain a mysterious elixir. But she doesn't age like the serum on the women in Isabella Rossellini's Death Becomes Her. Instead, rather cruelly, her second body is created from Elizabeth's DNA. She ends up spending seven days as a young creature played by Margaret Qualley, but every two weeks she has to revert to her normal self to make sure nothing bad happens to her - Elizabeth is told nothing It wasn't.
Do you think Elisabeth respects this rule, dear reader? Of course she doesn't. If she had the chance to live in a body that the world deems more desirable, would she? Elizabeth, known as Sue in her new body, lies in a coma on the bathroom floor or in a hidden closet. , gets his job back and quickly climbs the ladder of fame. Complete self-denial in order to meet society's demands is a sad sight. Although Elisabeth also makes demands on herself, ``The Substance'' does not deal much with the close relationship between her internal and external pressures. Fergito sets this film in a highly stylized version of our world, which may detract from the relevance of its message. One yearns for the film to be more grounded in reality, and as a result the increasingly surreal nature of Elisbate's personal life becomes more pronounced. Without these nuances, Fargeat can only make general discussions, especially when it comes to plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures. This criticism perhaps places too much blame on the women who use such treatments and, in some cases, go overboard. ``The Substance'' may be funny and downright silly, but at its core, it tells the very sad story of a woman who destroys herself in hopes of having the opposite effect. But Fergiet resists such musings, lending the film increasing discomfort and comedy as the film stretches well past two hours. There are so many endings here, it's as if Fergiet had some great ideas for the final image but couldn't settle on one; so they're all thrown in one by one as the film finishes its well-deserved reckoning. But Mr. Moore and Mr. Qualley continue to sell. Moore, in particular, connects by deftly handling an intense transformation that's perhaps the most physical performance she's given since G.I. Jane. It's exciting to see actors spending a lot of money and seeming passionate about the cause of their movies. For the most part, Fargeat never forgets this determination. The work was worth it, and The Substance drew a huge audience at the festival. This is perhaps somewhat ironic, given that Cannes has a special ethos about women and beauty. I'm glad there's a system in place that we're all happy to participate in. I think this is the perfect tragic irony for Substance. It's a mean, smart movie that could have been sharper, but it's already straightforward in its essence. Maybe we'll all feel at least a little better the next time there's a pretty couple in their 20s along the Croisette - sure it would be great to be them, but at what cost?
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