For some hobbies you have to move outside of your usual district. Up to now I would have laughed at the idea of doing this for a film. It all started with an article about the new film with Demi Moore: “The Substance”. Sounds cryptic, but exciting.
My interest was further increased when I learned that it was the finest body horror à la David Cronenberg – greetings from “the fly”. I’m always up for crazy stuff – especially on the big screen. So on the day of its release I turned to Google to find a cinema – only to be disappointed.
So I would have to drive more than 70 kilometers to Nienburg to the nearest cinema. Should I do this to myself? Is it worth it? Yes, was the final answer. I’ve been waiting for a long time for a film that will leave me shocked in my armchair.
When we arrived in the hall and fell into one of the cushions on the many sofas, the time had come. I didn’t inform myself in advance. No trailers, no interviews, no articles. The right decision, as it turned out later.
Very briefly about the content: Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) is a Hollywood actress who is being discarded because of her age and is in danger of falling apart because of it. She learns of an ominous drug, a substance that creates a second, perfect and younger self. There is only one rule: you have to switch between the two bodies regularly.
Filmed in a stylish and high-quality way, it all started quite harmlessly. But the escalation spiral soon began to turn faster and faster. Several times I sank into my chair, stunned. My upper body turned slightly to the right and my hands formed the familiar elbow-supported thinker pose, only I used the right one to partially cover my eyes.
“My upper body turned slightly to the right and my hands formed the familiar elbow-supported thinker pose.”
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the film go on for quite a while from the point where I thought it was the big finale, pushing it to the extreme, both humanly and visually.
So why the title of the column? I would put it in exactly such a category, with the rating “educational value” as far as I’m concerned. Never before has a film shown me with such ruthlessness the consequences of arrogance, overestimation of oneself, greed and the constant urge to somehow save oneself from the consequences of the mistakes made.
At the same time, the film is a big middle finger to the current beauty craze and a love letter to healthy self-esteem and aging gracefully. He clearly visualizes the inner conflict and lack of acceptance that many people have towards their own reflection.
Similar to a shocking image on a cigarette pack, “The Substance” shows in a figurative sense the consequences that an imbalanced self can have. What really shocked me in the end wasn’t the pictures. The human abysses are the real monsters. And these also exist in our reality.
