The Substance2024

Disgustingly wonderful. Loved every scene of it, even those that made me wanna scream. The movie explores an idea that has been reoccurring a lot lately in our lives, but it's told in such a masterful way that you don't mind the plot being somewhat predictable Beauty standards, comparing one's self to others, blah blah blah, you know, all that crap we've been hearing ever since social media became a prominent part of our society. However, Coralie Fargest’s touch on this idea is very interesting and especially relatable to me. As Elizabeth finds herself jealous and envious of none other than herself. The movie plays with the idea of the perfect self and materializes it through the use of the substance. Eventually, both these personas fight for control, for existence, breaking the balance and eventually leading to the destruction of the self, but not before an atrocity comes out of this opposition. In an attempt to “perfect the perfect”, The desire for more and more, a monster was born, and it is this last bit that fascinates me. After being pushed by society and shamed for her age, her obsession lead her to become this monster on a very important night of her life. Despite her looks, she still attends the event. It made me wonder why? Why this choice made by the character as much as the director? From a character’s point of view, it could be an act of disillusion, spiraling deeper into her obsession to be under the spotlight that she still went in as a monster, just as long as she gets to be on camera like she did in her youth. Or maybe it's an act of defiance, that despite her looks, she's still the same star she once was. It's a middle finger to an industry that banished her for her age. However, whatever the reasoning, Elizabeth lost herself beyond recognition, her face literally at the back of the body in the shadows while the world sees a monster. The validation she has been seeking is empty now, but as the movie ends, Elizabeth dying on her star of fame under a bright spotlight with a smile on her face while the audience cheers in in the background. Maybe she got what she wanted, in her own twisted way. She got to be the star she once was, reaching a state of self-satisfaction. And as the light fades, her smile persists. And with that, she gives her last breath on a concrete floor that would immortalize her name…Only to be washed away the very next day like a hideous spot on the floor, almost like...it was nothing. Perhaps the movie shows us how lost she is, from the beginning of that scene, she reminisces about a moment that most likely only happened in her head. And the cheering crowd we heard, Well, it's not real; We as the viewers, saw the horror that occurred that night, we saw how scared the audience in front of her was and how it was absolutely not a cheerful one. I love the dynamic between Elizabeth and Sue, reality and perfection, old and young; Despite being the same person, selfishness, jealousy and borderline hatred connected both these personas. A clever way to showcase how an obsession can lead to self-hatred. Beyond this aspect, their relationship is a much more complex one. Sue, being Elizabeth's ideal self, is simultaneously her worst nightmare, as Sue thrived in the industry. It solidifies Elisabeth’s frustrations in how she no longer belongs in that system. And somehow, she doubles down on it falling into this trap once again by the simple act of letting Sue exist, in a way, most likely subconsciously she's accepting her position as obsolete. On the one hand we have the person who is thriving on the system and the other is crushed by it, all while being the same person. As they both indeed are, On different sides of the same spectrum, Or on different positions in the life cycle of an actress. Both cannot exist at the same time. That's why they switch every seven days. But when the obsession for the ideal-self grows and the dream gets too big, it eats away from reality. With every extra moment Sue spends in control, Elizabeth Loses herself. With the balance disrupted, a confrontation was inevitable for both parties and unfortunately the dream has gotten too big, the ego has been fed and turned into something so twisted it forgot who that dream belonged to. it forged an identity of its own and killed the dreamer that brought her to life…The dream killed the reality. With how much used to control Sue got, she saw herself as the indispensable one and Elizabeth as the disposable one. There was no surprise that Sue wanted to get rid of Elizabeth, and it’s exactly what she did but as soon as she realized the weight of her mistake and that there was no going back, the only path for her is to fall deeper down into disillusion. But you can't. Give all that blame away to Sue. Don't forget they are the same person after all; Elizabeth plays the major role in this downfall as her Jealousy and anger lead to this internal chaos and I believe some of it is justified to some e