Film Review: The Substance
A mystical critique of hyper-capitalism's body standards.
Director: Coralie Fargeat, 2024
The Substance: What has been used on one side, is lost on the other side. There's no going back.
The definition of magic from the Cambridge Dictionary is "the use of special powers to make things happen that would usually be impossible". Almost nothing about Coralie Fargeat's The Substanceis explained to the audience: the in-universe instructions of the titular treatment are brief to the point of exasperation, the side-effects unknown; the consequences, dire.
The prevalence and popularity of magic systems in modern fantasy fiction and increasingly granular IP-based streaming shows are, I suspect, are reflective of a cultural and scientific desire for everything to be explained. The Substance, by contrast, is filled with mystique. It's gross and funny and impossible; carried by Demi Moore's and Margaret Qualley's spellbinding performance. Put simply, The Substance is magic. Highly recommended.
This review originally appeared in Dispatch Edition #1.
The Dispatch is a monthly roundup by British speculative fiction writer, Jordan Acosta. News, short reviews and more, published every first Thursday. You can subscribe at jordanacosta.co, and read previous editions, here.
