Is there something deep in "The Substance"?

I find fascinating that one of the most relevant films of the year has been an experimental horror story produced by MUBI, something unimaginable in the panorama of a couple of years ago where superhero adaptations and forced sequels of easily recognizable intellectual properties seemed to be all that was leading the box office.

And while The Substance is far from being a masterpiece, we cannot deny that the film starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley has a premise interesting enough to hook the viewer during its more than two hours of duration, but, at the same time, I must admit that on more than one occasion I felt that the same idea could have been executed in a much shorter space of time.

You see, The Substance can be described as a science fiction film with elements of body horror and black comedy, in which we follow the story of Elisabeth Sparkle, a former television star who ends up being fired from her job in search of younger talent, and, after suffering a minor traffic accident in which she emerged unharmed, she ends up being offered the opportunity to participate in an experimental program that offers them the chance to become the "best version of themselves."

Thus begins Elisabeth's descent into madness, who, obsessed with the idea of perpetual beauty, ends up abusing the substance offered by said experiment, which of course will have catastrophic consequences.

On a thematic level, it is a film built on a fairly simple premise: the self-destructive nature of obsessing over the beauty standards imposed on us by society, represented by the recurrent, vulgar and intentional use of shots created to sexualize Sue, who represents "the best version" of Elizabeth.

The debate is this: does presenting itself as a satire excuse the objectification of its protagonists? In the end, the answer is up to each person, however, it is evident that this creative decision makes more and more sense as things get out of control and we begin to see with eyes of contempt what we initially saw with desire.

The irony of the matter is that I find it hard to believe that a film directed, written and produced by Coralie Fargeat has such deep intentions beyond using them as a pretext for a funny and grotesque film, a film that at the end of the day has more humorous intentions than intentions of academic study. But in the end we cannot blame the viewers for wanting to deeply examine its message (even if it is not intentional), and it is a perfect example of how the meaning of art loses the control of its author from the moment it is externalized.

Leaving this aside, The Substance is an entertaining film, full of good performances, exceptional makeup, a great soundtrack and a unique aesthetic identity. And at the end of the day I prefer that works of this type are monopolizing the debate within the medium over other films that are a little more generic.

This score was taken from my Letterboxd account.