Film Fest Review: The Substance

Illustration by Nick Latham

Wow. Where to begin? Don’t watch this film if you have an easy gag reflex, that’s for sure. This film left me with a feeling, similar to how I felt after watching the movie “Tusk” (if you know you know). I had seen the trailer before seeing the film at Film Fest 2024, and had seen some TikTok edits, but I did not do any further research into the plot of the storyline. I honestly would not have it any other way because the experience of seeing this film for the first time is one I can never replicate. 

About half way through the film I had no idea where the story was going to go or take me, and I was locked into every single second. Sometimes a movie over 2 hours can seem a bit daunting, with lowered attention spans nowadays, but it did not feel that long with how engaging the entire story was. The ending was humorous, horrific, and completely unpredictable. The whole story ends where it began and wraps up in a nice bow. When the movie finished I genuinely had my mouth stuck in a gasp for five minutes afterwards.

The performance from both Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore was phenomenal throughout the movie. In the movie, they played the same character yet each brought a unique perspective to her. I had the pleasure of staying behind after the showing of the film at Film Fest and got to see the actresses interact during a Q and A. They are both genuinely so remarkable, especially when you think of the performance they gave for such an odd movie like this one. I think it takes a special type of actor to be able to tap into this type of obscure role.

The direction of the film was also captivating as it contributed to the overall tone that the movie was going for. The film contains a significant amount of insert shots. One comment made during the Film Fest Q and A was that the director often likes to start with a close up shot rather than an establishing shot. This can almost confuse the viewers at times and contributes to the off putting vibe of the entire film.

Also, I have to talk about the incredible talent of the SFX artists of this film. The prosthetics were truly insane. I think back to certain shots of this film and still get chills. I have chills writing this as I reflect on some of the things I looked at during this screening. There were a number of scenes so grotesque, I wanted to look away but I had to keep watching. And again props to the actresses that had to sit in the makeup chair for hours to get ready to shoot, then had to act underneath all the prosthetics. 

Lastly, I want to touch on the fact that though this movie is grotesque and obscure and a little bit humorous, it still touches on really important topics of self love and ageism. It dives into the idea of the male gaze and the idea that women are not desirable after a certain age. In the oddest way possible, the movie pokes fun at these ideas and points out how crazy they are. It is not a feel good movie by ANY means, but in a way I walked away thinking I need to be kinder to myself when I look in the mirror.

Overall, this film will be on my mind for months to come, whether I like it or not. I think it is a must see in the theaters but also, a film I will never be watching again. From the acting, to the SFX, to the direction, it was fantastic in its own way. I highly recommend seeing the film, but maybe finish your popcorn early on. You won’t want to be eating while watching some of the scenes in this film.