Have you taken The Substance? That’s one of the few marketing slogans used to promote Coralie Fargeat’s groundbreaking body horror hit, which dazzled and repulsed both critics and audiences all last year. The film tells the odd story of Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore), a fitness TV star who is forced out of her job because she just turned 50. Desperate to get back into the spotlight, she takes an illegal street drug named, you guessed it, The Substance to make herself young again.
How does that happen? Well, spoiler alert: She spawns a younger version of herself via her back, which opens to give birth to a newer, younger person. This version, named Sue (Margaret Qualley), can only be free for seven days; if she goes over her time limit, Elisabeth’s body deteriorates. It doesn’t take a genius to guess what happens next.
The film isn’t for everyone, but it deserves attention for its masterful special effects and makeup, which effectively brings to life a wild, out-there science fiction concept. With Moore winning Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical at last Sunday’s Golden Globes, Mubi, the film’s distributor, has decided to release a fascinating 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that shows just how the film’s director brought her strange, wonderful vision to life.
Among the video’s highlights are Fargeat and her crew testing out different replicas of Moore’s comatose body to get the back transformation and Sue’s birth just right, how Fargeat informed Moore’s terrific performance by showing her sketches and photographs that inspired her, and how Qualley’s Sue was visualized as a cross between Barbie and Jessica Rabbit.
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But don’t take my word for it. Watch the video for yourself and see just how the madness of The Substance was brought to life. As one of 2024’s best movies, the film not only deserves to be appreciated but also seen by as many people as possible.
