Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) was once a shining light in the entertainment industry. An Oscar winning actress and fitness icon. But time is not kind to women in the spotlight and now at the age of fifty no one wants to hire her anymore. So when Elisabeth hears about “The Substance”, a black market drug that creates a younger version of yourself, she takes the opportunity with both hands. 

The Substance comes with a very specific set of rules and dictates that it can only be a success with balance. If you are prepared to inflict extraordinary pain upon yourself and adhere to a strict regime of seven days as your younger self followed by seven days of your older self forever then you can enjoy the gifts of youth again. There is a constant reminder, “remember you are one”. 

The resultant spawn of “The Substance” in the first of many brutally violent scenes is the stunning Sue (Margaret Qualley). A vibrant and powerfully sexual being that instantly becomes the star that Elisabeth once was. 

The result is fascinating and told in the broadest and loudest manner possible. There is a balance here as well. The titillating sex appeal and lingering camera shots on the physical prowess of both female stars are met in equal measure with the sort of gruesome body horror and buckets of blood you might see in a David or Brandon Cronenberg movie. 

There is a message here about how women feel so much pressure to meet societal beauty standards they destroy themselves in the process. Whilst the studio executive played by Dennis Quaid has to adhere to no such standard. The fact his character name is Harvey, the same as the recently disgraced Harvey Weinstein is probably no accident. His character is shown as a gross and leering executive who is bullet proof in terms of his disgusting action. 

There are also fascinating side stories to enjoy as well. Despite Elisabeth and Sue being one person they begin to resent each other. The younger and older versions of each other having different values results in them slowly hating each other. Not wanting to share time with the other and of course the inevitable breaking of rules that will have dire consequences. 

Margaret Qualley who has previously impressed in the likes of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Kinds of Kindness and Poor Things delivers a career best turn here. She plays a somewhat vacant cypher of Elisabeth that is totally aware of her physical attributes and how to exploit them. But this is Demi Moore’s film. A fearless performance that plays on her movie star status of the 1990’s and blows the stereotype that the film attacks out of the water. The most powerful scene in the entire film features her character paralysed with fear and second guessing herself about her appearance as she tries to leave for a date. 

The film never lets up and screams its message at you throughout in capital letters with its final twenty minutes an absolutely insane escalation of events. Fans of the body horror genre looking for the film makers to release the brakes and go for broke will be very happy. 

A supremely well made film that is buckets of fun.