For the most part,The Substancetakes place in a heightened reality.
This is established early on, when a thick layer of snow falls on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
But theres onescene inThe Substancethats grounded in a deeply relatable emotional realism and its symbolic of the whole movie.
This is the most grounded and emotionally realistic scene in the film.
Its painfully relatable for middle-aged women in the dating pool.
This is symbolic of the entire plot withthe Substance serum.
The longer Sue enjoys the limelight, the faster Elisabeth ages.
And Sues good looks dont last, either, as her body eventually starts falling apart.
When she goes back to the Substance, she turns herself into a horrifying monster.
Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity, turns to a mysterious drug that promises to restore her youth by creating a younger, more beautiful version of herself. But splitting time between her original and new body leads to horrifying consequences as her alternate self, Sue, begins to unravel her life in a disturbing body-horror descent.
One of the movies key messages is that cosmetic enhancements ultimately do more harm than good.
One of the movies key messages is that cosmetic enhancements ultimately do more harm than good.
