It’s easy to say there is nothing like the new film “The Substance” because, well, there really isn’t.

Writer/director Coralie Fargeat has crafted a scathing indictment of ageism, sexism and the obsession with beauty and placed it into a body horror film reminiscent of some of David Cronenberg’s best work. The result is one of 2024’s most original – and fascinating – experiences.

“The Substance” tells the story of Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore in perhaps the performance of her career), an aging actress whose career is in decline – with her chauvinistic boss (Dennis Quaid) looking to discard her for the “next best thing.”

Elizabeth discovers a black market drug that promises to create a younger, better version of yourself. One injection divides cells and essentially splits a person in two. There is Elizabeth and then there is her younger version Sue (Margaret Qualley). The catch is each version is only given seven days before having to switch to the other version, with no exceptions.

As Sue’s star starts the rise, she starts to skirt the lines of the specific time-sharing rules – which proves to have a lasting effect on both entities.

From the opening moments, “The Substance” draws its audience in with Fargeat’s visual style intoxicating. Fargeat’s use of colors and a pulsating techno score is as creative as any filmmaker in 2024, as is her use of extreme close-ups that at times border on grotesque (Quaid’s boss is basically shot this way the entire film only enhancing his over-the-top boorish behavior).

But the screenplay is just as fascinating, with Fargeat having a lot to say on how women are perceived in society and how those expectations unfairly define women. This is a script that the audience will never figure out as every time you think you know where it is going the story gets flipped in an exciting and creative act.

Both leads bring a unique angle to the film. Moore is asked to bear her soul and does so in a way that is both heartbreaking and, at times, very comical. This is an awards-worthy performance that I hope doesn’t get overlooked at the end of the year. Qualley proves to be her equal, given perhaps the most fleshed-out character of her career and delivering quality work as well.

It all builds to a final act that goes full body horror – capturing the best of that specific genre in an exciting fashion. It evolves into something that is on par with Cronenberg’s excellent work in 1986’s “The Fly” – some out-there moments that will make audiences squirm (and made me look away in disgust several times).

The absolutely insane final act may be the kind of thing that will alienate some audiences, but I found it to be a daring and bold vision – the kind of vision that signifies the arrival of a talented filmmaker.

That is the case with “The Substance” which signals Fargeat as a visionary who isn’t afraid to create outside the box. Combine that with some of the year’s most raw and spectacular performances and it adds up to one of the best films of 2024 to date.

If You Go
Starring: Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley
Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
Rating: R for strong bloody violent content, gore, graphic nudity and language
Playing at: Regal Greenwood Mall Stadium 10
Grade: A