If you write about movies, you are going to be asked – often – what your favorite movie is. Or, people will ask you what the best movie you’ve seen is. Neither of these questions can be easy to answer, as people who worship film will tell you that they have far too many beloved movies to narrow it down to, and our opinions can shift depending on which way the wind blows. Which is why the annual creation of a Year End Top 10 list is a futile exercise. I might build one – as I did as part of CinemaBlend’s official ReelBlend podcast. But it’s a snapshot of a very specific time. That’s the list I made up on that day. I’m already annoyed, after publishing my list, that certain movies didn’t make the cut. I’m sure if I look at this list a year from now, I’ll disagree with the inclusion of three or four titles.
My number 1 movie of 2024 was never going to change, though. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it… and then stressed over who I actually could recommend it to. You see, Coralie Fargeat’s brilliant, cynical The Substance isn’t Mufasa, or Moana 2, or one of the safer movies that people want to hear more about when they are thinking about what to take the family to over the weekend. It’s a challenging, twisted, nauseating but hilarious film that’s tough to recommend, unless you have a specific sense of humor. It’s certainly not for everyone. But it definitely was for me.
The Substance is the smartest film I saw in 2024.
Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance is a contemporary parable that slices to the dark heart of the Hollywood hype machine, as well as the magnetic draw of the seven deadly sins. It boasts a simple premise, especially by science-fiction standards. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) used to be adored and respected in the entertainment industry. Then, she committed the Cardinal Sin of growing “old.” When she’s offered a quick, but controversial, solution that allows her to live alternating weeks in the body of a younger specimen named Sue (Margaret Qualley), Elisabeth accepts… but lives to regret it.
As you have been hearing ever since The Substance made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, this film eviscerates the superficial entertainment industry, and holds up a mirror to the grotesque desires of Hollywood’s vapid denizens. Tick off the top Deadly Sins – Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Wrath – and you will witness them on display in both Elisabeth and Sue as they fight to maintain their hold on youth. You won’t believe the depths of depravity these characters are willing to plunge if it means a few more minutes of adoration from the empty vessels that are the audience. And every time they dug deeper into their “hole,” the more delicious I found their punishments.
And yet, there are genuine moments of heartbreak in The Substance, specifically for the emotionally damaged Elisabeth, that are conveyed through the Oscar worthy performance of Demi Moore. The more that she doubts herself – as when she caused herself to miss out on a dinner date with a kind gentleman – you realize that this is a broken individual, and no amount of “substance” is going to fulfill her desires. Qualley’s Sue is less humane. She beautifully embodies the arrogance of overconfidence. The actress is spot on as the unblemished side of this scarred coin.
The Substance is one of the most surprising movies of the year.
Even if you think you know where The Substance is heading, you won’t be able to predict the insane third act Coralie Fargeat has cooked up for Elisabeth and/or Sue. It’s a worthy, and biting, commentary on the shallowness of the traditional Hollywood starlet. And the further this movie flew off the rails, the harder I laughed at the intelligent, wicked, and wild lengths that Moore, Qualley and their director were willing to go to hammer home their point about the vicious cost of our vices
The precision of the sardonic comedy sliced so deep into my own dark heart, I genuinely had no idea where The Substance was going to decide how to end its story. And yet, Fargeat had the perfect ending image cooked up. And it had been teased from the opening moments. I should have seen it coming, and didn’t. So many movies follow a loose narrative formula, making modern films painfully predictable. The fact that The Substance kept me guessing right up until the final credits only makes me appreciate it all the more.
But I know not everyone wants to see a movie like The Substance. For one thing, it’s grotesque. Both in manner (Sue and Elisabeth do some truly wretched things), but also in appearance. Fargeat masters the art of body horror, drawing apt comparisons to David Cronenberg’s The Fly for the ways it commits to pushing the envelope. If you are squeamish, The Substance will turn you off. If you can make it through, its rewards and endless.
In years past, when building my Top 10 list, I went with safer picks for the top slot. One of the Spider-Verse movies usually grabbed the crown. Top Gun: Maverick landed their one year, or Steven Spielberg’s underappreciated The Post. Movies that you basically could recommend to anyone. This year, it felt wonderful – almost freeing – to select a movie like The Substance, which I knew wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
But if it’s your cup of tea, you won’t find anything more delicious in 2024.
