The Substance x Adlerian Psychology | My Movie Review as an AC x HSP
It's Yamane😊
The other day, when I couldn't sleep at night, I realized that "The Substance" was available on Prime Video!!!
At that moment, I resigned myself to the fact that it was my destiny not to sleep that night. As expected, I watched it non-stop until the end and ended up severely sleep-deprived.
However, I don't regret it at all because I don't think it would have been possible to pause this movie once I started watching it lol✨ So, I'd like to write my review right away.
What kind of movie is "The Substance"?
"The Substance" is a sci-fi horror-thriller film released in 2024.
Demi Moore's all-out performance became a hot topic, and there was buzz about her potentially winning an Academy Award, but she ended up missing out on the win.
Having actually watched it, I felt awe for the resilient acting spirit of Demi Moore, who fully embodied this role, and it was a surprise that she didn't win for it.
However, although she missed out on the Best Actress award at the Academy Awards, the film did win for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and it has received awards at numerous other film festivals.
"The Substance" is about this!
Elisabeth Sparkle, played by Demi Moore, was a successful Hollywood star in her youth, but now she only appears on the morning aerobics show she has hosted for many years.
However, on her 50th birthday, she is suddenly fired from the show due to the producer's preference for "someone younger."
After that, through various circumstances, Elisabeth obtains a mysterious drug for regenerative medicine. When she tries the drug, oh, it's a miracle.
Her back splits open, and like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, another version of herself is born—young and perfect.
That young and perfect version of herself calls herself "Sue."
However, "Elisabeth" and "Sue" are two sides of the same coin; it's not that "Elisabeth" was reborn as "Sue." It feels more like one person, "Elisabeth," split into two: "Elisabeth" and "Sue."
"Sue" can only be active for 7 days. During that time, "Elisabeth's" body is asleep. And when those 7 days are up, "Elisabeth" wakes up, and "Sue" sleeps.
By repeating this alternately, "Elisabeth" and "Sue" take turns living their respective lives.
It is a story about the strange cohabitation of two people who are supposed to be one, which gradually spirals out of control.
In Sue's aerobics scene, her youth, beauty, and sexiness were emphasized to such an extreme degree that the excess felt almost violent.😳
I remembered Adler's words
REMEMBER
YOU ARE ONE
The split "Elisabeth" and "Sue." Watching the relationship between these two, who are essentially one person, reminded me of Adler's words.
To be precise, it was from a talk by philosopher Ichiro Kishimi, who explains Adler's work, where he discussed the three reasons Adler gives for why we cannot live in the "here and now."
The three reasons we cannot live in the "here and now" and Elisabeth's choice
1. Worrying too much about what others think
2. Being bound by an ideal self
3. Believing that "this is just a temporary life"
As Elisabeth ages, she loses her former fame as a Hollywood star.
She then begins to worry about the eyes of producers who excessively demand youth and beauty, and the eyes of the audience, becoming bound by an "ideal self" that is young, beautiful, and overflowing with sexiness.
As a result, she could no longer view her current life, having lost her youth, as her "real life."
Being unable to live in the "here and now" is a situation that almost everyone falls into, not just Elisabeth, but in her case, the depth of her karma is extraordinary due to her unique past as a "star" and "actress."
In the end, she chooses an extreme state of giving up on living in the "here and now" and creating a separate "ideal self."
What happened as a result of that choice
So, what happened as a result of splitting herself to create an "ideal self"?
Sue, the young and beautiful "ideal self," begins to loathe the aging Elisabeth and treat her as an obstacle.
Knowing that she cannot exist if Elisabeth does not, she breaks the seven-day rotation rule, sacrifices Elisabeth, and tries to enjoy her own life.
Furthermore, Elizabeth herself begins to lose sight of her own self-worth as she compares her aging self to Sue, her "ideal self," eventually becoming unable to even step outside due to her concern for how others perceive her.
Sue then begins to spiral out of control, breaking the seven-day rule to enjoy more time as a young, beautiful woman.
However, every time Sue spends time beyond the seven-day limit, Elizabeth ages and loses that much more of her own time.
Before she knows it, Elizabeth, who was a beautiful woman even if no longer young, has changed beyond recognition into an old crone.
Elizabeth's time is being stolen by Sue, and at this rate, Elizabeth will have everything taken from her by Sue. Even though they are supposed to be one person, they are driven to a point where they cannot coexist.
The end result of a person who cannot live in the here and now
While few people are driven to the extremes Elizabeth faces, many people reject their current selves in pursuit of an ideal version of themselves.
They become unable to live their own lives because they are too concerned with the eyes of others.
They convince themselves that their real life won't begin until certain conditions are met, and that their current life is just a temporary state.
The film depicts what kind of existence is ultimately created by failing to face one's true self in the here and now, and what awaits at the end of that path; I found myself unable to look away.
For the masses who were splattered with the blood of Elizabeth, once a Hollywood star, her tragic end is not someone else's problem, but their own.
The reason this story is so compelling is not just due to the direction, cinematography, editing, music, makeup, and costumes, but perhaps because it depicts a horror that many people can relate to as their own.
Conclusion
The final monster had such a tangible, physical presence, reminiscent of monsters from old movies; it was nostalgic, yet carried a sense of pathos amidst the horror, which was wonderful.
Also, Margaret Qualley's charm was explosive, almost like a weapon, which was shocking. It was a new discovery for me that "cuteness" could have such a violent side.
And, having watched this, I felt the importance of Adler's words more keenly than ever.
I decided to give myself a wake-up call for being bound by an ideal self and thinking of my current life as temporary, and to courageously face my pathetic self here and now.