Why does Sue not look like Elizabeth in the substance

Warning: spoilers for the substance.

The substance See Demi Moore and Margaret Qualey playing the same person but different versions of her, and it was key to the story that they looked alike but different at the same time. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, The substance is a satirical body horror movie that quickly earned a place among the best horror movies of 2024. The substance Received critical acclaim during its festival run and release, quickly earning a “Fresh” certificate on Rotten tomatoes and successfully reviving Demi Moore’s career.

The substance Follow Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore), the host of a popular TV aerobics show who, on her 50th birthday, is fired. Later that day, she gets into a car accident and a nurse gives her information about a black market serum called “The Substance”. This is a cell-replicating serum that temporarily creates a younger and better version of the subject it is injected into – however, the subject must follow the instructions at all times, or horrifying consequences are unleashed. Elizabeth’s younger version goes by the name of Sue (Quality), but despite being the same person, Sue looks different from Elizabeth.

Sue and Elizabeth look different because Sue is a better version

The substance is all about creating a better version of the subject

The point of “The Substance” is to create a younger and better version of the subject – The problem is that the close “perfection” of the other self can lead to them wanting to live their own lives without the matrix. The subject that activates the process of the substance is the matrix, and the double created by the serum is the other self. The other self needs the matrix to survive as it is to extract a “stabilizer” liquid from their back, but they have to switch bodies every seven days without exception.

This week-long rest also allows the matrix to recover and make more stabilizer fluid for the other self. However, Sue, as the younger and better version of Elizabeth, takes over her career, reviving it and doing everything better than her, which leads her to break the rules and use Elizabeth only as a source of stabilizer serum, completely forgetting that She is a living person who also has a life. The creators of the substance make sure that their subjects do not forget that they and their duplicates are the same person, even if they do not look alike.

The substance Shows several photos of a younger Elizabeth in the hallways of the studio, as there were large posters of her younger years as host of her aerobics show. The photos are of a young Demi Moore, and Qualley clearly doesn’t look like her – but that’s the point. The substance Makes a younger, better, and “prettier” version of the subject, that way Sue cannot look like a young Elizabeth because even though they are one, they are still different.

The appearances of Sue & Elisabeth still share some similarities

Sue and Elizabeth are still single

The starter pack that Elizabeth receives from the substance’s creators ensures that, even though they are separate bodies, Elizabeth and her other self are one. In one of the many graphic scenes in The substanceSue comes out from Elizabeth’s back, and when she checks her young and “better” body in the mirror, she finds the same birthmark that Elizabeth has, although in a different part of her body. Sue is as athletic (or more) than Elizabeth and has some physical similarities to Elizabeth though not enough to make anyone think they might be related.

Sue and Elizabeth have some physical similarities though not obvious As, at the end of the day, they are one and come from the same body. However, they are different consciousnesses, and it eventually becomes clear that Sue is more of a shell because she doesn’t really have a soul, and only cares about her own reputation and fame even if it means almost killing Elizabeth – so, in that sense, They are very different.

The substance that makes Sue look like a young Demi Moore would have been more challenging

The substance would have faced major problems (and potential controversies)

Making Sue look like a young Demi Moore would have been much more challenging than it might seem. To achieve this, The substance Would have to use the controversial de-aging technology and more CGI That would have increased the budget of the movie, which could sometimes bring other production and post-production challenges. Actors of digital aging has been a controversial practice in recent years, because they often do not look natural at all (as happened in The Irish) and it ends up being more expensive than casting a younger, physically similar actor.

In addition to the production challenges that would have come with de-aging Demi Moore and her playing Sue, this would not have served the story. Sue becomes a big star because, although she is similar to Elizabeth, she is also very different: she is younger, more beautiful and fits exactly with the idea that Harvey (Dennis Quaid) and company have for Elizabeth’s replacement.

Even if Harvey wasn’t the producer of Elizabeth years earlier, everyone knows what she looked like when she was young (because she was very famous and because of the framed posters in the studio), and It would have been very obvious that they were looking at a young Elizabeth. This would have given the idea that the substance is creating a younger but exact copy of the subject, instead of an enhanced version that can do what the matrix cannot.

Sue and Elizabeth look different is important to the themes of the material

Sue and Elizabeth have to be different and similar at the same time

The themes at the heart of The substance are beauty standards, social pressure, aging, self-loathing, body autonomy, and the role of women in society. Sue not looking like Elizabeth when she was young creates a separation between them despite being the same person, and Seeing Sue’s success still sinks Elizabeth into self-pity – Perhaps, if Sue looked like her, Elizabeth would feel more connected to Sue and her success, but instead, she looks at an improved version of her who is not quite like her.

Elizabeth ends up being tortured by Sue’s beauty and the success that comes with itWhat was taken from her as she grew older, and Harvey got rid of her as she had no value. The substance Addresses the idea of ​​younger and more beautiful women having more value than older women, and Elizabeth, instead of enjoying the success of her other self, finds that activating the substance was the worst mistake she could have made. There is a lot to unlock in The substanceAnd Sue and Elizabeth look alike but different is key to the story and its themes.