Is ‘The Substance’ based on a true story? The Demi Moore movie ending explained

Director Coralie Fargeat’s ‘The Substance’ has become the highest grossing release for independent film distribution company Mubi. In addition, it has caused all kinds of reactions among its viewers, which give a lot to talk about on social networks.

In fact, it was reported that some people left the theaters before the movie ended and there were even those who vomited while watching it.

“The Substance” follows the story of Elisabeth Sparkles (who she plays Demi Moore a Hollywood star who stars in a TV show but is fired for being considered an “old woman”.

Before “hitting” her professional career (and her life in general), Elizabeth has the opportunity to try a new formula called “the essence”, which promises to make her rejuvenated in the body of Sue (played by Margaret Qualley ), who will be a more perfect and beautiful version of herself. However, things don’t go as expected.

“The Substance” Movie Ending Explained

For a time the substance seems to work wonders for Elisabeth as she alternates between the two versions of herself each week.

However, there comes a point where, amazed by the perfection of her “younger self”, she begins to take hours (and life juice) from her original body, which wears down more and more from these energies.

When he finally returns to his real body, he notices that he has aged to death, as a result of the time Sue stole from him. That’s when Demi Moore’s version of the character decides to end Margaret Qualley’s life.

However, when Elisabeth is about to kill Sue, she realizes that without her she is nothing. A wild fight then ensues between the two, in which Sue kills Elizabeth.

Sue injects the substance once more, but everything goes wrong: instead of looking young and beautiful, she creates a kind of grotesque monster, which is a strange mixture of herself and Elisabeth.

Refusing to lose her reputation, this hybrid heads to an exclusive New Year’s event, to which Sue has been invited. But obviously everyone realizes something is wrong and the assistants themselves kill the monster.

This ending suggests that there is no formula for achieving perfection and acts as a critique of the beauty standards that exist in society.

Is ‘The Substance’ based on a true story?

There is a theory floating around the internet that ‘The Substance’ is inspired by a real actress. And there are people who could not avoid relating the story of Elisabeth Sparkle to that of the famous actress Jane Fonda.

That’s because, like Elisabeth Sparkle, Fonda was the face of her own exercise program called “Jane Fonda’s Workout” and became a sex symbol of her time.

However, Fonda lived for many years with eating disorders such as bulimia, which affected different areas of her life.

Fortunately, Jane Fonda managed to overcome this situation. She is currently 86 years old and is considered a true example of improvement, having broken many standards of what female beauty should be.

Although it has not been officially confirmed that the makers of “The Substance” based the actress on the film, fans have noted the similarities between the film’s plot and Fonda’s life story.

When is ‘The Substance’ streaming?

According to Deadline, Mubi has acquired the distribution rights to “The Substance” even before its Cannes premiere in May 2024.

In this sense, the streaming premiere of this controversial body horror film can be expected through this platform, which has gained popularity for the promotion of international and independent cinema.

The official release date for “The Substance” has yet to be confirmed, though it will likely be late 2024 or early 2025.