coralsfilms

[coralsfilms]

the substance review

letterboxd rating- ★★★★

the colourful but minimal sets of this film really carry the whole tone, with the bathroom being the most striking to me. the transformation to sue and back, and eventually monstra elisasue all happens in the bathroom. it's a blank slate where elizabeth creates her better self. the colour of the activator stands out so viciously against the background its blinding.

elizabeth's willingness to give up everything for a younger, more beautiful version of herself makes so much sense to happen in the bathroom, especially during the scene of her getting ready for her date. her whole existence is based on the scrutiny of her age and beauty by men that she becomes haunted by her original body. sue's hatred of elizabeth then becomes a manifestation of her own self hatred.

while i can agree with some critique about hagsploitation- relying on the fear of aging, this works for me in the sense that it the peak fear of women. we lose our value as men can't find beauty in female age and elizabeth's value to her show is her youthful look. the fact her and sue don't share a consciousness despite being one reads to me as the reluctance to accept the process of aging. our bodies change as we age but so do our minds, making it believable to me that they wouldn't share a consciousness- they are at different stages.

the stylisation of the film with it's sets and limited dialogue, leaving elizabeth's character mostly unexplored shows the ultimate projection of ourselves onto celebrities and how Hollywood capitalises this. we want to be more beautiful and more popular than we are which is why we the studios need sue- a younger more 'beautiful' woman devoid of flaws.

elisasue then culminated in the mental war in our bodies. the battle between aging and losing out value. she represents the view women have of themselves (to the extreme). we become 'monsters' if we are not physically attractive, making us useless and shunned in society.