Abstract
This study has scrutinized the film The Substance (2024) by Coralie Fargeat within the framework of Psychodynamic Theory and critical analysis. The research focuses on The Substance using a qualitative film analysis method within the context of psychodynamic theory and critical analysis. The structure of the film offers a critical approach to the dominant youth and beauty industry created by visual media shaped in accordance with “neoliberalism”. Due to the dominant social norms, Elisabeth Sparkle ignores aging and turns herself into Sue through an experimental substance. The analysis observes how Elisabeth Sparkle’s aging process, beyond physical changes, reveals the narcissistic breakdowns and split ego she experiences in the face of old age the conflict between her ideal (young) self and her devalued (old) self. The system demonstrates how the female body is presented both as an object of desire and as an object to be quickly consumed.