A shell of a standard: Comparing The Substance to Shell
Amy Jaquish, Contributor
Released in 2024, the film Shell was recently added to Prime Video, and one can’t help but draw comparisons to another film featured on the platform.
Shell, directed by Max Minghella, follows an actress, played by Kate Moss, who is struggling to find work as her age begins to show. In an attempt to save her career, she takes drastic measures and pursues a new medical advancement that alters her DNA to keep her from aging.
However, it ends with the actress’s appearance being altered horrifically forever. The film also features Moss’s character feeling threatened by a younger actress, who is played by Kaia Gerber.
Sound Familiar?
That’s because it follows a similar plot structure to Coralie Fargeat’s Oscar-nominated and winning film, The Substance.
You may be thinking: who copied who? But the films were actually released around the same time, with The Substance on Sept. 20, 2024, and Shell having been released Oct. 3, 2024.
However, it should be noted that Fargeat did release a short film in 2014 titled Reality+, which follows a similar plot.
While it’s unclear if one pulled ideas from another, there remains some major differences between the two films. The first is the medical procedures the characters go through.
In The Substance, Demi Moore’s character, Elisabeth Sparkle, uses a black-market serum to create a better version of herself, played by Margaret Qualley. Sparkle then switches with the clone every seven days, using her spinal fluid to stabilise herself and her other version.
In Shell, Moss’ character, Samantha Lake, uses a widely available service promoted by fellow celebrity, Zoe Shannon, played by Kate Hudson. The medical procedure uses lobster DNA to keep Lake looking young, although it comes with side effects that make clients grow crustacean-like spores.
When considering the films together, it’s important to note the differences between not only the treatments themselves, but also the procurement of them.
With Shell, Hudson’s character acts as a celebrity spokesperson for the company, claiming that she is 60 years old and will continue looking young and beautiful because of the lobster treatment. Because the lobster treatment is a common procedure done in the film, it draws viewers to a metaphor for influencer culture and the current beauty treatment standards.
This thematic framing reflects social media influencers pushing forward treatments like red light therapy, micro-needling or extreme morning routines.
Gerber’s character, Chloe Benson, further represents this younger, media-oriented generation diving right into these trends to stay looking young.
According to Yale Medicine, dermatologist Dr. Kathleen Suozzi explains that 20 per cent of preteens and teens spend around $50 a month on skincare products they don’t need. Shell, it seems, hits the nail on the head.
In comparison, The Substance, with its black market service, focuses more on beauty standards that have been around for decades, reinforcing the idea that women who have aged will be pushed out of the industry.
While Shell does focus on age as well, they never actually replace Moss’s character, change her weight or age her down at all. She simply has a new glow to her that makes her seem more youthful. The Substance, however, completely replaces Moore’s character with Qualley’s younger character, Sue.
While The Substance maintains the idea that the industry will always push out older women in favour of a younger version, Shell is more of a commentary on current influencer culture.
Shell, however, is not a one-sided commentary. Half-way through the film, Moss’s character attempts to dismantle the industry and the medical treatments it pushes forward. By doing so, she becomes an activist who speaks out against the beauty standards.
Although in the end, even after she reveals how the company is burying their secrets by making women disappear, the company still keeps operating.
Shell conveys that even as we work towards dismantling beauty standards and pointing out how they impact people, especially women, conventions still continue to thrive in society.
It is interesting to note, though, that while Shell comments on attempts to dismantle beauty standard culture, The Substance takes a more personal approach, focusing on how the beauty standards affect women mentally.
Throughout the film, Moore’s character is seen struggling with self-doubt and feelings of self-consciousness. At one point, she attempts to get ready for a date, and while looking in the mirror, begins to redo her lipstick over and over again, never feeling fully satisfied with how she looks.
In addition, Qualley’s character begins to enter a similar cycle at the end of the film when her body begins to fall apart. Even though she keeps trying to fix it, she eventually destroys herself in the process.
As such, both women represent how beauty standards keep women from ever being fully satisfied with how they look.
Shell also features a similar thematic pattern, with an actress destroying herself for beauty. However, this is not Moss’s character, but instead Gerber’s character, who gets turned into a giant human-eating lobster.
Both films feature a young actress attempting to fix a fictional idea created by the beauty industry. Although in different ways, the movies comment on the fact that the film industry doesn’t want women to age, highlighting the drastic measures women will take to fit these standards.
