‘Demi Moore deserves an Oscar for The Substance’

Demi Moore is startling in The Substance, Coralie Fargeat's thought-provoking and gory examination of ageing and the unrealistic expectations put on women in Hollywood (and beyond).

The actor portrays Elisabeth Sparkle, a once shining movie star who makes her living as a celebrity fitness coach. After being fired from her job upon turning 50, Elisabeth learns of a black market drug known as The Substance that can create a younger, more perfect version of herself.

She decides to take it, but the catch is she must share her life equally with her other self, Sue (Margaret Qualley), or face the consequences. What follows is a shocking tale of self-hatred and body dysmorphia, complete with buckets of fake blood that has made the body horror a huge hit.

But what grounds the narrative and makes it sing is Moore. The actor is uninhibited as Elisabeth, delivering a deeply vulnerable performance that is deserving of an Oscar.

It has been announced that the actor is being submitted for Best Actress in the Comedy and Musical category at the Golden Globes, a laughable decision given how grotesque and dark the film is. On one hand it can be seen as a satirical commentary on beauty standards and ageism in Hollywood, on the other it seems to be a way to ensure that Moore can win.

She is expected to compete against Anora's Mikey Madison and Emilia Pérez's Karla Sofía Gascón. That's not to say the others don't have a shot at winning, but it seems tactical that Moore won't compete against other frontrunners like Angelina Jolie or Saoirse Ronan.

The Oscars has no such distinction for its acting categories, meaning that if Moore is nominated —and she should be— then she would compete against the likes of Jolie, Ronan, and Sofía Gascón.

With The Substance, Moore has more than proven she deserves that coveted golden statue. The actor is raw and heartbreaking as Elisabeth, delving into her character's increasingly frayed psyche through her breathtaking physical performance.

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A scene where Elisabeth is getting ready to go on a date with an old classmate starts out as a joyful occasion but soon turns dark, as the wheels turn in her head and Elisabeth's inner demons begin to grow louder the more erratic she becomes. She changes her clothes and alters her make-up only to eventually smear it completely off her face by savagely scrubbing at her face whilst glaring at herself in the mirror.

It's a moment that perfectly encapsulates Elisabeth's struggle with her body image and the desperation that she feels to be seen as beautiful. That anyone would see her as anything but beautiful is not the point it's her inability to see it for herself that is, and Moore brings that across to the audience with very little dialogue.

She conveys so much through her eyes and with her hand gestures, it's a performance full of nuance that is as enlightening as it is tragic.

What it will take for Moore to win is for the Oscars to finally take horror seriously because oftentimes the awards show, and indeed awards season, dismisses the genre. Actors like Lupita Nyong'o and Toni Collette have been awe-inspiring in horror films like Us and Hereditary but that wasn't reflected in the accolades they received, and that's a shame, but perhaps Moore can break that trend.

It would certainly feel right when The Substance is, at its heart, about someone trying to have people see their worth. Elisabeth wants to recapture the magic of that first time she stepped into the spotlight, and Moore has certainly been able to do so with this deeply moving performance.

The Substance is out now in cinemas.