When The Substance premiered at Cannes, its star, Demi Moore, re-emerged from ‘90s Hollywood relic to a re-emerged coveted starlet, born from the ashes. Sure, Moore has long been a household name, but could you name a film she’s been in the last decade? With The Substance, however, she’s since scooped up a Golden Globe for Best Actress and an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of protagonist Elizabeth Sparkle. And while Moore most definitely deserves the recognition from the Academy, the real reason she deserves an Oscar for her role goes a lot deeper.
At the height of Moore’s career in the ‘90s, with racy films like Indecent Proposal, Disclosure, The Scarlet Letter, and of course, Striptease, she was the highest-paid actress of her time. But, after a string of flops, the actress gradually withdrew from the spotlight, a reclusion that seemed complete after her divorce from Ashton Kutcher in 2013. And yet, after turning 60, she’s had a renaissance, appearing in the acclaimed FX series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans as socialite Anne Woodward, and then The Substance.
The plot of The Substance is simple: celebrity starlet Elisabeth Sparkle (Moore) is forced out of her job on her 50th birthday because she’s “old.” But when a Faustian opportunity arises to take an elixir that will split her into two—a younger, better version of herself (Margaret Qualley), and her original self—she takes it. The result is a body horror film that shines a light on misogynistic tropes about aging in Hollywood while literally starring an aging woman in the business. I won’t spoil the ending, but ultimately, Moore’s fearless and raw depiction of a woman who is both part of and at the mercy of such a toxic, dehumanizing cycle is subversive in its own right. Yes, it’s gory, monstrous and ghastly—but so is the plain act of aging as a woman in this business, and really, in this world.
Typically, older women are confined to the “hag trope”—ugly and evil plot devices used solely for sinister ends. But quite the opposite, Moore plays Elizabeth with empathy, perfectly balancing the character’s self-loathing with her desire and the necessity of maintaining her outré double life.
