The substance made Demi Moore an Oscar winner and I hope Hollywood does the same

Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Matter (2024).

While The substance see Demi Moore Play an Oscar winner, I think Hollywood should make this actor a real winner thanks to her fearless performance in the wildly satirical body horror. The substance is the second directorial effort from Coralie Fargeat, previously known for her 2017 debut Revenge. Like the brutal earlier horror movie, The substance is a charming, vicious feminist horror movie that doesn’t shy away from the mystery side of the genre. In an era of so-called “Elevated horror“, Fargeat’s second film is unashamedly influenced by Cronenberg, Carpenter and even Lucio Fulci’s brutal Italian horror.

however, The substanceThe critically acclaimed comes from More Than Gore. The substanceThe story of an aging actor who uses the eponymous experimental serum to grow a younger version of himself is a heady combination of social satire, body horror and speculative sci-fi. Demi Moore’s comeback performance as The substanceThe restless heroine Elizabeth Sparkle is career best work, while Margaret Qualley’s unhinged, restless Sue complements her perfectly. The two actors deliver fearless, deeply moving performances in their respective roles, and that’s what I hope one part of The substances story rings true for Moore.

Demi Moore’s Elizabeth is an Oscar winner in the substance

Elizabeth Sparkle earned an Oscar for a no-name movie

Early in The substanceThe movie reveals that Demi Moore’s acting character is a fictional Oscar winner. Harvey said she won an Oscar for the 1933s King Kong While insulting her age, the movie never reveals which fictional film earned her the accolade. However, the statue can be glimpsed among her collection of awards at Sparkles’ home, and her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame indicates just how successful she was at the height of her career. Judging by Moore’s performance, I think so The substance Should earn her a real Oscar win in 2025.

While there are a handful of horror movies like The substanceThere are few previous genre outings that manage to balance utterly gruesome body horror with poignant, surprisingly poignant commentary on gender, insecurity, power, the fear of aging and impossible beauty standards. It’s to Moore’s credit that Sparkles’ story resonates with viewers despite how potentially ridiculous the movie’s far-fetched sci-fi premise may appear. Her lived-in performance and sympathetic portrayal of this flawed, bitter character make Elizabeth feel like more than a cipher for the movie industry. In Moore’s hands, the potential caricature feels painfully, tragically real.

Demi Moore’s solid performance is worthy of an Oscar win

Demi Moore’s fearless turn in the material is a career high point

Moore’s performance earned her some of her best reviews ever Rotten tomatoesAnd I can see why. From a bravura early silent sequence detailing Elizabeth’s first encounter with the substance to the nightmarish finale, the heroine’s entire arc is etched across Moore’s stern, trembling face. Bouncing between rage, brittle fragility and relatable insecurity, Moore finds humanity in a character whose wealth and success should make her uniquely privileged and difficult to empathize with. While The substanceSue is also captivating, it’s Sparkle that the audience ends up rooting for despite her self-destructive urges.

When Elizabeth stays home instead of attending a date with a seemingly well-meaning classmate from her distant past, Moore makes this moment of vulnerability harrowing. This pays off dividends later on, as the story of The substance Becomes increasingly surreal, bloody and brutal. While the last half of the movie may contain some of the most shocking visuals of 2024, I can’t remember a scene that hit me as hard as Elizabeth’s reaction to Sue’s one-night stand rudely ordering her to get out of his way. Elizabeth’s daunting realization that he sees her as nothing more than a disguise is heartbreaking.

How realistic is it that Demi Moore will get an Oscar nomination for The Substance?

The brutal body horror of the substance is unfortunately likely to repel the academy

While the Academy rarely honors horror movies, I firmly believe that Demi Moore could at least earn a Best Actress nomination for The substance. It’s less likely that such an unabashedly grotesque, wicked satire would win the award, but critical praise for Moore’s performance means it would be hard for the Academy to ignore the role entirely. Since horror movies tend to do poorly at the Oscars and The substance Never playing down its genre roots, I can’t imagine Moore getting the statue she deserves for this uniquely fearless role.

However, I think she will at least be honored with a nomination. The physical challenges of Moore’s role in The substance Alone, from extensive prosthetics to frequent full-frontal scenes, deserve some recognition. It is Moore’s performance itself that makes this movie such a standout success for me and many other critics. While it may be too dirty and bloody for the Academy to recognize this, I know Moore’s part in it The substance Earned a place in 2025’s best actress category.

Source: RottenTomatoes