“`html
It’s the horrifying body transformation that has compelled viewers to fidget in their seats – and is now stirring excitement throughout awards season.
Demi Moore has already secured a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award for her portrayal of fading star Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance – and we will discover later if she will be able to add a BAFTA to her accolades.
The film showcases the ’90s icon as an Oscar-winning fitness guru grappling with her abrupt removal from her television series due to age. She enrolls in a clandestine medical procedure aimed at creating a younger version of herself, all while remaining unaware of the potential repercussions.
Moore stars alongside Margaret Qualley, who depicts her younger counterpart. The consequences of generating this alternative “self” – named Sue – on her own body are quite disturbing.
Margaret Qualley, right, Coralie Fargeat, centre, and Demi Moore at the premiere of The Substance during the Toronto International Film Festival. Pic: Cole Burston/The Canadian Press via AP
Director Coralie Fargeat asserts that her intense narrative serves more as allegory than gore, illustrating the everyday violence and sexism women endure throughout their lives.
“The narrative was essentially my way of expressing what a woman’s life is like in our society very authentically. It involves violence that permeates every level and phase… since we were little girls,” she remarks to Sky News.
“There are countless pressures that instill the belief that if you do not represent the ideal fantasy or standard, you shouldn’t exist. That you must alter this, conceal that, suppress it, and it creates a massive prison we’ve been conditioned to accept, generating immense violence.”
A few years back, The Substance may not have been recognized as conventional awards season material. However, horror films are currently enjoying a moment, with titles like Heretic and Nosferatu participating in various ceremonies this year. The subject matter of The Substance, which mirrors the stark realities of aging for women, particularly in Hollywood, is gaining traction.
The ‘popcorn’ address
Moore earned a Golden Globe for her portrayal – and is favored to win an Oscar and potentially a BAFTA as well. Pic: AP
During her address at the Globes, Moore, 62, delivered a heartfelt statement about achieving her first significant award after 45 years in the industry, despite featuring in numerous successful films including Ghost, A Few Good Men, and Indecent Proposal. The irony was not overlooked.
“Thirty years prior, a producer referred to me as a ‘popcorn’ actress, and at that moment, I internalized that this meant I wasn’t worthy of recognition; that I might star in box office successes, but I could not receive acknowledgment,” she recounts.
“I accepted that narrative, and it became corrosive over time, leading me to believe a few years back that perhaps my journey was complete, that I had fulfilled my obligations.”
“When I was at my lowest, a wonderfully audacious, exceptional, utterly bizarre script named The Substance landed on my desk, and it felt like the universe was telling me I was not finished yet.”
Moore expressed her gratitude to the French director Fargeat along with her team, emphasizing that the film served as a reminder “that I truly belong.”
Pic: Mubi
Currently, The Substance has earned nominations for five BAFTAs and five Oscars.
Fargeat shared that she let out “a tremendous scream of joy” upon receiving the news, noting that the nominations are especially gratifying after she initially faced difficulties in securing funds for the project.
“The space allocated to [women] often requires us to adhere to being attractive, smiling, gentle, and polite, and I genuinely aimed to represent the opposite.”
‘She took chances’
Fargeat is also nominated for best director at the BAFTA and Oscar awards – but once again,
“`is the sole female director competing.
“Being the only female filmmaker, I believe it highlights numerous issues regarding the disparities, you know, the inequities that persist in society,” she expresses.
“There are as many women enrolled in film academies as there are men… yet when you observe the contrast between film education and the current scenario, particularly concerning [the lack of women producing] second and third feature films, the disparity is significant.”
She received advice to tone the film down “substantially”.
Demi Moore portrays a declining Hollywood actress in The Substance. Pic: Mubi
Read more:
BAFTAs: Complete list of nominees
Buffy is returning – Sarah Michelle Gellar hints at revival
However, Fargeat remained resolute, and it proved beneficial. Critics have acclaimed Moore’s performance as the pinnacle of her career, with many speculating she could secure her first BAFTA and Oscar.
On the awards forecasting platform Gold Derby, Moore is favored to win the best actress award at the Oscars, with more than half of the analysts supporting her. For the BAFTAs, they have her in a tie with Anora’s Mikey Madison.
“The reality is that she embraced numerous challenges,” Fargeat shares regarding Moore. “The script reached her during a pivotal moment when she was claiming back control of her identity, refusing to allow the external world to determine her value, and empowering herself to define who she wished to be as she embarks on the next phase of her life.”
