Demi Moore Deserves All The Recognition She's Finally Getting

Says Feminista, who had to avert her eyes at times during The Substance, and then fell asleep for parts of it (but, full disclosure, was high as giraffe pussy).

By Michelle B. Taylor

I’ve long been a fan of Demi Moore, and have been following her career since her Brat Pack days in the 1980s. I’ve always felt like she shows up, gets the job done, and represents for the women who would never be exalted as the “girl next door.” Her dark hair, smoky eyes, and occasionally brooding badass aura always made her stand out to me. She marches to the beat of her own drum and her career has been one of a woman who seemingly does what she wants, whenever it feels right for her to do it. I’ve always found that admirable, so I was excited when she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her latest film The Substance, a body horror film that is... something.

Moore plays Elisabeth Sparkle, an older celebrity whose fame is waning due to rampant ageism in Hollywood. She was a successful actress who transitioned into being an aerobics instructor and it’s hard not to watch this as an homage to Jane Fonda. After she is fired by her producer (played by Dennis Quaid), she seeks out an extreme solution to her problem: anti-aging drugs.

The thing is, the drugs aren’t simply pills one digests to make the skin appear more taut. Nope, the drugs produce a new person, a younger version, who emerges from inside of her body and she has to spend one week as that new person and one week as herself. Both people are her, though, so she has to navigate life going back and forth and she has to take a stabilizing medication to keep her body from disintegrating. 

It is as creepy and ridiculous as it sounds.

What fascinates me about this film is that it is a body horror and horror films don’t usually get a lot of love during awards season—at least not by the major awarding bodies. I hadn’t heard much about it until Moore won the award, so I decided to check it out to see what all the buzz was about. She has never won a major acting award in her 40+ years career, so it was heartwarming to see her finally get recognition for her talent. Only I didn’t think it would be a sci-fi-ish comedy horror--there’s a lot going on with this film. 

Given director Coralie Fargeat's focus on feminist commentary, I expected there would be themes addressing women's issues, particularly the destructive effects of ageism and discrimination, which takes center stage. Moore has noted the similarities between her own career and that of Elisabeth’s and finds it ironic that she finally won an award for playing a “washed-up” actress. While I find Moore to be a solid actress, she really had to lean into her acting bag and pull out some tricks for this one, and I understand why she was nominated. Moore goes through a transformation to represent her rapid aging due to her life energy being siphoned off by her other personality, Sue (played by nepo baby Margaret Qualley). She becomes a hideous creature whose body is barely able to survive the transitions but she still believes she deserves the limelight, so she ends up playing herself big time and it gets really really gross, folks.

If you’re uncomfortable with severe body transformations with a lot of blood and guts, don’t watch this film. It will gross you out. I had to avert my eyes a few times, and I have guts of steel. I also fell asleep for part of it but, full disclosure, I was high as giraffe pussy. But listen...