The Substancecertainly made a lot of waves when it hit theaters back in September, and rightfully so. Coralie Fargeat’s take on the body horror sub-genre was enough to make David Cronenberg blush, and it would go on to earn more than $56 million at the box office to becomeMubi’s highest-grossing release in history. Now, after winning a plethora of festival awards,The Substanceis set to take the mainstream by storm after being nominated for fiveGolden Globetrophies,including one for Best Picture.
Just announced this morning (via the Golden Globeswebsite),The Substancemanaged to snag the five nominations in various categories, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Director – Motion Picture (Fargeat), Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Demi Moore), Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Margaret Qualley), and Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Fargeat). This is a huge accomplishment for the little indie film that could,which seemingly came out of nowhere this year to become one of 2024’s finest horror movies.
‘The Substance’ Fans Need to Watch the Director’s Feminist Horror Debut
Coralie Fargeat’s debut is a bloody, feminist take on a historically sexist genre.
Does ‘The Substance’ Have a Chance at Winning Best Picture?
As much as we’d like to think thatThe Substancehas a chance at winning Best Picture at the Golden Globes, we’re also realists, and considering its stiff competition, it’s highly unlikely. First off, it should have never been placed in the ‘Musical or Comedy’ section to begin with, but seeing as how that’s the way the cookie crumbled, it’s now up againstthe likes ofWicked,Challengers,Anora,A Real Pain, andEmilia Pérez. Chances arethatWickedwill take home the trophy, but that isn’t to sayThe Substancedoesn’t have a shot elsewhere.
Coralie Fargeat certainly has a chance to take home the Best Director trophy, and honestly, we’ll be surprised if she doesn’t at leastwin the award for Best Screenplay. Demi Moore faces strong competition from Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofìa Gascón (Emilia Pérez), and Mikey Madison (Anora), while Margaret Qualley is up againstWicked’s Ariana Grande, andEmilia Pérez’s Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña.
Still,The Substanceis the first horror movie of the decadeto be nominated for Best Picture in any category, be it Musical or Comedy, or Drama, so Fargeat and everyone involved in the production should be proud of what they’ve accomplished. It’s a tremendous social commentary not only on the entertainment business, but on aging, self-worth, body dysmorphia, and the destructiveness of quick, self-improvement fixes. Like we said, if you’ve yet to check it out, a $12.99/month subscription to Mubi is more than worth the cost.
The Substance
Elisabeth Sparkle, renowned for an aerobics show, faces a devastating blow on her 50th birthday as her boss fires her. Amid her distress, a laboratory offers her a substance which promises to transform her into an enhanced version of herself.
