Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley were in London last night for a screening of their film, The Substance. The Substance premiered in Cannes back in May and as I wrote at the time, even before her 13-minute standing ovation, there was buzz about this movie and Demi’s performance in it, that it could put her in contention for an Oscar nomination.
The Substance is coming to TIFF next week and will kick off what might be the festival’s most beloved feature: Midnight Madness, and it’s a perfect choice for Midnight Madness. This film is body horror and satire, it’s been called “magnificently tasteless”, so magnificent in its tastelessness that it becomes laugh-out-loud comedy, at least for some. But there is a lot to think about, for women of all ages and women in every prime of their lives as we navigate our complicated relationship with our bodies.
I saw it last week and I don’t want to say much more because I went into the film having avoided as much as I could about it, didn’t even watch the trailer – and that made it better because it was as close to a no-expectations experience as it gets for me, considering what I do for a living. That’s my recommendation to you, even though I’m about to share with you Demi’s new Interview cover feature with Michelle Yeoh. Much of their conversation gives away the film.
So maybe save it for after The Substance opens wide on September 20? Or after you see it at Midnight Madness at TIFF?
As for Demi and those Oscar chances…
This is a crowded year with so many highly anticipated performances from actors in projects that have yet to screen. We should get a better sense of how the table will be set as we get deeper into the Venice Film Festival, followed by Telluride and TIFF. That’s when we’ll know if Demi can stay in the conversation or if the more recent releases will dominate the award season landscape.
There’s also the issue of whether or not enough Oscar voters will see a movie like The Substance which is basically on the opposite end of the “Oscar bait” spectrum. You know that stereotype of the old ass Oscar voter who lives in Palm Springs and loves any movie about the Great War? This is not his movie – which is a selling feature for me but I’m not the Academy.
