‘The Substance’ Earns Five Golden Globe Noms – Including Best Picture

The Substance certainly 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 become Mubi’s highest-grossing release in history. Now, after winning a plethora of festival awards, The Substance is set to take the mainstream by storm after being nominated for five Golden Globe trophies, including one for Best Picture.

Just announced this morning (via the Golden Globes website), The Substance managed 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.

Starring Moore as Elisabeth Sparkle – the aging host of an aerobics show – The Substance examines the lengths her character will go to be young again in the superficial entertainment industry, which leads to disastrous results. After injecting herself with a mysterious neon green fluid, Qualley shows up and, well, we don’t want to spoil things, so let’s just say the film takes body horror to levels not seen in decades. It’s definitely one of those movies that has to be experienced to be believed, so do yourself a favor and sign up for Mubi to check it out.

Does ‘The Substance’ Have a Chance at Winning Best Picture?

As much as we’d like to think that The Substance has 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 against the likes of Wicked, Challengers, Anora, A Real Pain, and Emilia Pérez. Chances are that Wicked will take home the trophy, but that isn’t to say The Substance doesn’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 least win 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 against Wicked’s Ariana Grande, and Emilia Pérez’s Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña.

Still, The Substance is the first horror movie of the decade to 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.

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.

Release Date

September 20, 2024

Cast

Demi Moore , Margaret Qualley , Dennis Quaid , Gore Abrams , Hugo Diego Garcia , Olivier Raynal , Tiffany Hofstetter , Tom Morton , Jiselle Burkhalter , Axel Baille , Oscar Lesage , Matthew Géczy , Philip Schurer

Runtime

140 Minutes

Main Genre

Horror