What's the Point of The Substance + 2025 Oscars Predictions
Make it make sense.
With the Oscars ceremony fast approaching this Sunday, I wanted to write a short article about one of its nominees, The Substance. Written and directed by French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, the movie gained considerable recognition over the past year and became the first body horror film to be nominated for Best Picture. Normally, I hate to be a critic, but I have several issues with this movie. While I recognize that many viewers were turned off by its excessive sexual content, nudity, and stale dialogue, those aspects don’t bother me as much. I can appreciate the impressive visual, audio, and acting elements of The Substance. However, one thing I cannot overlook is how the core concept of the movie fails to make sense.
What do I mean? The film is built on the premise that a middle-aged, famous aerobics TV instructor suddenly realizes her value to society is waning. She is no longer as pretty, perky, or fun as she once was, and middle-aged corporate men are not shy about pointing that out. After a convenient car accident, she encounters a convenient young male doctor who introduces her to The Substance, a magical elixir that allows her to revert to her younger self for a limited time—every other week. This premise is intriguing, especially considering that Elizabeth lives alone, has been fired from her job, and clearly wishes to see a younger version of herself in the mirror. That makes sense.
What doesn’t make sense is what we, as the audience, learn next. When Elizabeth undergoes the transformation into her younger self, she does not retain her original consciousness. Instead, she sleeps on the cold floor in her old body while a young version of herself, birthed from her spine, takes over. Okay, that sucks, doesn’t it? Why would I give my body up for a young selfish girl who gets to use it while I’m getting nothing? Does she hate herself so much now that she doesn’t want to face herself? If that’s the case, it’s not conveyed in the story at all.
Our main character continues injecting the substance. Next time, she learns her lesson the hard way when her young version, Sue, abuses the substance and messes up her older version’s finger in a pretty grotesque way. Yet, Elizabeth ends up playing the martyr and continues with the process. Despite having numerous opportunities to confront this absurdity and stop, she doesn’t. It’s frustrating because her motivations aren’t driven by an obsession with fame or beauty but by sheer stupidity. Why should I root for a character who ruins her life without gaining anything in return? Why should I sympathize with someone whose actions I cannot understand?
And believe me, this movie has other flaws, but this is the biggest and most unforgivable one. To me, the whole concept of the story doesn't work on any level. It’s not a morality tale about obsession with beauty or fame. Ultimately, The Substance is about an unfortunate, lonely person making a clearly wrong choice for no reason at all. Make it make sense.
Bonus: 2025 Oscars Predictions
I've never officially made Oscar predictions before, but I enjoy seeing other people's lists. In this post, I'll share my picks of the ones I believe will actually win and which I think deserve to win in the major categories.
BEST PICTURE
Will win: Conclave
Should win: Anora
BEST DIRECTOR
Will win: Sean Baker (Anora)
Should win: Sean Baker (Anora)
BEST ACTOR
Will win: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Should win: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Will win: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
Should win: Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Will win: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
Should win: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will win: Conclave
Should win: Conclave
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will win: Anora
Should win: A Real Pain