Elisabeth Sparkle (left), played by Demi Moore, ends the last ever episode of her aerobics show by blowing a kiss and Sue (right), played by Margaret Qualley, ends the first episode of her new dance show with Elisabeth’s signature send off.

Actress Demi Moore won “Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy” at the 2025 Golden Globes for her role as Elisabeth Sparkle in the body horror film “The Substance.” The movie is an artfully nauseating display of power struggles and social biases that forces viewers to acknowledge the ageism and sexism in Hollywood.

French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat’s new dystopian horror movie “The Substance” has caused mass walkouts in movie theaters across the world due to its extremely graphic, bloody and sickening body horror. But despite its provocative imagery, its message conveys a beautiful and attention-commanding perspective on how women are mistreated in the entertainment industry.

The movie begins with complete silence and an overhead shot of a normal, slightly imperfect, chicken egg displayed on a contrasting turquoise table. The yolk is then injected with a full syringe of a neon green substance, (assumed to be a prototype of The Substance) and the sound of the injection is exaggerated and uncomfortable. The yolk shakes for a moment and then “births” a new yolk from itself, but this new yolk is perfect: a perfect circle with perfectly even structure.

This is what The Substance does. It makes organisms “a better version of themselves: younger, more beautiful, more perfect.”

“The Substance” follows Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) who had an incredibly successful aerobics TV program in the 80s. On her fiftieth birthday she was unceremoniously fired by Harvey, her boss and the network owner for her show because “at 50, well, it stops.” (Harvey isn’t actually able to explain what “it” is and just leaves Elisabeth at the restaurant he took her to to fire her).

Harvey fully embodies a foil to Elisabeth. While Elisabeth is “old” and, therefore, no longer successful, Harvey is even older than her and his career continues to reach new highs. His characterization — from the way his chewing is overamplified and zoomed in on by the cinematographers, to the way he comments on women’s bodies — is just being a disgusting person. But because he’s an old man in Hollywood, he has that right.

“The Substance” as a movie is a disturbing commentary on ageism and sexism in the film industry. While this isn’t by any means a new concept, “The Substance” portrays it in a way that is so in-your-face and unsightly that you have to pay attention.

The disturbing nature of this movie begins when Elisabeth convulses on her bathroom floor after taking The Substance while her back rips open along her spine and Sue (Margaret Qualley) claws her way out– a fully developed 20-something-year-old. A younger, more beautiful, more perfect version of Elisabeth.

Other than the original instructions, there is one rule: respect the balance. The two women must remember that they are in fact not two women– they are one and must switch bodies every seven days without exception. However, they seem to have two separate minds so, of course, this rule is ignored and Elisabeth’s body devolves into a grotesque monster (twice) while Sue captures the limelight.

Although “The Substance” primarily focuses on sexism, it would be neglectful to not mention that The Substance doesn’t just target famous women “past their prime.” A regular male nurse is also seen taking The Substance, which shifts the focus away from sexism and also brings up the value of developing deep relationships.

Before her devolution, Elisabeth agrees to go on a date with a regular, average-looking man she had homeroom with in 10th grade. However, right before her date she convinces herself that, because the public doesn’t think she’s pretty, it means she really isn’t pretty. She doesn’t have any real connections with individual people and therefore seeks approval from strangers.

Overall, The Substance combines the usage of zero subtlety and heartbreaking interactions between two women fighting for control over one body to express the mistreatment and high expectations of women.