By Kolin Kriner
The story line of “The Substance,” directed by Carolie Fargeat, became a living reality the night of the Oscars when Demi Moore was robbed of winning the Academy Award for Best Actress to Mikey Madison, who starred in “Anora,” directed by Sean Baker.
I am not in any way shading Madison for her win, as both were just as deserving to win. However, I do find the parallels between the award show and the concept of “The Substance” to be quite rattling: a young actress overshadowing the successful career of her professional predecessor.
Both films were socially significant to different aspects of the female experience so I shouldn’t even be mad about Madison taking home the award, but strangely I am.
It could have a connection to the fear of aging — one that keeps me up at night. The experience of youth feels incredibly temporary, and the fear of not feeling fully content with your successes just to be washed away by society are all aspects of “The Substance,” which I believe is what makes me so drawn to it.
It’s saddening to see someone so matured into her career lose. What I think made it hurt even more was that this movie bought Moore her first major award wins.
I am excited to see what else both Moore and Madison do in their careers, but I hope that Moore will win her very much deserved flowers before long.
At least what I can say is that Moore did beat Madison in some capacity. In terms of looks from the night, both of their outfits were good. However, good is an understatement for the absolutely gorgeous outfit Moore wore. She was absolutely stunning.
