Image: AdobeStock // SpicyTruffel
The 98th Academy Awards ceremony was held on March 15th at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The gala offered the fans important reunions, but it also lacked in addressing the increasingly volatile geopolitical situation.
The ceremony began with Conan O’Brien’s monologue, in which he joked about several current events. A notable moment was his reference to the absence of British nominees: “There are no nominees, but at least we’ve swept the pedophilia category.” Other highlights included the live Leonardo DiCaprio meme, a jab at Timothée Chalamet’s controversial stance against ballet and opera, and greetings to the people of Spain, Argentina, and Los Angeles, repeating the Spanish greeting three times.
The political barbs of the gala
After the comedy, the awards ceremony began, in which One Battle After Another swept the board with six wins, ahead of Sinners, which, despite being the most nominated, ended up taking home four Oscars. One Battle After Another won the awards for Best Casting, Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and, to top it all off, Best Picture. Paul Thomas Anderson, after finally winning the coveted statuette that had eluded him for previous iconic creations like Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, and Licorice Pizza, cemented his prestige and thanked novelist Thomas Pynchon as the inspiration for his film. He also addressed the younger generation: “I feel sorry for this messed-up world we’re leaving you, but I hope you’ll be the generation that can bring some decency.”
Despite the plot of this film that dominated the awards ceremony, which is an open critique of anti-immigrant policies, the sense of revolution was not present at the gala. The Oscars definitely focused on being just awards, resulting in a very subdued ceremony where there was hardly any voice for the real conflicts the US government is waging both internally and externally.
Former host Jimmy Kimmel, who made a brief appearance presenting the awards for Best Documentary Short and Feature, did make a reference to his temporary dismissal by Trump last year. All the Empty Rooms won the award for best documentary short, and Mr. Nobody Against Putin won for Best Documentary Feature. The directors of the latter delivered a clear message against the situation: “You see in the footage that a country can be lost through hundreds of small acts of complicity. When a government murders people in the streets of our major cities, when we remain silent, when oligarchs take control of the media and control how we produce and consume audiovisual content. We all face a moral choice, but even a nobody is more powerful than you might think.” In addition, they called for “an end to all wars.”
The most powerful moment, however, came from Javier Bardem, who carried the iconic “No to War” slogan written in “blood,” which he had already displayed at a previous Spanish film awards in 2003. The actor, along with Priyanka Chopra, presented the award for Best International Film, which was won by Joachim Trier’s film, Sentimental Value. During his speech, he was brief and direct: “No to war and free Palestine.”
The Victory of Women
This year, the award for Best Casting was presented for the first time, which, as mentioned earlier, went to One Battle After Another. Cassandra Kulukundis delivered a strong acceptance speech. The casting director expressed her gratitude for the creation of this award, joking that sometimes she “almost needs to enter a witness protection program if she doesn’t choose someone.”
Another woman who stood out was Amy Madigan, who won the Best Supporting Actress award for her work in Weapons against all odds, as she was not the favorite and it had been 40 years since her last nomination. Upon taking the podium to accept the award, she burst into laughter with pure joy. “How wonderful!” exclaimed the veteran actress before joking about her return to the ceremony: “This time I’m taking this golden boy home with me.”
On the other hand, the Oscars witnessed a historic moment when the award for Best Cinematography was presented, an award that had been won by men for the previous 97 years. At this gala, the award was delivered to a woman for the first time: Autumn Durald Arkapaw, for the film Sinners. In a fitting gesture, the filmmaker asked all the women in the audience to stand.
Best Leading Actors
Michael B. Jordan received the award for Best Actor category, beating out the other favorite, Timothée Chalamet, who lost ground after his recent controversy. Sinners thus ended a successful night with a total of four awards: Best Original Score, Best Original Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Actor. The actor paid tribute to the pioneers who paved the way for him in Hollywood, mentioning Sidney Poitier, Halle Berry, Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, and Will Smith: “I’m here for everyone who came before us.”
And the award for Best Actress went to Jessie Buckley for her role in Hamnet. After receiving nine nominations at these awards, this was ultimately the only one they won, thanks to the Irish actress, who gave a speech about love and motherhood that perfectly reflected her role in the film. She dedicated her award to “the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart.”
Reunions for the fans
One of the highlights of the night was the presentation of the award for Best Costume Design, hosted by Anne Hathaway and former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. They comically took us back to The Devil Wears Prada. Before announcing the nominees, the presenter asked her colleague if her appearance was appropriate. Wintour, in her masterful comedic fashion, echoed one of the film’s most famous scenes by ignoring the question and continuing with the nominees amidst the general merriment.
Ultimately, the award for Best Costume Design, along with Best Production Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, was given to Frankenstein. However, Avatar: Fire and Ash won the award for Best Visual Effects, and the award for Best Sound went to F1.
And for all the fans, there were also iconic moments, such as the presentation of the award for best picture, hosted by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Moulin Rouge, its stars demonstrated their enduring chemistry and made references to the film: “I have to say, Nicole, that even though it’s been 25 years, every time I hear the word ‘love’ I still imagine someone bringing down a chandelier and starting an orchestra,” joked McGregor, to which Kidman replied, “Don’t tempt me.”
In the animation section, the award for Best Animated Short Film went to The Girl Who Cried Pearls, and the award for Best Animated Feature Film went to K-Pop Demon Hunters. The latter also had the pleasure of winning the award for Best Original Song for their track “Golden”. Although they accepted the award with great emotion, the organizers did not allow them to extend their speech and thank-yous as much as they would have liked.
And something unusual happened with the award for Best Live-Action Short Film, which was a tie between The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva. As the latter winner commented, “It has only happened three times in history.”
Overall, it was a gala that, according to the ceremony’s most loyal fans, felt somewhat lackluster. And, despite the presentations by the nominees in the various categories and the attempt to capture the fans’ attention, it turned out to be an awards ceremony focused solely on that: handing out awards, and nothing more.
