The award season has been full of lots of drama- literally. With the Critics Choice Awards in January, SAGA in February and the Oscars just a couple weeks ago, Hollywood’s biggest stars have been busy hustling from one red carpet to the next.
The Oscars is considered to be the main event of the award season. Taking place on March 2, stars like Timothee Chalamet, Demi Moore, Mikey Madison and more flooded the Dolby Theatre, eager to see who would take home an Oscar.
As it turns out, there wasn’t much competition. “Anora” was the big winner of the evening, taking home a total of five awards, many in big categories.
With every award show, critics have to ask: are these wins really worthy, or are there biases in the process of choosing winners? Many critics have answered yes to this question, as have I.
There’s a long list of nominees of this year’s Oscars, the big ones including “Anora”, “Conclave”, “The Brutalist”, ”The Substance”, ”Wicked”, “Dune: Part Two”, ”I’m Still Here”, “A Complete Unknown”, ”Emilia Perez” and more.
“Anora”, directed by Sean Baker, won big, taking home a total of five Oscars and beating many other well-watched movies. Many were confused after seeing the film’s success at the ceremony. How could a movie up against blockbuster films like Wicked and A Complete Unknown have such success?
As someone who not only watched but thoroughly enjoyed many of the nominated movies, it was painful for me to watch “Anora” win category after category and my favorite actors and directors sit there watching them. After careful evaluation and looking into the ideas and message behind “Anora”, I do understand why the film was so successful. It follows the life of a young woman, searching for a genuine connection and love in the hectic streets of New York. Although the film has many ups, downs and plot twists, I saw it as something so many people can relate to, especially you bc adults, which is why it was so well-loved.
I felt there was a wide range of movies nominated this year. Some being dark, some having a lighter mood, some being musicals. Movies like “The Substance”, “Anora”, “Conclave” and “The Brutalist” have a more simplistic and almost morbid feeling to them, much different to the feeling of “Wicked“ or “Dune: Part Two”. “Anora”, falling into this category, had a deeper meaning and an interesting message and plot.
The three big wins “Anora” can add to the list are for the categories best picture, best director and best actress. All three categories are a huge deal to the actors and actresses of Hollywood, but only one can be taken home.
Best picture focuses on the quality of the film itself. Considered one of the most prestigious awards to receive, the camerawork, producing, editing and everything else that makes a film great is taken into consideration for this award. Although “Anora” was shot well, a film I would have loved to see win this award is “Conclave”. Taking place in modern Italy, this film focuses on the Catholic Church, and in doing so, includes brilliant and beautiful camerawork, highlighting the diligent and articulate architecture as well as the gorgeous surrounding area. The movie is shot beautifully, and for that reason, it should have been the film to receive the award.
As for best director, it’s hard to pick this category because it’s hard to know what the movie looked like behind the scenes. However, you can look at the directors on screen work and the compiling and direction of the film. For this category, “Anora” deserved the award. Baker tells the story of the complications and hardships of being young extremely well through the film, and for that, it deserves the Oscar for best director.
Lastly, Mikey Madison won best actress, an Oscar that was well deserved. Not only is her performance in “Anora” outstanding, she won an Oscar at the age of 25, something most people only dream of doing. It’s clear to see that she put much thought, heart and soul into this role, and because of that, she’s incredibly deserving of this award.
The Oscars are an important part of the film industry and allow the public to spotlight and appreciate the actors, directors and films we love most. This year, like all the others, was full of plot twists and many moments to make you smile. No matter who wins or loses, the most magical part of the Oscars is seeing these artists in their natural environment and seeing and celebrating the thing they do best: Cinema!
