On March 2, the highly anticipated 97th Academy Awards closed out this year’s very controversial award season. Many of the fan favorite frontrunners, such as “The Substance” and “Wicked,” ended up going home with fewer awards than audiences expected, while unsuspected movies, such as “Emilia Perez,” took home a few controversial wins.
The big winner that night was the movie “Anora,” taking home five Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Actress. Many people have noted how art seemed to imitate life when young actress Mikey Madison won Best Leading Actress for her role in “Anora,” against Demi Moore in “The Substance.” Much like in “The Substance,” Demi Moore watched as Hollywood’s strange obsession with age cast a shadow on her deserving, talented acting.
“Emilia Perez” took home two awards: Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song. The film was noted and praised for its representation of the transgender community, but the cast and crew at the Oscars almost took a step back, appearing inauthentic. Despite the wins, the “Emilia Perez” team did not truly acknowledge the transgender community throughout the night, but instead focused on giving the crowd second-hand embarrassment while accepting awards. There was a lot of debate over whether or not “El Mal” from “Emilia Perez” should have won Best Original Song, but no matter who won, it would have paled in comparison to the 2012 winner for Best Song, “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppet Movie.”
Many people have been discussing how “Wicked” was snubbed after being nominated for 10 categories and only taking home two awards. While “Wicked” was an incredible movie, deserving of Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, was it really snubbed? “Wicked” the musical was released in 2003, allowing people to enjoy the story and music for over 20 years, with the original cast being praised for their performances on the stage. “Wicked” was an incredible movie, and losing at the Oscars did not in any way take away from the legacy that it already has. And who knows, maybe we will see “Wicked” part two run away with awards in the next award season!
