Back with all 23 awards presented live, this year’s Oscars was dominated by “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which won in the most significant categories that it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screenplay. However, while the film from the directing duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert grew to be the favorite to win it all this year, it can’t be overstated how unique of a pick it is compared to past years and how it has now fundamentally challenged the typical concept of what the Oscars recognize. One hopes there are many more like it, but this will always stand out as one of the more bolder winners of late.
Of course, no Oscars would be complete without some unexpected choices and shutouts. Just looking back at the slate of nominations themselves, the snubbing of stunning works like “Aftersun,” “Decision to Leave,” “Nope,” “RRR,” and “Saint Omer” meant this year would always be missing out on some absolutely fantastic films. Even “The Woman King,” a historical action epic that would usually be the exact type of film to get recognition, was not nominated. So many glaring omissions did not bode well for the ceremony itself.
There were still some pleasant surprises here and there, though there also were more than a few snubs. Whether it was longtime actors giving career-best performances only to be overshadowed by far more conventional choices or talented craftspeople doing spectacular work behind the camera that went overlooked, there were many deserving nominees that should have been the ones to get awards yet went home empty-handed.
Snub: Angela Bassett Goes From Favorite To Getting Nothing
In a year where the Oscars were already facing justifiable criticism for their lack of diversity by not even nominating talented performers from films like “The Woman King,” “Saint Omer,” and “Till,” tonight’s passing on Angela Bassett to instead give Jamie Lee Curtis was unfortunate. Had it been that Stephanie Hsu was given an award, that might have made more sense as she was really great. But to give it to Curtis? The one member of the cast who isn’t really that much of an integral part of the film overall? While, yes, Bassett also becomes less and less a part of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” the longer it goes on, there was still that one standout scene in which she blew the doors off the whole thing. There just isn’t anything quite as gripping as that in anything Curtis does, but it seems that the Oscars just love to give awards to those who have acting in their family rather than really reflecting on who it is that most deserved the recognition.
Snub: Colin Farrell and His Expressive Eyebrows Get No Love
Though he gave many dynamic performances this past year, including in the magnificent “After Yang,” it was Colin Farrell’s melancholic and mirthful work in “The Banshees of Inisherin” that felt like it may just get him his first Oscar. Alas, he lost to Brendan Fraser of “The Whale.” Much of this feels like it came down to the Academy’s historic preference for conventionally “transformational” performances where they could see how different the actor looked compared to their character, though Farrell was so good in hitting all the comedic and dramatic notes that one hoped he could still win out. Capturing the troubled psyche of a lonely man faced with losing his only friend, the Irish actor brought out so much from even just the smallest change in expressions that it took our collective breath away. Whether this was from laughing or crying, it didn’t matter as Farrell was capable of making us do both. That it reunited him with writer-director Martin McDonagh and co-star Brendan Gleeson for the first time since they made the similarly incisive “In Bruges” back in 2008 only made it sting that much more. There is no need to burn any houses down over it, but this was a real heartbreaker. At least Jenny the Donkey showed up to offer us solace (though even that, apparently, it was not her).
Snub: Stephanie Hsu Was Somehow Passed Over
There will likely be a whole host of awards for Stephanie Hsu in the future, but it is still more than a little weird that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” got so many wins without one going to her. Perhaps this may have been due to how her co-star Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated and would end up winning, which could have very well split the vote of those who enjoyed the film, though this felt like the wrong choice when considering who was the one truly driving the experience. As Joy/Jobu Tupaki, Hsu had to really navigate a balancing act of a role, and she completely crushed it. Curtis also does a solid job in her role and really gives it her all throughout. There is just no way it would be the same without Hsu, and it really feels like this award should have reflected that. From the moment her character’s alter ego appears in the story, she commands the screen with ease. She brings charm, wit, and an emotional depth that serves as the core of the entire story. Every award “Everything Everywhere All at Once” got throughout the evening was, at least in part, due to how outstanding Hsu was. Without her, the joy and melancholy would not have nearly the same impact. Sure, Curtis did put on some goofy hot dog fingers and got up to a whole lot of other fun shenanigans. However, the heart of the film will always be Hsu.
Snub: Florian Hoffmeister Deserved A Nod For Cinematography
There are certainly films that were more flashy in terms of their cinematography, but “TÁR” really had something special. This was partly due to Florian Hoffmeister, who captured the towering Cate Blanchett as she conducted an orchestra in a great hall just as precisely as he did in the more confined apartment scenes. A great cinematographer who previously worked on everything from the sublime series “Pachinko” to the visually unsettling horror film “Antlers,” this felt like it was his for the taking. The winner chosen ended up being “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which, while a respectable choice, largely felt like it was based upon the idea of cinematography being about the scope of the setting of the film. This certainly makes for some incredible shots and horrifying sequences. However, it also ends up feeling like it was the safe choice. The way Hoffmeister worked to create an unsettling intimacy in even the smallest moments of “TÁR” helped to make it into one of the more visually interesting films of the year. Without this delicate yet decisive command of craft, the way it started to feel like the character was being haunted by something approaching the supernatural would not have had nearly the same weight. There were plenty of nightmares to “All Quiet on the Western Front” as it showed the horrors of war, though Hoffmeister’s cinematography ensured “TÁR” burrowed its way deep into our minds.
Surprise: “All Quiet on the Western Front” Wins Production Design and Score
While it was long expected that this latest adaptation of the anti-war novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque would be a big winner this year, it was quite surprising how much it ran the table in technical categories. Though “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took home the big ones, this one got nearly all the rest. There was no shortage of competition in Production Design as “Babylon,” “Elvis,” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” were all considered to be potential winners. While all these films created rich worlds, the drab destruction of “All Quiet on the Western Front” was a dark horse here. Even more than that, Justin Hurwitz’s score for “Babylon” was one of its best elements. Whether it was in the extended opening scene or the tragic conclusion, it was his music that injected everything with a propulsive energy. It seemed to be the uncontested frontrunner. That made composer Volker Bertelmann racking up another win for “All Quiet on the Western Front” one of the biggest surprises of the evening. The droning tones were as rattling as the film itself and was about the most opposite score compared to Hurwitz’s possible. Credit to Bertelmann for doing something different and pulling off the upset.
Snub: Martin McDonagh Missed Out On Best Original Screenplay
There weren’t going to be many awards that “The Banshees of Inisherin” was going to get, but it felt like writer-director Martin McDonagh might actually have a real shot at this one. Don’t let it be mistaken, the story of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” did shine bright. It just was that McDonagh crafted a screenplay that was not only uproariously funny, but was sharp from start to finish. Though “In Bruges” will always be one that holds a special place in his career, “The Banshees of Inisherin” is now his best written work. The characters feel like people you come to know so fully that it is painful to see them struggle through the everyday agonies of being alive. They are made flawed and fascinating, pulling us deeper into what seems like it could be merely a humorous parable though becomes so much more. It is deceptive, sneaking up on you with its reflections on despair. Each successive viewing uncovers details in the dialogue that just lay you flat all over again. While the Daniels were always going to be the top contender, the story of two friends finding themselves drifting apart and contending with mortality should have gotten one.
Snub: “My Year of Dicks” Was A More Inventive Work Of Animation Than The Winner
This collaboration between director Sara Gunnarsdóttir and writer Pamela Ribon was so much better than “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.” Where the book of that latter short was far more layered, the process of adapting it lost any of its emotional depth and humor to become rather tepid. When you then look at all the vibrant animation of “My Year of Dicks,” it just becomes even more clear how much of an oversight this selection was. While it is never going to be a surprise that the Academy picks a far more typical selection from a streamer that also has big names behind it, this scrappy story about a fraught journey of sexual discovery was just so much more illuminating and incisive in every single way. Across its multiple chapters, “My Year of Dicks” proved to be a work that was truly alive and complex rather than just being a cloying short for children. Every encounter brought its own emotions via different animation styles that all were in service of the painful yet funny journey we were soon swept up in. Where the winner ended up being forgettable more than anything, this was one about the many multifaceted memories we carry with us.
Snub: Cate Blanchett and TÁR Sent Home With Nothing
In a manner that rivaled the fall of Lydia Tár herself, Cate Blanchett went from seeming like she was a shoo-in for winning the award for Best Actress and ended up still with no win. Obviously, she has already won an Oscar two times now, so it was good to see Michelle Yeoh take it. Still, what was even more surprising was how “TÁR” also got no recognition. There was nothing for Todd Field for directing or writing, as well as nothing for its cinematography, as mentioned above. When considering just how meticulously constructed the film was and how titanically good Blanchett was, it is hard not to feel like this was one that got less than it deserved. Not only is it Field’s best film to date, it never sets a foot wrong, even as it is about the fall from grace of its troubled yet talented central character. Even a win for the editing, which “Everything Everywhere All at Once” also won, would have been a nice recognition of the undervalued technical craft that was on display in every frame. Somewhere, Blanchet and Field may be gathering right now in front of a television set, rewatching their old tapes of Leonard Bernstein to get over the complete shutout.
Snub: ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’
Despite nine Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, its entire cast in every acting category, and filmmaker Martin McDonagh in the writing and directing category, “and The Banshees of Inisherin” was completely shut out of the night. We wrote about Best Screenplay above, but it’s pretty remarkable that McDonagh’s funny and moving tragicomedy got nothing at all. The dominating wave of ‘EEAAO’ was just big to counter.
