Barbie’s Oscars snub isn’t the problem. The awards ignored the best films
I would be remiss if I said that the Oscars aren’t that far removed from reality, but most award shows are. This year’s Oscars got some things right, though.
The show started off brightly with Da’Vine Joy Randolph winning Best Supporting Actress for her achingly beautiful turn as Mary in The Holdovers. “Poor things” swept the visual categories. Oppenheimer won a total of seven awards, including Cillian Murphy for Best Actor. “Anatomy of a Fall”, a great film that more people should see, deservedly won the award for Best Original Screenplay.
Despite these satisfying victories (Justice for Lily Gladstone), my mind was constantly thinking about how many films and actors had gone unrecognized. I remember the day the nominations came in and many were upset that Barbie, despite having eight nominations, was not nominated for Best Actress or Director. There have been plenty of posts and articles expressing this disappointment, and I’m sure we’ll get more after Barbie lost out on all but one Oscar last night (congratulations, Billie Eilish).
However, the anger was somewhat lost to me. I enjoyed Barbie well enough. I definitely think Greta Gerwig should have been nominated for Best Director, but the overwhelming outcry over the snub seemed a bit disproportionate.
In a way, the fact that “Barbie” only received eight nominations was a loss for feminism, even though other films like “Anatomy of a Fall” — which arguably presents a more accurate portrayal of femininity — received many more nominations. It seemed to me that those who were offended had not seen any other films.
I’ve seen the films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.Oppenheimer will win, but that’s as it should be.
The best films and performances that were not awarded by the Oscars
In fact, there were several films and shows that were tragically overlooked at last night’s ceremony and awards season as a whole.
May December is based on the true story that captured popular culture in the 1990s of a middle school teacher seeking a relationship with her student. The film stars Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton. This trio gave some of the best acting performances of 2023, yet the actors did not receive any nominations. The only nomination the film received was for Best Original Screenplay, which it lost to Anatomy of a Fall. It certainly wasn’t lost on me that a film that satirizes Hollywood exploitation was not received very warmly by Hollywood.
“Past Lives,” a film about two childhood lovers who reconnect 20 years later, received nominations for best original screenplay and best picture, but sadly lost both. What surprised me was that for a film that had its own atmosphere but was character driven, it received no nominations for acting.
Many on Twitter expressed their disappointment that Greta Lee, who plays one half of the long-lost lovers, Nora, did not receive a nomination for Best Actress. Teo Yoo, who plays Hae Sung, deserves to be part of the conversation as well. Yoo brings Hae-sung back to life with such care. It depicts him with a heartbreaking and subtly arrested development that stems from the love he lost in Nora at such a young age. His performance was so calm, precise and sympathetic, it would almost be criminal to leave him out of the awards conversation.
Oscars nod in honor of OppenheimerBut what about the Americans who are still suffering from nuclear testing?
The best movies and actors that weren’t even nominated for an Oscar
AV Rockwell’s first feature film, “A Thousand and One,” tells the story of a mother, Inez, who takes her son, Terry, from foster care to raise him in Harlem, where she grew up. The film’s heartbreak unfolds quietly as the audience are mere observers of the cyclical nature of poverty and the crime it breeds. Empire’s Amon Warman perfectly expresses the gravity of Teyana Taylor’s performance as Inez, “In almost every role she reveals new abilities, playing all of Inez’s varied tones without smoothing out her raw edges. It’s a surprising performance that will have us all excited for her future work on screen The film received zero nominations.
Andrew Scott in “All of Us Strangers” was another performance that was tragically ignored by the Oscars. The film follows Adam, played by Scott, as he is returned to his childhood home and attempts to reconcile his identity and trauma with the ghosts of his late parents. He finds solace in Harry, played wonderfully by Paul Mescal. It’s almost a miracle that they find each other given their isolation. Such relationships are like an oasis in a desert of sand. The film is about love, loss, the pain therein, and the ambiguous shades of gray in which life is often painted.
The list goes on: “The Iron Claw,” Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” and “Anatomy of a Fall” actor Milo Machado-Granner, who gave one of the best performances last year (too bad the Academy hates kids). The best films and most exciting performances were overlooked at the Oscars. However, I understand that not everything can be given, rejection is bound to happen. It’s just how it is. But the movie enjoyer in me, selfishly or otherwise, wants everyone to take home at least a nugget of Oscar gold.
Kofi Mframa is a music and culture writer and opinion intern for the Louisville Courier-Journal.
