Oscar 2023: multiverses, absences, surprises and duels for the film gala

The sequel to “Avatar” may reign at the box office, but “Everything Everywhere All Ay Once” rules in the hearts of the people, and the Academy too. The film that combines surprises, action and comedy was the most named in the announcement of the Oscars 2023, with a total of 11 nominations; including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, etc. Unusual achievement for a sci-fi feature film, becoming the most likely to win a sci-fi story in the last 20 years.

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the film follows Evelyn Quan (Michelle Yeoh), a laundromat manager who discovers the multiverse, made up of parallel realities, where she and her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) lead separate lives. Describing the movie further could ruin the experience for the reader who hasn’t seen it. The performance of Yeoh stands out, the first Asian to be nominated for Best Leading Actress, as well as Stephanie Hsu, who gives life to Joy, daughter of the protagonist.

Why does the Academy recognize “Everything everywhere at the same time”? María Alejandra Bernedo, historian and film critic, told El Comercio that the film touches on themes that can resonate with all audiences, in addition to going beyond the genres that support it. “He seeks to use all possible cinematographic elements to narrate. And despite the strangeness that it can be for the public to see a movie that went from drama to science fiction, I think it has covered quite a few categories and made them all believable ”, said.

For his part, critic and teacher Sebastián Pimentel mentions that the Oscar focuses on “Proposals that go beyond the classic, that go beyond the traditional”. But this is not a guarantee of victory, as the prize could end up in a more traditional proposal. For example, at the 2010 gala, the technical and box-office achievements of the first “Avatar”, then nominated for nine statuettes, did not guarantee him to win Best Director or Best Picture, which ultimately went to “The Hurt Locker”.

Other nominees for Best Picture include Malte Grunert’s war “All Quiet on the Front”, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Waterway”, Martin McDonagh’s “The Island Spirits”, Todd Field’s “Tár”, ” Top Gun: Maverick” by Joseph Kosinski, “Elvis” by Baz Luhrmann, “The Fabelmans” by Steven Spielberg, “The Triangle of Sadness” by Ruben Östlund and “They Speak” by Sarah Polley.

“I think there should be more domination of women and African-Americans. I think it will take longer [para eso]The transformation of Hollywood in that sense is not so fastsays Pimentel.

nothing is sung

“Elvis” may not have been the most critically acclaimed movie, but it still has Austin Butler in contention for the Oscar as the ‘King of Rock’n’Roll.’ It won’t be easy for him, as the narrative woven this awards season highlights the return of Brendan Fraser, whose role as a morbidly obese professor in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” has made him a favorite.

Another tight category is Best Original Song, which features top performers Lady Gaga for her rock ballad “Hold My Hand” (“Top Gun: Maverick) and Rihanna, who sings the R&B “Lift Me Up” (“Black Panther: Maverick”). Wakanda Forever”). But just because both music stars are nominated doesn’t mean one will necessarily win. There enters the hypnotic melody of “This is a Life” by Mitski, David Byrne and Ryan Lott; that appeared in the aforementioned “Everything everywhere at the same time”.

On the side of the always talked about Best International Film, “Argentina, 1985″ (Argentina) by Santiago Mitre, competes with its story about the search for justice after a dictatorship. One of his biggest rivals is “All Quiet on the Front” (Germany), a war drama that shows the harshness of the First World War.

absences

Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” divided critics, but it has its merits. There’s Margot Robbie’s performance as rising actress Nellie LaRoy, who isn’t among the nominees. “I would have liked it to appear in the Oscar ”tells us the film critic Sebastián Pimentel. “I think he plays a great role, he gives life to a film that is so ambitious and that needed a heart, a character that can back it up and Robbie fully does it”holds.

For her part, the also critic María Alejandra Bernedo says that, in addition to seeing more mentions of “Babylon”, she would have liked to see “Aftersun” in the Best Film category. The story of a father and his daughter on an unforgettable vacation, which in turn hides something dark, has only earned a nomination for Paul Mescal for Best Actor. Its director, a rookie Charlotte Wells, does not compete in her category.

And here’s another problem the Academy has yet to address: the lack of women and sexual diversity in key creative categories. Thus, for Best Director, five men compete, while in the two previous ceremonies there was at least one woman nominated, Chloé Zhao and Jane Campion, who won the statuette in their respective years.

“I think there should be more domination of women and African-Americans. I think it will take longer [para eso]the transformation of Hollywood in that sense is not so fast ”, says Pimentel.

For his part, Bernedo points out that production companies tend to subsidize the work of male directors more frequently than of women.. “You can see that a 30-40 year old man has more filmography, or bigger budget projects, than women of the same age”He says.