«One battle after another» by Paul Thomas Anderson won six Oscars on the night of the Academy Awards in which the protagonist was cinema and, only apparently, not politics, or at least not through harsh and direct messages that could have taken precedence over the rest. But the big film at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles was a political comedy that denounces authoritarianism, government control over citizens, political paranoia and repression, and celebrates civil resistance, a theme that to many seemed very current and very American.
And the second film to win Oscars, four, was «Sinners», which talks about racist America. But everything, proof of posthumous controversy, remained technically within the garden of the seventh art, even if Anderson, in his speech, put a political tone when he said: «To my children I apologize for the disorder that we have sown in this world, and that we are now handing over to them». “I hope they will be the generation that brings us back some common sense and decency.”
Under the leadership of comedian Brian O’Connor, who had already removed politics from his monologues last year, as a sign of a break with Jimmy Kimmel, whose words had provoked Donald Trump’s anger, the show prevailed. No one from the American government or the Maga base will be able to criticize the progress of the evening, even if the two protagonist films are not included in the list of those they love most. Yes, Javier Bardem went on stage wearing two slogans on his dress praising the end of the war and “free Palestine”, but the tones were deliberately kept low. The award winners themselves did not use the stage to launch attacks and this at a time when Hollywood itself felt a little uncomfortable: someone on the eve of the show had wondered if it would have been right to carry on the show with the country at war in the Middle East. In the end the show at all costs line prevailed, but making it attackable.
Anderson won Oscars for best film, best director and best adapted screenplay, adapted from a novel by Thomas Pynchon. No award for Leonardo DiCaprio, once again without success, while the Oscar for best supporting actor went to Sean Penn, who however did not participate in the event.
The other awards were for casting, a newly established award, and editing. The second protagonist of the evening was the horror «Sinners» by Ryan Coogler, focused on the identity and trauma of African Americans and set in rural America in the 1930s. Coogler won the Oscar for best original screenplay, while Michael B. Jordan won for best actor. Jordan played a diabolical double role, that of the twins Smoke and Stack. No actor had ever received an award for playing a double role, a tradition that had put the actor among the non-favorites. But in recent months, after a series of accolades, Jordan began to gain ground until the final triumph. Among women, best actress went to the Irishwoman Jessie Buckley for «Hamnet – In the name of her son». With the award for best photography going to Autumn Durald Arkapaw, for «Sinners», the first woman in the history of the Academy won in this sector. In her acceptance speech, Arkapaw asked all the women in the room to stand: “I wouldn’t be here without you.”
The evening also recorded a very emotional moment when all the movie stars who passed away in the last year were remembered: from director Rob Reiner with his wife Michelle, who tragically passed away in December in a double domestic homicide, to Robert Redford, from Robert Duvall to Diane Keaton. There were so many names that the memory, which lasted minutes, never seemed long, but necessary. Also appearing in the poignant catwalk of faces were those of the unforgettable Claudia Cardinale, and Giorgio Armani, presented as ‘The man who dressed Hollywood’.
Here are all the awards from the 98th edition of the Academy Awards:
– Oscar for best film goes to One Battle After Another.
– Oscar for best leading actress goes to Jessie Buckley for Hamnet
– Oscar for best leading actor goes to Michael B. Jordan for Sinners
– Oscar for best director: to Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another
– Oscar for best international film: goes to Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier
– Oscar for best supporting actor: Sean Penn for One Battle After Another
– Oscar for best supporting actress: Amy Madigan for Weapons
– Oscar for best visual effects: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett for Avatar: Fire and Ashes
– Oscar for best production design: to Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau for Frankenstein
– Oscar for best original screenplay: to Ryan Coogler for Sinners
– Oscar for best adapted screenplay: to Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another
– Oscar for best animated film: KPop Demon Hunters
– Oscar for best original song goes to «Golden» from K Pop Demon Hunters. The authors of the song are Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
– Oscar for best animated short: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
– Oscar for best costumes. Kate Hawley for Frankenstein.
– Oscar for best make-up and hairstyling: to Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey for Frankenstein
– Oscar for best casting: Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another –
Oscar for best short documentary: All the Empty Rooms by Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
– Oscar for best soundtrack: to Ludwig Goransson for Sinners
– Oscar for best sound: goes to Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta for F1 – The Film
– Oscar for best editing: to Andy Jurgensen for One battle after another
– Oscar for best cinematography: to Autumn Durald Arkapaw for Sinners.