Photo courtesy of Fox
Award show history was made multiple times last weekend at the 93rd annual Oscar’s ceremony on Sunday, April 25. The first milestone was made by the actual program itself, as viewership decreased to 9.85 million people, a 59% drop from last year. It was the smallest audience in Oscar’s history.
For those who skipped out on watching the Oscar’s this year, here is what was missed.
Chloé Zhao was on a record-breaking streak throughout the night. Before the winners were even announced, Zhao became the most nominated woman at the Oscars within a single year. Zhao was the first woman of color to win Best Director, taking the award home for her film “Nomadland.”
“Nomadland” is a movie about a woman named Fern, portrayed by Francis McDormand, who lives in her van and travels. Fern picks up different jobs and meets other faces in the nomadic circle. The movie is a commentary on capitalism and is an opportunity to emotionally connect with a counterculture society. It also swept up wins in film festivals all the way up to the Oscars.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Zhao says that, initially, “Nomadland” was not supposed to come out in 2020. Due to restrictions in editing from the coronavirus pandemic, Zhao changed release dates around for “Nomadland” and her upcoming movie “Eternals.”
“One thing I’ve learned is a bit of a cliché,” Zhao said in her interview, “but everything does happen for a reason. We never expected “Nomadland” to resonate the way it did, but everything worked out.”
This year’s Oscars also had its first Korean Actor to win an Academy Award. Yuh-Jung Youn took home the prize for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Soonja in “Minari.” In the film, she portrays the complicated relationship between grandmother and grandchild, mother and daughter, self and family.
She also received attention for her mention of Brad Pitt, the producer of “Minari,” during her acceptance speech. “Mr. Brad Pitt,” she said. “Finally. Nice to meet you. Where were you while we were filming in Tulsa?” Many entertainment outlets described the encounter as “hilarious” or even as a form of flirting.
It was obvious that this was not an attempt at flirtation, but instead a public acknowledgment of Pitt’s absence from the film. Interviewers spent much more time asking her about how Brad Pitt smelled than they did about her riveting and monumental win.
The memorable night had a confusing closer. The last category to be announced was Best Actor and it went to Anthony Hopkins. What is so strange about this is that it’s usual practice for Best Picture to be the final category of the night. With Best Actor moved to the back, it was assumed that this was done because Chadwick Boseman was set to take home the prize for his role as Levee Green in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The expected goal was a meaningful ending dedicated to the late actor.
With the category move, Boseman’s loss and an NFT bust of Boseman being included in the Oscars swag bag, there was great upset online. Boseman’s family, in an interview with TMZ, stated that they were not upset at all and asked audiences to refrain from calling the loss a “snub.”
There was also criticism of the fact that it was the 93rd Oscars, and the Academy Award is still having stories about “firsts” like Chloé Zhao and Yuh-Jung Youn. Their accomplishments deserve every bit of celebration they have received and then some.
Hopefully, artists and groups of people who have been marginalized by the film industry will no longer have “firsts,” but instead, receive consistent recognition by audiences and award shows.
