Awards season has come to an end with Oppenheimer landing on top, closely followed by Poor Things. Barbie has been put back in the box, as the highest-grossing film of 2023 came away with the least awards, despite its many nominations.
The Winners
A standout moment came with Lily Gladstone becoming the first Indigenous actress to be nominated for an Oscar and to win a Golden Globe for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon. She began her acceptance speech by speaking Blackfeet and concluded it by proclaiming: “This is for every little res kid, every little urban kid, every little native kid out there who has a dream.” This moment was even more significant given the Golden Globes’ reputation for excluding films by and featuring people of colour.
However, Oppenheimer undoubtedly reigned supreme. Christopher Nolan’s three-hour drama stole all the awards, winning seven Oscars, seven Baftas and five Golden Globes. It was certainly one of the most talked about films of 2023 and definitely among the most popular, grossing third highest overall. The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall also performed well, with Sandra Hüller at the helm in both. Her role in The Zone of Interest was unsettling, leaving a lasting effect on viewers, for which she deserves more recognition – but we can all agree there was tough competition. The film did take home the Oscar for Best Sound, however, which it was a worthy winner for, as the amazing effects were one of its strongest assets.
The Holdovers picked up awards across the board, with Da’Vine Joy Randolph scooping a host of prizes including the Oscar, Bafta, and Golden Globe, and Dominic Sessa winning the Critics’ Choice for Best Young Actor in his debut role, but it was Poor Things that received the most attention, particularly for its production design as well as costumes, hair, and makeup. Emma Stone was the best part of the film and rightfully earned a Bafta, Oscar, Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award. As much as it would have been an exciting historic moment for Lily Gladstone to win the Oscar, Emma Stone also deserved it. Her character, Bella Baxter, goes on an important parallel journey of discovering the world around her while also realising she’s bisexual – proving that LGBTQ+ stories deserve a place at the table.
The Losers
Barbie is the third film directed by Greta Gerwig – and also her third award season snub. This suggests the lack of recognition for female-centred stories and female directors. The Academy has proved this by awarding Best Director to only three women in its 96-year history, with a Black woman yet to win the award.
Clearly, women in film are still a contested issue, as between Greta Gerwig, Celine Strong, and Sofia Coppola, there was little recognition. Coppola’s Priscilla performed poorly overall despite Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis receiving nominations in 2022. Although audiences favoured Priscilla, their vastly different portrayals of the King of Rock n’ Roll suggest once again that women’s stories have been put on the back burner.
Perhaps two of the biggest snubs were Past Lives and All of Us Strangers, which received none of the major gongs despite being fan favourites. Arguably Andrew Scott didn’t receive enough recognition for his performance in the latter, but it’s sadly unsurprising as LGBTQ+ stories are often ignored. It wasn’t until 2017 that the best picture Oscar was won by such a film.
What’s next?
As the 2024 awards season reaches its wrap party, it’s clear there were lots of incredible film offerings. However, the results have shown once again that the film industry needs to improve its inclusivity in recognising cast, crew, and their productions. Many diverse films are falling under the radar, which sets a poor example to younger generations, and, although some progress has been made in recognising people of colour, there is still a long way to go on all counts. Hopefully, next year brings the Kenergy…
3rd year English and Journalism student
Also the music Editor for Strathclyde Telegraph!
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