The 97th annual Academy Awards, hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien, were held in the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. Hollywood’s biggest stars arrived in their best looks, which for Timothee Chalamet apparently meant dressing like that guy from Curious George. But hey, at least no one showed up with a castle on their head this time.
O’Brien’s sharp jokes and ethereal performances from Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and RAYE helped break up the show, which ran for over three and a half hours. As an avid Letterboxd user who has seen (only three of) the Best Picture nominees, I feel very qualified to provide my recap of this year’s Oscars.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Other Nominees:
Yura Borisov, “Anora”
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”
Kieran Culkin delivered his award-winning performance in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain.” His character was simultaneously endearing, charismatic, and insufferable, and his dynamic with Eisenberg’s character felt truly authentic in the film. It’s true when they say life imitates art; much like their characters’ dynamic in the television series “Succession,” Culkin’s co-star and fellow nominee Jeremy Strong was forced to watch Culkin’s victory. And, according to Culkin’s acceptance speech, his wife now owes him two more children.
Best Costume Design
Winner: Paul Tazewell, “Wicked”
Other Nominees:
Arianne Phillips, “A Complete Unknown”
Lisy Christl, “Conclave”
Janty Yates and David Crossman, “Gladiator II”
Linda Muir, “Nosferatu”
Paul Tazewell made history as the first Black man to win in this category. I agree with the Academy on this one. The meticulous, elaborate, and colorful costumes in “Wicked” brought the magical story to life—especially Glinda’s ball gown that left audiences stunned.
Best Original Score
Winner: “The Brutalist”
Other Nominees:
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
The Brutalist score is beautiful and sets a good tone for the film, but I think “Wicked” or “Conclave” deserved this more. I’m honestly just grateful “Emilia Pérez” didn’t win yet another award.
Best Original Song
Winner: “El Mal” (“Emilia Pérez”)
Other Nominees:
“The Journey” (“The Six Triple Eight”)
“Like a Bird” (“Sing Sing”)
“Mi Camino” (“Emilia Pérez”)
“Never Too Late” (“Elton John: Never Too Late”)
Alas, the first win for “Emilia Pérez.” I listened to this song so you don’t have to. It’s awful. What’s worse, however, was the out-of-tune, seemingly never-ending singing during the acceptance speech. The live audience’s second-hand embarrassment permeated through the screen. Hollywood really has fallen off after “I’m Just Ken.”
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”
Other Nominees:
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
I have not seen “Emilia Pérez.” Listening to that one song and reading the synopsis was enough for me. For those of you who don’t know, the plot of “Emilia Pérez” is as follows: A lawyer is offered a job to help a notorious Mexican drug cartel leader transition into a woman so that he can fake his death and disappear. It’s also a musical. Perhaps the least surprising fact about the film is that its production team is French; I have yet to see a remotely normal French movie.
Best Sound
Winner: “Dune: Part Two”
Other Nominees:
“A Complete Unknown”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
While this category isn’t one of the major ones, it’s worth noting that “Dune: Part Two” absolutely deserved this win. Surround sound was made for this movie, and the combination of the score and sound mixing in the film made it immersive and atmospheric, especially during the many scenes with little dialogue.
Best Director
Winner: Sean Baker, “Anora”
Other Nominees:
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Sean Baker swept his categories as this was his third Oscar win of the night after taking home Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing for his work on “Anora.” He is now tied with Walt Disney for most Oscars won in a single night. Baker wrote, directed, and edited the film—his amazing work was rightfully rewarded. For his third acceptance speech, he even ran out of people to thank. Instead, I appreciated that he took this time to give his plea to the audience to prioritize theatrical releases and going to movie theaters, a tradition less frequented now thanks to streaming services. He also thanked the sex work community, highlighting their humanity and the importance of their collaboration with the film.
Following Baker’s three wins, Host Conan O’Brien said, “Anora is having a good night ... I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.”
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Other Nominees:
Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”
After scrolling on social media after the Oscars, it’s clear that I’m not the only one salty about this win. While Brody delivered a great performance, I would have loved to see Chalamet or Sebastian Stan receive this recognition. Adrien Brody delivered the longest acceptance speech in Oscars history. He arrogantly told the orchestra to stop playing him off, after many winners who didn’t have time to finish speaking still respected everyone’s time. His speech somewhat resembled my contribution to a socratic seminar when it’s last block on a Friday: too many minutes, too many pauses, too many words, and too little substance.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Other Nominees:
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
At this point in the broadcast, Hulu stopped streaming because the Oscars went over their time limit (I blame Adrien Brody), but like any good journalist, I persevered and finished the show via TikTok live. Mikey Madison’s win in this category was a delightful surprise. Only 25 years old, Madison was fearless and magnetic in her portrayal of Anora.
Best Picture
Winner: “Anora”
Other Nominees:
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Again, for transparency’s sake, I have only seen three of these films. Luckily, “Anora” is one of them, and it was refreshing to see a humanistic portrayal of female sex workers instead of the caricatures and stereotypes we often see on screen. “Anora” was fun and addictive while still packing an emotional punch, especially with its ending. As Sean Baker said after the cast and crew’s Best Picture win, “Long live independent film!”
