And the Oscar Goes To...

On Sunday, March 12, 2023, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) presented the 95th Academy Awards, commonly called the Oscars. AMPAS nominates films and actors annually for awards across 24 categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and more. Excluding Best Picture, each category receives five nominees before the reveal on the night of the Oscars, where directors, actors, actresses, and other members of the films dress in their most fashion-forward outfits to walk the red carpet—or the peach carpet, as of this year’s awards ceremony. 

Presented by Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and host of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 2023 Academy Awards were swept by the dramatic comedy film Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The film is centered around an Asian-American immigrant, Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), her husband, Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), and her daughter, Joy (Stephanie Hsu); as Evelyn attempts to do her taxes, she finds herself sucked into a multiversal conflict that can only be resolved through motherly love. Before the Academy Awards, Everything Everywhere, All at Once had already surpassed other famous feature films in terms of the current most decorated film. At this year's Oscars, of the eleven nominations received, the film won in seven categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (won by Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (won by Quan), Best Supporting Actress (won by Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. As of 2023, Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress award, making her the second person of color to win this accolade (following Halle Berry’s Oscar in this category in 2002). The narrative and dialogue are heart-wrenching and beautiful, and anyone with the time should certainly watch this film. Personally, my favorite part is the emotion with which every actor, regardless of the absurdity of the situation, delivers their lines. For example, Waymond will say to Evelyn, as they stand in the rain, dressed ready for the Oscars, “Even though you have broken my heart yet again, I wanted to say, in another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you.” Yet, only a few scenes later, Joy will be singing, “sucked into a bagel,” at her mother as she describes an everything bagel that could cause the end of the universe. The juxtaposition between absurdity and emotional devastation creates an experience unlike any other. 

Although no other film saw as much success across the Academy Awards, notable winners include the 2022 remake of All Quiet on the Western Front and The Whale. All Quiet on the Western Front follows the novel published by Erich Maria Remarque in 1929, set in the German Front during World War I. The protagonist, a German soldier named Paul Baümer (Felix Kammerer), enlists in the German Army, ready to fight for his country, but not quite ready to fight to survive. Told in parallel with the armistice negotiations between Germany and the Allies, the story follows Baümer until the war's end. All Quiet on the Western Front won accolades for Best International Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Cinematography. 

Unlike this tragic tale of war, The Whale is placed in a  more modern setting. The film follows reclusive English teacher Charlie (Brendon Fraser), whose morbid obesity leads to his declining health as he attempts to reconnect with his daughter. Themes such as the dangers of isolating from those we love, and the constant struggle for redemption play across the silver screen, and the acting is amazing. The film won the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category for its transformation of Brendon Fraser into the character of Charlie, using hundreds of pounds of prosthetics and digital sculpting. His body suit was sculpted over 3D-printed positives and injected with silicone in order to create highly realistic human features. These prosthetics looked and acted like human flesh, creating the visual for Fraser’s character and allowing him to display a full range of emotions. It was this stellar performance that won Fraser the prestigious Best Actor Award.

Congratulations to the many Oscar winners! Although I cannot detail every film’s amazing qualities, I will say that each film deserves to be watched, and if you are ever bored and have the time, going through the list of Academy Award winners and nominees may be worth your while. From absurdist comedies to heart-wrenching tragedies, the Oscars represent the pinnacle of this past year’s films, and I already cannot wait to start catching up on all of the great movies that came out last year!