As this award season comes to an end, the 97th Academy Awards offered a night of surprising moments, stunning performances and a celebration of the films that defined the past year.
On March 2, the Oscars started with a mesmerizing opening performance by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, featuring songs from The Wizard of Oz and Wicked, such as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “Defying Gravity.” Following the performance, host Conan O’Brien gave a hilarious opening monologue with edgy jokes, such as his joke about star of Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón’s anti-Muslim posts, which made the audience nervously laugh since she was present in the audience.
The show’s first award, Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, went to Kieran Culkin for his role as Benji Kaplan in A Real Pain. During his speech, he joked about a bet he made with his wife: if he won the award, they’d have another child. However, she didn’t think he would actually win.
While Culkin brought laughter with his playful bet, the next award winner delivered a more heartfelt speech to the audience. Zoe Saldaña emotionally accepted the Outstanding Actress in a Supporting Role award for her role as Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Pérez as she was the first Dominican woman to win the category.
Adrien Brody won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of László Tóth in The Brutalist. Among several requests for the exit music to be turned off, he delivered an acceptance speech emphasizing the importance of renewal and second chances, which he felt he had achieved after facing personal struggles in recent years. He also touched on the role that hate plays in our current society: “I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked,” Brody said.
Also, throughout this award season, Demi Moore, who played Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance, and Mikey Madison, who portrayed Ani in Anora, often went toe-to-toe for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Ultimately, Madison won the Oscar. During her speech, she reflected on her positive experience making the movie and honored the sex worker community the film represents.
The final award of the night, and most coveted, Best Picture, went to Anora. Director Sean Baker and the rest of the crew came on stage to accept the award and urged viewers to go to independently-owned movie theaters because so many of them suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite all the good that came out of the Oscars, it has become standard to provide the audience with a controversial moment or two. This year, the directors of No Other Land, a documentary about the gradual destruction of Palestine from the perspective of three Palestinian activists, won Best Documentary Feature Film. The filmmakers used their acceptance speech to call out the unjust treatment toward Palestinian people and call for peace between Israel and Palestine. “We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” said Basel Adra, one of the directors.
With jokes, fashion statements and poignant political moments, this year’s award show was unforgettable and a true celebration of film, acting and all the people it takes to create magic on the big screen.