When ‘CODA’, a remake of the French film ‘The Bélier Family’, centered on the story of a hearing daughter of deaf parents, was presented at Sundance in January last year, the reception was more than warm. The criticism was immediately delivered to what in the United States is called a “crowd pleaser & rdquor; and a shower of awards fell on her, including the public award. The one that would prove to be the most important, however, had arrived just two days after the premiere: AppleTV+ He saw more than sweet potential for the masses and paid $25 million for a production that had cost $10.
Now the platform, and the film, has succeeded at the cost of Netflix and ‘The power of the dog’, the biggest award in Hollywood and that ‘streaming’ has been pursuing for years as validation of its fundamental role in the way cinema is made and seen today: the Oscar for best film.
With awards from the unions of producers, actors and screenwriters as well as others such as the BAFTAs, and in part also due to the preferential voting system that decides among the 10 titles nominated for the most important Oscar, and ‘CODA’ (whose cast was invited on Tuesday to the White House and received in the Oval Office by the US president, Joe Biden) has given the bell in the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood.
It has ended up being, as the ‘Los Angeles Times’ wrote, the triumph of “a film that makes you feel good in an era of feeling bad”, either because of the war in Ukraine or after years of the pandemic. And it has come at the expense of the work of Jane Campiona deep look at the male toxicity that expands the western genre and that started as the favorite with 12 nominations (compared to three for ‘CODA’).
to the New Zealand, first female director twice nominatedat least the consolation of that best direction statuette. It remains to be seen what weight she may have had in the voting, which closed on Tuesday, an unfortunate comment he made when picking up the Critics Choice award. in which he downplayed the tennis achievements of Venus and Serena Williams by suggesting that she had it harder competing with men.
uncertainties and controversy
‘CODA’ has also achieved that the Hollywood Academy, which for the first time will add to the transmission the option that the deaf can see it in full with sign language, can project the image of advances in the field of inclusion. His duel with a work as disparate as ‘The Power of the Dog’, which also has an adapted script and a supporting actor, adds emotion in an edition in which, although some awards are taken for granted (such as Troy Kotsur’s in that cast category by ‘CODA’ or that of Ariana DeBose for ‘West Side Story’), there may be surprises in several more open categories (although also Will Smith for ‘The Williams Method’ and Jessica Chastain for ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ appear as favorites to leave Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz without statuettes).
None of this is bad for either the institution or the Oscars, who once again arrive surrounded by controversy for their experiments to try to retain audiencesideas that go beyond inviting for “create content“to ‘influencers’ in an alliance with Meta (Facebook and Instagram) or resume, after three years, the figure of the presenterwho this time formed a triplet of comedic actresses: Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall.
The greatest outrage has been unleashed by the decision to remove eight of the 23 awards from the live broadcast: all three in categories of short film (in the animation compete Albert Mielgo) and those of montage, soundtrack (with Alberto Iglesias), production design, sound and makeup and hair. They will be given in the hour prior to the television ceremony and even though they will be included in the gala later “clips & rdquor; of these deliveries and that guests are being encouraged to come an hour earlier (also ensuring the chaos on the traditional red carpet), few understand that it has been relegated to vital categories and nominees to make a film to be “second class citizens”. This was denounced by 70 signatories of an open letter, including heavyweights of the cinema such as Guillermo del Toro, James Cameron, Vittorio Storaro or John Williams.
The incomprehension before the decision is even greater because the producers have found time and space to include in the gala two prizes that have been voted for online: one is the most exciting moment that has provoked the viewers a movie, any ever made. Another is the favorite title of the year, an undisguised way to finally include the award for most popular movie that they tried to launch in 2018 and that they withdrew due to the controversy that the idea created (then they also threatened to give several prizes during the announcements).
Ukraine
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The producers and the Academy continue to defend their decision and ask for a vote of confidence for a ceremony that adds to its challenges not only to continue dealing with the pandemic (with reinforced protocols after infections in the Bafta) but to indulge in partying and glamor at a time like the present, with the open war in europe.
It has already been announced that the conflict in Ukraine will be recognized during the ceremony. The role could fall to Mila Kunis, the Ukrainian-born actress who recently spoke with Volodymyr Zelenski after raising with Ashton Kutcher 35 million dollars for refugees. And the possibility that the Ukrainian president himself will make an intervention floats in the air, something that Schumer already raised. “You shouldn’t assume we’ve announced the host for best picture yet,” the producers said cryptically at a news conference on Thursday.