On January 23rd, 2024, the highly anticipated nominations for the 96th Academy Awards were unveiled, sparking a whirlwind of reactions from viewers and critics alike. With no shortage of heartbreaking snubs, this year’s Oscars viewership and ratings were forecasted to swell tremendously from the pandemic’s all-time lows, with millions predicted to tune in.
Strong Show For Female Filmmakers
Greta Gerwig’s smash hit Barbie, Celine Song’s beautifully wrought Past Lives, and Justine Triet’s twisty legal drama, Anatomy of a Fall, all scored nominations in the Best Picture category, making Academy history. It’s the first in 96 years that three of the Best Picture films were directed by women and the fifth consecutive year where one of the Best Picture films was directed by a woman. Despite record-shattering nominations in the Best Picture category, both Song and Gerwig were snubbed for Best Director, with many furious with the omission.
The Irony of Barbie
As soon as Barbie hit the box office, it became one of the most popular films of 2023 — yet, leading actress and producer, Margot Robbie, and director, Greta Gerwig were not nominated for their respective categories. Fans took to social media to express their outrage, writing that Ryan Gosling receiving a nomination for Best Supporting Actor while Robbie and Gerwig were snubbed, “kinda proves the whole point of the movie”, — displaying the sexism that still plagues the film industry.
However, critics have pointed out that from the start, Barbie was too focused on profits and not enough on filmaking— the movie itself is a criticism of Barbie’s creator company Mattel, and yet it was produced under Mattel’s film label. Many couldn’t decide whether the movie undermined the patriarchy, or was inescapably corporate.
Wilting Flowers for Leo
Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of the naive protagonist in Killers of the Flower Moon was overlooked for Best Leading Male Actor. Many expected DiCaprio to finally make an appearance on the list of nominees after his co-stars and supporting actors, Lily
Gladstone and Robert DiNiro, received nominations in their respective categories. Even director, Martin Scorsese, walked away with a Best Director nomination, with the film itself scoring Best Picture. However, DiCaprio went home empty-handed.
This has been a common theme in DiCaprio’s career: being overlooked in what seemed like obvious nominations. His Oscar-less streak includes a lengthy list of iconic films: Titanic, Inception and Don’t Look Up.
Heartbreak off screen
Celine Song’s Past Lives explores the romantic connection between two childhood friends caught up in the Korean diaspora. The film experienced a similar situation to Barbie, with Song missing a shot at Best Director and lead actress Greta Lee getting shut out from Best Lead Actress. Both Song and Lee garnered praise from critics and film fans with their subtle, intricate details that captivated audiences across the world.
It was predicted early on in the awards season that Lee and Song’s understated work would go unnoticed by the Academy, as the Oscars voters tend to favor intense and in-your-face performances in films.