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The2020 Oscar nominationswere announced today, revealing an overwhelmingly white and male field of contenders.
Alison Willmore: Theres something that feels apocalyptically appropriate incredibly lol nothing matters aboutJokerleading the Oscars with 11 nominations.
IsJokers success at all surprising to you both?
Angelica Jade Bastien:Jokers success didnt feel surprising so much as inevitable.
But thats another story.
Where the hell is Jennifer Lopez, Awkwafina, Alfre Woodard, or Park So-dam?
That Cynthia Erivo is the only actor of color nominated at all is a travesty.
(It should go without saying that Lupitas breakthrough role was, ahem,12 Years a Slave.
There is no apology; shesnot reduced by the male gaze.
And that goes for the acting awards as well.
That is ultimately how awards are won.
By playing the game, and cultivating a strong story around your nomination come campaigning time.
Have there been any awards-season narratives that either of you have found particularly revealing this year?
I think, for one, the conversation around Greta Gerwig andLittle Womenhas felt quite limited.
Everyone is just operating off a scarcity mentality.
I thinkLittle Womenis actually a stealthily ambitious movie that uses its structure to interrogate its source material.
Its also a movie I like a lot!
And I wish the conversation hadnt started making it The Only One.
No film can shoulder such a burden.
A first for a Korean film!
Still, it doesnt feel like it quite matches the scope of the achievement.
No nomination for score.
Nothing for cinematography, despite this being quite possibly the mostcinematiquefilm of the year.
(See: Awkwafina, 2020.)
That said, that same category confusion didnt hurt Brad Pitt inOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.
That said, I can see a universe whereParasitewins Best Picture.
The downside of that is that I dont necessarily see a win like that leading to significant change.
Bastien:Alison, thats heartbreaking to think about, but unfortunately, I think youre right.
Why should we give the awards heat if people of color are still fighting over a single nomination spot?
I see the importance of recognition within the industry.
And I think that ultimately speaks to an existential desire for institutional recognition.
What does it matter what the Oscars think?
Can we just ignore them?
This includes the Oscars, but is also much bigger than that.
They may feel increasingly irrelevant, but they remain an enormous platform.
And, obviously, an incredibly frustrating one.
And this year, it feels disappointingly retrograde.
Which is all the more reason for us to write about the work that its failed to recognize.
