Though there were few real surprises on offer at this year’s Oscars – Oppenheimer, as expected, scooped the cream off the cake – there were still twists and turns. Emma Stone won the best actress award in a surprise win, and the form guide’s dark horse, Poor Things, shut out rival Barbie to take home a swag of awards.
Barbie still managed to dominate the telecast, if not the winners’ circle, with Mattel’s iconic pink colour splashed on the screen at every turn, and in much of the red carpet fashions. A Ken-ergetic performance from the film’s star, Ryan Gosling, was also one of the stand-out numbers of the ceremony. Oh Ken, you are Kenough.
Ryan Gosling performs the song “I’m Just Ken”.Credit: AP
Not so lucky were Australia’s nominees – screenwriter Tony McNamara (Poor Things), short-film producers Sara McFarlane (Red, White and Blue) and Nicky Bentham (The After); and Margot Robbie, who was nominated for best picture as a producer of Barbie. All went away empty-handed.
The night’s biggest upset came in its final moments, as Poor Things star Emma Stone beat Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) to the best actress Oscar.
Least surprising was the swag of awards won by Oppenheimer: a haul of seven from 13 nominations. In his acceptance speech, the film’s director Christopher Nolan said that despite the ubiquity of cinema, it was still an astonishingly young art form.
“Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old,” he said. “Imagine being there 100 years into [the art forms of] painting or theatre. We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think I am a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”
Jimmy Kimmel speaks on stage during the 96th Academy Awards.Credit: Getty
The show’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, acquitted himself well – eventually – bouncing from some ragged pre-written gags about Christopher Nolan and Robert Downey jnr, which landed poorly, to a more substantial and sincere acknowledgement of the industry’s below-the-line workers, who stood with striking writers and actors last year.
“We were able to make a deal because of the people who rallied beside us,” Kimmel said. “The people who work behind the scenes: the teamsters (drivers and location supervisors), the lighting crew, sound, camera, gaffers, grips. All the people who refused to cross the picket line.” The poignancy of the moment won him the night’s first standing ovation.
There were also several powerful political moments which brought a sombre tone to an otherwise lightweight telecast, including a speech from The Zone of Interest director Jonathan Glazer which addressed the conflict in Israel and Gaza. “Whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanisation, how do we resist?” Glazer asked.
Documentary feature Oscar winner Mstyslav Chernov, one of the directors of 20 Days in Mariupol, weighed into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying he would gladly trade back the award to wipe the bloody conflict from the history books. “I will probably be the first director on this stage who said I wished I had never made this film,” he said. “But I cannot change the history.”
Outside the event, which was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, there were protests over Israel’s war in Gaza which briefly brought the arrivals motorcade to a stop. Some of the attendees, including Australian actress Margot Robbie, were delayed by the congestion.
On stage to accept his Oscar for best actor, Cillian Murphy seemed to sum up the mood in the room: “I dedicate this to peacemakers everywhere,” he said.
The “In Memoriam” segment acknowledged the passing of Harry Belafonte, Chita Rivera, Glynis Johns and Michael Gambon. The package also included Ryan O’Neal, Don Murray and Friends star Matthew Perry. Though primarily a TV actor, Perry starred in several films, including Fools Rush In (1997) and The Whole Nine Yards (2000).
Four additional honorary Oscars were presented at the 14th annual Governors Awards ceremony, held in January. They were given to actress Angela Bassett, actor, comedian and playwright Mel Brooks and film editor Carol Littleton. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was given to Sundance Film Festival co-founder Michelle Satter.
The 96th Academy Awards will be replayed at 8:30pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.