The 94th Oscars: Who should have won

PHOTO: (Courtesy / The Academy Awards)

By Jihan Moon,

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

The 94th Academy Awards, celebrating the best films from 2021, were held on March 27.

The night was full of firsts. Ariana DeBose became the first openly queer woman of color to win an Oscar, Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man to win an acting award and Will Smith became the first person to slap a presenter at the ceremony.

While many winners were deserving of their awards, there are several categories that I would argue had more deserving winners.

Best Picture

Nominees: “Belfast”; “CODA”; “Don’t Look Up”; “Drive My Car”; “Dune”; “King Richard”; “Licorice Pizza”; “Nightmare Alley”; “The Power of the Dog”; “West Side Story”

Winner: “CODA”
Should Have Won: “Drive My Car” “Drive My Car” is a three-hour-long Japanese slow-burn meditation on grief, communication and connection. While it definitely will not be a movie that everyone likes, it is truly genius.

This film lulled me into a certain daze for the entire runtime, and then the emotions hit me like a large semitruck at the end. The movie is able to accomplish this by being so understated and letting the audience sit with the characters and their feelings.

Best Director

Nominees: Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”); Kenneth Branagh (“Bel- fast”); Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”); Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”); Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”)

Winner: Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”)

Should Have Won: Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”)

This was a tough call for me. Jane Campion’s win was historic (she is the third woman to win this category, and is the first woman to be nominated in this category twice), and “The Power of the Dog” is crafted to perfection.

However, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” moved me more. I am astonished by how he was able to make such a long movie so endlessly mesmerizing.

Hamaguchi had such a strong vision for his film that is transparent in every shot. The way he keeps the tone melancholy and subdued, the way he lingers on the actual driving, the way he lets the brilliant writing and precise acting shine in every moment. He crafted a masterpiece and deserves all of the recognition in the world.

Best Lead Actress

Nominees: Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”); Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”); Penélope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”); Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”); Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)

Winner: Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”)

Should Have Won: Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)

“Spencer”, directed by Pablo Larraín, is not trying to be a standard biopic; it is “a fable from a true tragedy” as the film says. It aims to dive into Diana’s possible psyche and explores the effects of the immense pressure put on her in the final days of her marriage.

Stewart’s performance is integral to making this unsettling and melancholy film work. In “Spencer”, Diana goes through the gamut of emotions. She adores her two sons, she longs for the days before her fame, and she chokes on the weight of the royal family.

Stewart nails every feeling, large and small, and is able to convey every single one with her somber and desperate eyes.

Best Lead Actor

Nominees: Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”); Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”); Andrew Garfield (“tick, tick … BOOM!”); Will Smith (“King Richard”); Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)

Winner: Will Smith (“King Richard”)

Should Have Won: Andrew Garfield (“tick, tick … BOOM!”)

Andrew Garfield always has a certain earnestness in his performances and never has it been more effective than in “tick, tick … BOOM!”, where he portrays acclaimed “Rent” playwright Jonathan Larson.

Throughout the entire film, Garfield wears his and Larson’s passion on his sleeve. His dedicated performance (he learned to sing for the role) is anxious; he is desperate and frantic. However, in every scene, there is a great feeling of love and devotion.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”); Ari- ana DeBose (“West Side Story”); Judi Dench (“Bel- fast”); Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”); Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”) Winner: Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”)

Should Have Won: Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”)

Rita Moreno’s performance as Anita (the role that Ariana DeBose plays in the remake) in the original “West Side Story” ranks among the greatest performances in film history. To step into her shoes was no easy task, and to do it so successfully seemed impossible.

However, DeBose is able to bring the same ferocity and magnetism to the role, all while making it completely her own. She is able to connect with the audience on another level. When she cries, you cry. When she sings, you just want to sing along.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast”); Troy Kotsur (“CODA”); Jesse Plemons (“The Power of

the Dog”); JK Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”); Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)

Winner: Troy Kotsur (“CODA)

Should Have Won: Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)

“The Power of the Dog” is a subtly intricate film with several twists and turns. Kodi Smit-McPhee’s Peter Gordon is central to many of these mysteries and he quietly exposes each new layer of his character with off-putting sympathy.

Smit-McPhee is able to stand out in an incredible ensemble by juxtaposing the other performances and subverting common human expression. He only hints at his deeper motivations and feelings.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: “Belfast”; “Don’t Look Up”; “King Richard”; “Licorice Pizza”; “The Worst Person in the World”

Winner: “Belfast”

Should Have Won: “The Worst Person in the World”

“The Worst Person in the World” is an instant classic. A subversive romance- comedy, it explores the intersection of trying to find who are in your late 20s/early 30s and the poor decision-making present in relationships as a result.

Told in twelve chapters plus a prologue and epilogue, “The Worst Person in the World” starts hilarious and squeamish and ends hilarious and devastating. Watching the protagonist Julie keep making bad decisions is stressful and relatable. The screenplay captures the feeling of self-hatred that goes hand in hand with decision making.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: “CODA”; “Drive My Car; Dune”; “The Lost Daughter”; “The Power of the Dog”

Winner: “CODA”

Should Have Won: “Drive My Car”

For several weeks after seeing “Drive My Car”, it was constantly on my mind. I am not one to endlessly ponder the themes of a film, dissecting how they intertwine with each other. However, there is so much going on in “Drive My Car”’s screenplay, that it made me do just that.

Communication is central to this story, the way it transcends language and how it can fundamentally change how you view a relationship. Also, the different ways we communicate. Through art, through touches or looks, by just being in one another’s presence.

This ties into another of its pivotal themes: grief. Grief is not just handled internally, it is dealt with through communication. Grief has to be expressed and shared.