For left-leaning Hollywood, the stakes in the Oscar race could be raised in light of the panic surrounding Donald Trump’s return to office. Take away the shock, though, and you realize we’ve been here before.
In 2017, the awards season triumph reflected Hollywood’s anti-Trump sentiment, leading to a surprise Best Picture win. Chandni Coming a few months after the shocks of the 2016 elections. That film, a sensitive and stirring look at racial neglect and sexual oppression in the shadow of toxic masculinity, embodies fragile progressive values and provides a sharp reminder of potential victims in the Trump administration.
Director Barry Jenkins wasn’t afraid to lean into resistance vibes. In the middle of Chandni In January 2017, just days before the campaign was inaugurated, he took a moment in his acceptance speech to the National Board of Review to address the big picture. “As we make America great again, let’s remember some of the unconsidered things in our legacy,” he said, “because there was a time when a person like me was unconsidered.” The potential for change remains, Jenkins reminded, even in the face of invincibility.
At the heart of many of the Oscar contenders this time around are reminders of disenfranchisement, stories of resilience that show the country’s way forward despite seemingly daunting odds. The awards race won’t save American democracy, but it might just inject the nation’s moviegoers with a fervent sense of national priorities. Much has been made of the recent convergence of entertainment and media, that young people listen to Joe Rogan in the same way that previous generations did. The New York Times. This year’s Oscar contenders may not impress this crowd much. But they also use entertainment to advocate for serious change.
Consider some of the most iconic images at the heart of the current front-runners: A Russian-American gig worker confronts the one percent on the tarmac. A closeted trans woman whispers her desire to come out. The Statue of Liberty hangs upside down as a fragile promise to happy immigrants.
These amazing moments – from the Oscar contenders Anura, Emilia Perezand brutal respectively—wouldn’t feel out of place in recent American Democratic campaign ads. Reflecting the pulse of progressive America, they tackle issues of class disparity and oppression, mixing dark ambivalence with a faint pulse of hope. They’re Oscar bait with bite — and make a case for a deeper purpose than all the red-carpet pomp and empty virtue signaling.
brutalIndie writer-director Brody Corbett’s magisterial epic centers on László Tóth, Adrian Brody’s Holocaust survivor architect who finds refuge in Pennsylvania. Hollywood did not brutal But it certainly feels at home here, with the story of a Jewish exile searching for stability at the center of industry history. It’s not until the second half of the film’s three-and-a-half-hour journey that the traveler faces a cruel wake-up call from a capitalist benefactor who is just one more in this toy chest of riches. And wants to exploit it as a game.
brutal It’s a sobering and extraordinarily timely testament to the contradictions between America’s immigrant promise and the inequalities that keep it unfulfilled for so many. The argument for immigration reform often runs from the point of view that the United States was built on the idea of a melting pot, but one that benefits the wealthy. brutal In fact, László never cares whether it will be thrown away after its use is complete. He argues that real immigration reform will require not only better policies around borders, but better treatment for those who cross them.
Among American citizens, those who see Donald Trump as a cartoonish reality TV character who now threatens the American way of life, identify with the wake-up call endured by Brody’s character. You will be able to find a lot. Others who want Trump’s tougher approach to border control may not see it through. brutal, But the film suggests a means of engaging with them — with a reminder that America doesn’t just welcome immigrants as ideals, but relies on their hard work to function. To continue to do so, the country must remain a sanctuary, not a walled fortress.
AnuraMeanwhile, there is a measure of the struggle to find stability in a country that forces its lower class survivors to scramble at all costs. The film goes through a series of sudden tonal shifts – screwball comedy, dark slapstick and heartbreak – with thrilling unpredictability. After an election year filled with divisive rhetoric and uncertainty on both our political and economic paths, Anura plays as a barometer of the mood of many uncertain or anxious about the election results – right up to the tearful exhaustion of its closing moments, when two characters brought together by chance melt into the despair of their shaky futures. go
with equal relevance, Emilia Perez Cinematizes the voice of the battle that trans rights are human rights. Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical is a zany ride that The greatest showman In the harsh environment of Narcos It may divide some in the LGBTQ community with its blunt depiction of her character’s transition, but the Netflix movie’s song-and-dance routine normalizes its subject matter for audiences otherwise closed to it. can be In this way, the film parallels the Oscar-winning Rooney. Philadelphia Three decades ago, mainstreaming identity with the help of familiar cinematic tropes.
And Saturday night brought the Los Angeles premiere of The Contender The wicked. While often remembered as the magical set of showstoppers that gave the world Kristin Chenoweth and Adina Menzel, The wicked There are also themes of oppression, otherness and scapegoating by a fascist ruler and his oppressive army. Beneath the candy-coated production values and soaring numbers, viewers may conjure up another idea: the horror of a mad ruler deporting the innocent.
Producer Mark Platt reportedly pulled no punches at the premiere, with social media reports calling his years-old book and script “very predictable.” “I want you to remember what you’re going to see tonight because I think it’s going to resonate with you and feel very relevant to you…and your life and the world you live in. will reflect that,” he said.
The context of the fast music is telling: while these contenders have strong views about society’s most pressing obstacles, they are also emotionally resonant popular entertainment, calling them change rather than activist slogans. Can make strong vessels to facilitate Most audiences don’t want lectures. The stories, however, go down much easier. And by showing unapproachable “others” as paradoxical everyday people, these films also suggest new terms of social engagement. Oscar season won’t be extending an olive branch to the Barstool Sports bros anytime soon, but the current Best Picture contenders make a compelling case for more listening on all sides.
It’s clearer than ever that Hollywood needs the Oscars for more than just its talent hunt. This season is a chance for the franchise-obsessed industry to find its vision of its ideal self, and to get America to follow suit.
2017 win for Chandni Both reflected and influenced the Trump-era bid for change. The choice the Academy will soon make is the only one it can make.
This story appeared in the Nov. 13 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe..
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