The 95th Academy Awards has proved itself historic.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the mind-boggling film about finding optimism in the face of existentialism, a black-hole bagel, intergenerational trauma, and the multiverse, took the Oscar for best picture.
Michelle Yeoh took home the Oscar for Best Actress making her the first Asian-American Actress to receive the award and the second woman of color to receive the award. She won for her performance as mom turned multiversal traveler Evelyn Wang in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The actress gave an inspiring acceptance speech encouraging Asian actors to follow their dreams and telling women to never let anyone tell them that they are past their prime.
Brendan Fraser triumphantly returned to Hollywood winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his heart-wrenching performance in “The Whale.” In 2018, Fraser alleged that he had been sexually assaulted by Philip Berk, a former president, and member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2003. After this, he believes that he was blacklisted from Hollywood.
Many expected Austin Butler to take home the Oscar for best actor with his performance as Elvis in “Elvis.”
College of Arts and Sciences Senior Marin Grehan said, “I’m honestly glad that Austin Butler didn’t win. As much as I liked “Elvis,” I thought Brendan Fraser was more deserving.”
Ke Huy Quan was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his role as Waymond in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” He showed his immense acting skill by portraying a wide array of characters as he switched between different multiversal counterparts of Waymond as he switched from suave to goofy to heroic. After starring in action films as a child in the 80s’ and 90s’ he was unable to get Hollywood roles because he is an Asian American man. He gave a heartwarming speech in which he thanked his mom and told the viewers watching to never give up on their dreams.
Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Deirdre in “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” Many were upset by her win over Stephanie Hsu who played Jobu Topaki in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” saying that Lee only won because of her status as a legacy actress. While Hsu gave an amazing performance as the shapeshifting, troubled, multiverse-traveling Jobu Tupaki, Lee also gave an intriguing and complex performance as Deirdre.
While many view the relevancy of awards shows to be declining, this year’s Academy Awards was certainly one to remember with more diverse award winners.
“I think it was really impressive to see so many Asian winners,” said College of Arts and Sciences Senior Asha Martel.
Some worry about the diversity of the awards in recent years being nothing more than surface-deep, however.
“I’m glad that Michelle Yeoh won, but whenever the Oscars try to be diverse they focus on one movie and one race of the year,” said College of Arts and Sciences senior Vi Conrad. “Racial diversity shouldn’t be a trend.”
Despite controversy and its tenuous cultural position, the Academy Awards remains one of the biggest nights in Hollywood and this year will surely be remembered not only for the great films but also for the inspiring stories of all the people involved in bringing movie magic to our screens.