Two Best Picture nominees (The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez) have been revealed to use AI to enhance certain performances. A Best Actress nominee is in hot water for a plethora of offensive tweets in the past, one of which calls out her own co-star. Anora is under fire for the lack of an intimacy coordinator on set (which may have been the actors’ choice, but doing so on a set with a predominant focus on sex work isn’t the best feeling for the rest of the crew). I’m Still Here is under fire because a clip of actress Fernanda Torres resurfaced of her in blackface for a television comedy sketch in 2008. During all of this, conservative media calls out the film Conclave for being “anti-Catholic” due to the ending (which is the brilliant point of the film in the first place). A Complete Unknown is just… well it’s a complete unknown. Oh yeah, and did we forget the deeply offensive SNL sketch that Adrien Brody took part in years ago where he impersonated a person of Jamaican nationality? But hey, at least there’s still Nickel Boys, right… RIGHT?
Some awards shows like the Oscars have been controversial for a long time now, so this isn’t the first instance of controversy for awards ceremonies. When you have sexual predators like Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Harvey Weinstein, and more in the awards circuit for so long, it’s telling of just how blindsided awards voters are; or just how corrupt the whole notion of awards can be.
Why can’t we just live in a world where audiences who came out to see the films in the first place are the word of consensus for these awards? Maybe I’m being too grumpy here, so let’s look at what has been winning big at all these shows so far.
If you asked anyone what the front-runner for the 2025 awards season was two months ago, they would’ve said it was Emilia Pérez. Now, everything is up in the air in terms of what film is going to win which award, except Kiernan Culkin. He’s been winning the most in the supporting actor category for his performance in A Real Pain. Good for him too, he’s a sweetheart. His performance in A Real Pain is so subtle and genuine in a way that he doesn’t need any kind of huge monologue or provocative story arc to be such a complex character that is in some ways touching and other ways heartbreaking. There’s also Zoe Saldana who has been getting accolades for her supporting actress performance in Emilia Pérez, which probably won’t stop by the time it’s all said and done. Please, awards gods, let Ariana Grande win something.
In terms of Best Picture, we’ve seen The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez win big at the Golden Globes, while at the Critics Choice Awards, Producers Guild Awards (PGA) , and the Directors Guild Awards (DGA), Anora took home the award. Meanwhile, at the BAFTAs, Conclave won Best Film. So what does that mean? Well, if I had to put a dime on it, Anora is the safest choice to win big for the Oscars season since the guilds have historically been an indicator of a film’s success in the awards circuit.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Conclave came out in victory though once all of the awards are said and done. It feels very much like a Spotlight (2016) kind of film presence this year; it’s a safe choice for voters. Also, it did win big at SAG for Best Film Ensemble and those voters usually make up a majority of the Oscar count as well.
Another winner we’ve seen in the awards circuit is Demi Moore, who won Best Leading Actress in a Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes for her performance in The Substance. It’s a well-deserved award for Moore, who had a touching speech at the Globes about her rise in Hollywood and her lack of support from peers for more artistic endeavors. Now, she’s winning at the Globes and the Critics Choice Awards for a performance in a horror film so look who’s rising now.
Adrien Brody is also there. I have many opinions on this man and since I’m personally not a big fan of The Brutalist, I don’t see the hype whatsoever. Along with all the negative press on the slight use of AI in his accent performance, it’s a huge surprise he’s gotten this far. Oh yeah, and did we forget the deeply offensive SNL sketch that Adrien Brody took part in years ago where he impersonated a person with Jamaican nationality? He’s won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award, and the BAFTA so far for Best Actor. Seeing Sebastian Stan win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for A Different Man was a very nice surprise. Timothée Chalamet winning the Best Actor category at the SAG awards for A Complete Unknown was also beautiful to see, as he’s the youngest actor to ever get the award. That cocky kid deserves it.
It’s also a scary moment for Hollywood and a lot of us don’t realize it. This year’s awards are actually vital to understanding the trajectory of where the industry is heading. As frontrunners The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez get all of these awards, it creates a precedent for the usage of AI. That might not seem so important now, but come several years from now, if we award these films the highest praise, AI will be accepting the highest praise as well. There won’t be a limit or any negative press towards just how much AI is used in film in the future. The progress from the Writers and Actors Strikes back in 2023, which fought for proper rights in the industry in the face of lower wages and AI usage, could be in jeopardy if these films truly succeed.
It’s definitely an unpredictable ballot this year at all of the ceremonies. It almost feels like the plot of Conclave, and I very much find that a fun little allegory in the midst of so much controversy. The Oscars Pick’em ballot is definitely going to have some interesting winners this year. But hey, some of it isn’t so bad, at least Sebastian Stan is getting some appreciation. Also, Nickel Boys deserves more love because that film is so incredibly important to release today.
Tell me though, since you’ve seen the full 2025 awards season by now, was I right?
Noah Darling is a Sophomore at Ithaca College and has a bone to pick with Awards voters. He can be reached at [email protected].