The Oscar 2025: Let's talk.

In 2020, I was a young kid, in the midst of a pandemic. After being bored of the blockbusters I watched, I took the path of the indie route. It started with Parasite by Bong Joon Ho, (necessarily not an Indie film but a film that still was a foreign film and was an easy pick, it won the Oscar). Eventually, it led me to a holy pilgrimage of some great filmmakers. I educated myself on the works of Tarantino, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Park Chan Wook, Woody Allen, Ozu. One of those filmmakers, that I have never stopped following was Sean Baker.

Sean Baker is a very human filmmaker in my opinion. What makes him, even more solid is his ability to make stories larger than life in a shoestring budget. His 2015 film Tangerine was shot in an IPhone. Sean Baker, talks about the lives of people who are usually considered “as mere objects”. In his magnum opus, The Florida Project, we see Disneyland from the perspective of children not from the perspective of those who can afford to go there, but from the children of sex workers and escorts living in rundown motels nearby.

And yet, the innocence of these kids to survive in these harsh realities, was what made the film so good. The Florida Project, deserved a lot of glory. But today, I am happy that, although The Florida Project didn’t receive its glory, tonight, Sean Baker, was basking in on the glory of his work.

Anora was a surprise winner tonight. The Oscar Race was insane, with some calling it the most chaotic Oscar Race in the modern times. So, unlike last year, I couldn’t really predict who would win. But today, a film made in a budget ten times lesser than Netflix’s Award Campaigning budget won the title.

Mikey Madison is officially, the first Gen Z Actress to win Best Actress. And this is big news for me. I would love to believe, we are in an interesting era for cinema, an era that mirrors New Hollywood on Instagram, the vibrant colors and experimentation in modern cinematography and color grading, the soft core pornography that makes sense. When I see a movie like Anora or The Substance, I think we have reached the Z era of Hollywood. A style of cinema that we can call our own.

Today, I cried. I felt like I was a mother watching her child win first prize in a competition.

On other news, Flow, deservedly won Best Animated Feature Film, probably breaking Academy’s obsession with Disney/Pixar. But maybe next year, they will go back to awarding the new Disney sequel the Animated trophy.

Plus, we saw the slow yet rotting death of Emilia Perez, a film we all envisioned would be pushed down our throats as the Gen Z Crash. But thankfully, Karla saved us from all that bullshit. Nevertheless, Zoe Saldana won an Oscar, and I’m happy about that.

The biggest loser tonight, at least according to my friend, was Wicked. It was supposed to be huge, considering its star-studded cast, but it failed to translate that into awards.

Now, why did Anora win? Well, it’s a film made on a shoestring budget with a simple yet effective story. Sean Baker’s previous film, Red Rocket—also a great watch—was quite uncomfortable to sit through. Mikey’s performance in Anora was still strong enough to push through.Now, why did Anora win? Well, it is a film made in a shoe string budget, with a very simpler story. Sean Baker’s previous film, Red Rocket, also a good watch, was quite uncomfortable to watch. Mikey’s performance was still strong enough to push through.

For me, though, the biggest loser was The Substance. Most of us were rooting for Demi Moore, who had finally broken out of her “popcorn movie” identity with The Substance. And honestly, it was such a great film. But, unironically—just like many comments on Reddit said—Demi Moore lost the award to a younger, hotter girl. Which is literally the plot of The Substance. Still, that doesn’t take away from her performance or the film itself. It will be remembered for years to come.

Adrien Brody defended his record as “the youngest Best Actor winner” by winning the award for the second time since his controversial 2003 win for Polanski’s The Pianist. Many were rooting for Timothée Chalamet, whose performance in A Complete Unknown was recognized (I still need to watch the film), but I assume the Academy wanted him to wait his turn—à la Leonardo DiCaprio.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad night. Probably because I didn’t watch that many films from this year.or me though, the biggest loser was The Substance. For most of us, we were rooting for Demi Moore, who had broken her “popcorn lady” identity with The Substance. And honestly, it was such a good film in my opinion. But unironically, just like many comments on Reddit said, Demi Moore lost the award to a younger, hotter girl. Which is literally, the plot of The Substance. Nevertheless, let’s not take away the merit of her performance, and the movie. It is gonna be remembered for years to come.

Adrien Brody defended his record as “the youngest Best Actor winner” by winning the Best Actor award for the second time since his controversial 2003 win for Polanski’s The Pianist. As many were rooting for Timothee Chalamet, whose performance in A Complete Unknown was recognised ( I need to yet watch the film ), I assume the Academy wanted him to wait for his turn ( A La Leo Di Caprio)

Overall, wasn’t a bad night. Probably, because I didn’t watch that many films from this year. Personally, because I saw one of my idols, who I have always waited for to get his moment, have it. Sure, I am disappointed that the tribute to David Lynch was terrible. But that’s all for today guys. SCREW NETFLIX.