The Oscars : Does a Film need to win Awards to be Great?

Lady Bird didn’t win any awards on Sunday. But the amount of films in this years Oscars that just five years ago probably wouldn’t have even been nominated is saying something.

The nominees for the best film are pretty standard five years ago and the films themselves are in some ways different. Silver Linings Playbook subject matter is different but the premise is still a standard rom-com. Argo won for best picture and the premise of that film was saving embassy employees from Iran.

Now five years later a movie about a deaf woman who falls in love with a fish-man win best picture. The other films nominated as well are different from 85th Oscars. A film about a gay love affair, growing up as a young woman, a horror film about race,a mothers devotion to her dead daughter,a couple of World War 2 movies, a freedom of the press story and a love affair with a designer.

Now this happened before in the history of this awards show where certain years are weirder with more outlandish type films dominating the list of nominees. But this seems different, for one Lady Bird and Call me by your name are not outlandish films. They talk about things that we should see more of and tell stories that need to be told. Get Out is another example of being cleaver and different when talking about inequality.

Now I know part of this is because the voting system has changed and now more number one votes will be counted towards a winning film so if that film is diverse and different it still might win best picture.

So I think this is something to build on, there’s still so many films that are amazing that don’t get noticed. But in the end this is still a main stream way of getting films exposed and because of the Oscars I want to see Lady Bird.

The other factor here is for the first time ever a woman cinematographer (Rachel Morrison) which should’ve happened a long time ago but this is the main stream. The most women were ever nominated at the Academy Awards and I think that too will not stop. As we all know usually the last one to change is the most middle of road platform and for the longest time that has been the Oscars. Slowly but surely that is beginning to change.