The 97th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, showcased the amazing motion picture achievements made in the last year. Interestingly, an unprecedented amount of smaller films outperformed major studio films.
One of the most unexpected upsets was for Best International Feature Film. The winner, I’m Still Here, follows Eunice Paiva, a mother and activist coping with the forced disappearance of her husband during the military dictatorship in Brazil. This beat out Emilia Perez, the high-budget, Netflix-produced frontrunner.
Emilia Perez, a musical crime film depicting a Mexican cartel leader who aims to disappear and transition into a woman with the help of a lawyer, already generated fair amounts of controversy before the award. Among these included the resurfacing of lead Karla Sofía Gascón’s problematic tweets, the movie’s stereotypical depiction of Mexico, and the location of the shooting entirely in France despite its setting.
Tomas Gonzalez ‘26 comments, “Emilia Perez reinforces narco-stereotypes among Mexicans, perpetuating Latinx identities plagued by Western erasure.”
However, Agustya Karadkar ‘27 argues, “Movie critics must separate the art from the artist. Oscars should be given based on content instead of Hollywood’s politics. [Gascón’s] racist comments shouldn’t justify the exclusion of the entire film from receiving critical acclaim.” Still, Karadkar is pleased to see the Academy recognizing smaller film studios instead of dishing out awards to “summer blockbusters.”
Upsets did not stop with the Award for International Film. Flow, a Latvian animated film, surpassed Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot, and other big-budget nominees for Best Animated Feature. Flow, a groundbreaking film featuring no dialogue, follows Cat in a post-apocalyptic world as the water level dramatically rises.
The prestigious award for Best Picture went to Anora, a Cinderella-esque movie following a stripper from New York who marries the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch. Unlike the previous two upsets, Anora was widely expected to win the Oscar after winning the Best Picture title at the Writers Guild of America Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Surprisingly, the film was produced and distributed by Neon, an indie film production company.
Considering this year’s Oscar winners, the film industry should expect greater critical acclaim and reception for provocative indie films. This should incentivize studios to expand their creative direction to compete in future Academy Award shows and create truly beautiful cinema.
