If something is changing at the Oscars, it is thanks to different and risky proposals that have turned around when it comes to being valued by the new members of the Hollywood Academy for the sake of greater diversity after the irruption of the
The studio's catalog includes directors as diverse as Gaspar Noé (Climax), Yorgos Lanthimos (Lobster, The Sacrifice of a Sacred Deer), Claire Denis (High Life), Sofia Coppola (Priscilla) or Gus Van Sant (The Forest of dreams). And his confidence in new voices has opened the doors to the interesting works of Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar), Robert Eggers (The Witch, The Lighthouse), Sean Baker (The Florida project), Andrea Arnold (American honey) or the brothers Safdie (Good Time, Diamonds in the Rough). They believed in the artificial intelligence of Alex Garland's Ex Machina, which won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2016 and was nominated for Best Screenplay. And they were behind the drama Room, which gave Brie Larson her best actress award that same year. On the small screen, A24 has led to the success of Euphoria, starring Zendaya. And this year it will premiere Past Lives, the film by newcomer Celine Song that dazzled at Sundance and the last Berlinale.
A24 shows that the new independent cinema knows how to attract viewers with the most original stories and for all possible moviegoing tastes. And, in addition, win the most important prizes that they couldn't even imagine before. Some time ago it would have been unthinkable that King Midas Steven Spielberg could leave empty-handed at the Oscars when he had to present the semi-autobiographical film that revealed his love for cinema. The Fabelmans, the dream project since he was a teenager, brought him the Golden Globe for best director and drama film. And stop counting. The race to conquer the awards season has been unsuccessful. His more conventional style has not caught on with younger voters. But it is also curious that other of the great favorites of the night, Elvis and Inisherin's Almas en bano, with eight and nine nominations each, were completely ignored.
The biopic about the king of rock, an explosion of music and color sponsored by Warner Bros., had its great asset in the interpretation of Austin Butler, winner of the Golden Globe and the Bafta. However, the spectacular staging made in Bazz Luhrmann has been offset by a more than good box office. You cannot succeed at everything. He has competed head-to-head with Tom Cruise's movie-saving movie, Top Gun: Maverick. The sequel to the mythical tape of the eighties aspired to six statuettes and had to be content with the one with the best sound. Not even Cruise was at the gala. Neither is James Cameron, the one who has really resurrected the rooms with the blockbuster new installment of Avatar: The Sense of Water. It had four nominations, including best picture, and has won recognition for visual effects. The same fate has been achieved by Tár, zero out of six.
But Banshees of Inisherin did not deserve such contempt. The originality of the story created by Martin McDonagh about the breakdown of a friendship set in Ireland in 1923 could well have been endorsed by A24. At least we have the tender look that Colin Farell gave her Jenny the donkey when he saw her appear on stage with Jimmy Kimmel. Pure love.
