A Night of Anora Anointed

I can't remember the last time my favourite movie of a particular year swept at the Oscars. I don't think it's ever happened. But Anora won last night. I refuse to feel validated! I know if I do, Lucy's going to yank the football next year and something like Chicago or Paul Haggis' Crash will win. But I guess I can enjoy this moment.

I really appreciated Sean Baker's acceptance speech for Best Director (for directing Anora). I don't know that impassioned pleas for preserving a dying part of the culture have ever been effective but I certainly shared his sentiment. Movie theatres certainly seem to be much healthier in Japan but it's still rare for students to tell me they saw a movie over the weekend. I don't think anything can reverse this trend unless the price of movie tickets starts to come down.

Anora won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and, most controversially, Best Actress. I thought Mikey Madison was terrific in Anora but, as much as I didn't enjoy The Substance, Demi Moore took a hell of a lot of risks in that role. I do kind of hate it when an actor or actress wins for a career rather than for the role they're nominated for so maybe I don't mind this so much. Mikey Madison was certainly radiant in her acceptance speech.