Seth Lamey
The 97th Oscars celebrated many of the top films from 2024 both from the mainstream and independent scenes. Host Conan O’Brien kept the audience in a good mood with witty jokes and bits. The presentation started with reflection and respect towards the communities affected by the L.A. fires, and the show weaved in musical montage dedicated to James Bond 007 and had a heartfelt In Memorium near the shows conclusion. While many films were decorated, none could beat the dark comedy-drama Anora.
Anora director Sean Baker made Oscars history by winning four awards: Best Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. Lead actress Mikey Madison also took home Best Actress in a Leading Roll, giving Anora five total wins, including in four of the major categories. The Brutalist also did well, taking home Best Actor in a Leading role for Adrien Brody and winning in two key technical categories, with Lol Crawley winning Best Cinematography and Daniel Blumberg winning Best Musical Score.
Awards were spread fairly evenly, with Wicked taking home two wins, Conclave winning Best Adapted Screenplay, Dune: Part Two winning two technical awards, and Emilia Perez twice highlighted by Zoe Saldana becoming the first Dominican-born acting winner in Oscars history. While many races were predictable, seeing how close some races came out (Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture), the award season found some closure with a big night for Anora.
Listed below are the complete listed winners, along with links to reviews to nearly every nominated film and instant analysis of major category wins in comparison with our Film Obsessive critics’ predictions.
Best Picture
The Oscar goes to…Anora
It is always a good feeling to get the big prize right, and we accurately guessed Anora would win Best Picture. The early award season darling fought back after some stiff competition from Conclave, The Brutalist, and Emilia Perez to soundly be the most awarded film of the night, highlighted by director Sean Baker’s four statue win on the big stage. Anora charmed audiences with its intensity, humanity, and ability to make people laugh and cry at any given notice with rollercoaster thrills.
Actor in a Leading Role
The Oscar goes to…Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Adrien Brody took home his 2nd Oscar, two decades after his first win (The Pianist, 2002). His win for The Brutalist bucks our pick at Film Obsessive, where we predicted Timothee Chalamet for A Complete Unknown. This was hardly a surprise as Brody had won at many award shows this circuit. His sincere and powerful performance as Lazlo Toth was one of the best in 2024 and one of his career best. His speech was just as earnest as his performance and culminates his successful acting career.
Actress in a Leading Role
The Oscar goes to…Mikey Madison – Anora
This award season was quite a race for Best Lead Actress, with Demi Moore for The Substance and Mikey Madison for Anora splitting award victories almost weekly. We at Film Obsessive thought the Academy would give the veteran Moore the nod, but it was break through performer Madison who owned the night at the Oscar. Her charming and relentless performance as Ani in Anora was one of the best performances of the year and is well-earned win. Madison puts the other actors in Hollywood on notice as one of the brightest talents moving forward.
Actor in a Supporting Role
The Oscar goes to…Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Kieran Culkin swept through every other award show victorious and predictably took home his first Oscar. We correctly predicted this at Film Obsessive. His witty and empathetic performance as Benji in A Real Pain caps off his great supporting actor run on both prestige TV and independent film this decade. Culkin delivered a heart felt and humorous speech, highlighted by a direct response to his wife about family expansion.
Actress in a Supporting Role
The Oscar goes to…Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Perez
Zoe Saldaña also completed an award season sweep en-route to her first Oscar win. We at Film Obsessive predicted both supporting actor categories correct, although both categories seemed inevitable. Her work in Emilia Perez showcased her bi-lingual talents as well as an impressive physical performance for the song and dance sequences. Saldaña has grinded most of her career in franchise films, with Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avatari, but it was her return to indie roots that found her the role of her career to find a defining performance and win. She gave a heartfelt speech in tears, dedicating the award to her friends and family that helped her along the way and made her the first Dominican-born Oscar winner.
Directing
The Oscar goes to…Sean Baker – Anora
Sean Baker had the biggest night in Oscars history for one person, and Best Director was one of the most validating wins for the auteur film maker of Anora. We guessed this correctly, and Bakers big night, which started with editing and writing wins, made Best Director seem all but inevitable. To have a director so involved in every stage of the film-making process, Anora was the product of Sean Baker’s guiding hand behind the camera. He extracted electric performances and held full command of his technical crew to achieve his directorial goals. His speeches throughout the night gave credit to his cast and crew, and he championed for the reliance and focus needed to keep film making and exhibition alive.
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Oscar goes to…Sean Baker – Anora
The first win of the night for Sean Baker and Anora, it set the film maker and film on a great trajectory to take home big awards. We correctly predicted this win, and Bakers use of real life inspiration crafted one of his most unique and engaging scripts yet in his career. Anora‘s ability to tackle themes of class division, gender roles, sex work, capitalism, politics, sprinkled with Bakers own brand of light and dark humor, made it one of the most rewarding and unique scripts of 2024.
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Oscar goes to…Peter Straughan – Conclave
Peter Straughan takes home his first Oscar for best adapted screenplay with Conclave. We predicted this correctly and it came as no surprise. Straughan’s script for Conclave is crafted with wit and mystery, taking the audience down a narrative of twists and turns. The election of a new Pope is handled with the sharpness of a hard hitting drama/thriller, and with Edward Bergers direction and strong ensemble performances, it cements Conclave as one of 2024’s best films.
Alongside these, the Academy also awarded statuettes to the following:
- Film Editing: Sean Baker, Anora
- Cinematography: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist
- Music (Original Score): Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist
- Music (Original Song): “El Mal” Music by Clément Ducol and Camille Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, Emilia Perez
- Production Design: Wicked
- International Feature Film: I’m Still Here
- Animated Feature Film: Flow
- Costume Design: Wicked
- Documentary Feature Film: No Other Land
- Documentary Short Film: The Only Girl in the Orchestra
- Makeup and Hairstyling: The Substance
- Animated Short Film: In the Shadow of the Cypress
- Live Action Short Film: I’m Not a Robot
- Sound: Dune: Part Two
- Visual Effects: Dune: Part Two
