96th Academy Awards | Oppenheimer’s coronation

After a heated struggle between Poor Thingswinner of 4 Oscars, and OppenheimerChristopher Nolan’s film won 7 of the 13 Oscars for which it competed.

Named 13 times, Oppenheimerby Christopher Nolan, led the Oscar race, but with its 11 nominations, Poor Things would stand out early in the evening, winning three Oscars in the first hour and dust. So, Poor Things stood out in the makeup and hairstyle categories (Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston), artistic direction (James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek) and best costumes (Holly Waddington).

Thanks to the talent of Robert Downey Jr., Christopher Nolan’s film was presented for the first time in the evening. Nominated a third time, the interpreter of the rival of the father of the atomic bomb won the Oscar, his first, for best supporting actor. Then, it was Jennifer Lame’s turn to take the stage to follow closely behind Yórgos Lánthimos’ film by winning the Oscar for best editing, her first in her career and second of the evening for Nolan’s film. In his second appointment, Hoyte van Hoytema (Dunquerque) won the Oscar for Best Cinematography for Oppenheimer, his first in his career. And three for Nolan!

However, by winning the Oscar for best sound for The Zone of Interest, the second for Jonathan Glazer’s film, crowned best foreign film earlier in the evening, Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn came to spice up the suspense. But that was without counting on the Swede Ludwig Göransson, the proud Irishman Cillian Murphy and the Englishman Christopher Nolan, winning respectively the Oscar for best original score, best actor and best direction to bring the total to six statuettes For Oppenheimer.

Poor Things distinguished itself a fourth and final time when Emma Stone, who reinvented herself under the direction of Yórgos Lánthimos, was crowned best actress. “My dress is torn, I think it happened during the number I’m Just Ken “, said the actress, whose voice was hoarse with emotion, who greeted the four other actresses nominated, Annette Bening, Sandra Hüller, Carey Mulligan and Lily Gladstone.

At the end of the ceremony, Al Pacino, who came to mark the 50th anniversary of Godfather 2, by Francis Ford Coppola, came to present the Oscar for best film. As a joke, host Jimmy Kimmel asked that the actor have the correct envelope in order to avoid an unfortunate incident like the year of La La Land and of Moonlight. Without surprise, Oppenheimer thus won his seventh Oscar of the evening.

Where was Barbie?

Named eight times, barbieGreta Gerwig’s megasuccess, had to settle for a single statuette, that of best original song, What Was I Made For, by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The film nevertheless shone thanks to Ryan Gosling, dressed all in pink, who gave one of the best numbers of the evening singing I’m Just Ken. Slash and the other Kens from the film came to join him on stage, including his compatriot, the Canadian Simu Liu.

Like barbieother films were able to distinguish themselves once. Anatomy of a fall, nominated five times, earned director Justine Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari the original screenplay prize. For its part, American Fictionbased on the novel by Percival Everett, allowed Cord Jefferson to win the Oscar for best adaptation.

let’s remember that The Holdovers, by Alexandre Payne, on a screenplay by David Hemmingson, which appeared in the original screenplay category, had been accused the day before of plagiarism by the British screenwriter Simon Stephenson. Payne’s film, however, was able to register on the charts from the start of the evening when Da’Vine Joy Randolph, ray of sunshine from The Holdovers, won the award for best supporting actress. In tears, she greeted her mother who had encouraged her to become an actress. Listening to Lupita Nyong’o’s tribute to her, the actress was already visibly moved.

Moreover, for each of the performance categories, five actors or actresses came to pay tribute to the nominees. If it was sometimes touching, sometimes amusing, it stretched the evening. Less than two hours after the start of the ceremony, only 10 trophies had been presented.

Made up of director Takashi Yamazaki and his accomplices Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, the joyful team of Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for visual effects, presented by the “twins” Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, who threatened revenge on their rival Batman (Michael Keaton).

Kimmel efficient and discreet

After appearing at the end of a nice montage of the best films of the year alongside Margot Robbie, Jimmy Kimmel made his entrance on stage at the Dolby Theater to the song Dance the Nightby Dua Lipa (barbie). At the helm of the ceremony for the fourth time, the host thanked the audience for being on time, the awards ceremony having started an hour earlier than usual.

He then praised the success of cinema in 2023 despite the strike of screenwriters and actors. “From now on, they will no longer be afraid of being replaced by AI, but by prettier and younger people. » Kimmel also brought technicians and shadow artisans on stage: “I promise you a very long evening so that you can work overtime. »Wishing to toast the nominees and winners, Guillermo Rodriguez, who plays the security guard on Kimmel’s talk show, came to serve cocktails to the artists in the room.

Lulled by the song Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye), performed by Andrea Bocelli and her son Matteo, the in memoriam segment turned out to be a big failure. In fact, the screen where the faces of the disappeared appeared in such a wide shot, so that the numerous dancers entered the frame, that we could barely distinguish the names.

Other winners

The boy and the heronby the venerable Hayao Miyazaki, won the Oscar for best animated film, and War is Over Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, by Dave Mullins, written with Sean Lennon. The latter also wanted everyone to wish Happy Mother’s Day to his mother, Yoko Ono, 91 years old.

Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers walked away with the Oscar for best documentary short film For The Last Repair Shop, and Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath for best documentary For 20 Days in Mariupolthe first for Ukraine.

“I’m honored, but I’m probably the first director who wishes he’d never made this movie,” Chernov said. I would like to exchange my prize so that Russia never attacks Ukraine, does not invade our cities, does not kill 10,000 of my compatriots. »

During his acceptance speech for the Oscar for best foreign film, Jonathan Glazer paid tribute to the Israeli victims of October 7 and to the Gazans in front of a crying Sandra Hüller.

Finally, the Oscar for best short film was awarded to The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, based on the work of Roald Dahl, by Wes Anderson, his first after being nominated eight times. Let us remember thatInvinciblefrom Quebecer Vincent René-Lortie, competed in this category.