so there's this awards narrative...
my hypothetical awards season ins and outs
Trust me, I’m well aware awards season is over. I know most people would like to move on with their lives and not think about the Oscars for at least the next ten months. I would like to as well. Of course, that being said, I have lots of thoughts on the very messy award season we just witnessed, from the stan wars to the tweets (“Afro-Korean festival” being an all-timer) to the narratives, and I would love to dump this all out of my brain now before I go touch some grass for the first time in weeks and then go chill in my mansion or whatever.
These are my awards season ins and outs. Many members of the Academy refuse to even watch all the films nominated before voting so its not like any change will be coming to fruition anytime soon, but hey, a girl can dream!
OUT: spring and summer releases
I’m sick and tired of studios dumping awards worthy films in the spring and summer just for them to be forgotten by the time fall rolls around and certainly by the time awards season starts to ramp up in the winter. There’s no good reason to be releasing Challengers in April, Dune: Part Two in March, Nickel Boys in August, and Sing Sing in July when they’re all clearly Oscar-worthy films with Academy Award nominated teams behind them. It feels like an excuse for studios to focus on more awards-baity films later on in the year. For example, A24 always bites off way more than they can chew and end up putting all their eggs in one basket like they did with The Brutalist this year. Distribution is a whole other issue here, but releasing Oscar worthy films closer to awards season is the least these studios can do.
IN: self-awareness
I loved Timothée’s SAG acceptance speech. I’m not sure why there was so much discourse about it. He’s passionate and wants to be one of the greats (which isn’t a crazy ask given his filmography thus far). I’m trying and failing to see what is so controversial about that. God forbid actors are passionate and have hopes and dreams. I think that level of self-awareness is honestly refreshing during awards season. It’s certainly better than Bradley Cooper pretending not to care about awards, but making every imaginable move to try and get one.
OUT: overdue narratives
I’ve been quiet for too long. Enough with the “overdue” narratives! Luckily, the Academy somewhat agreed with me this year and gave Best Actress to rising star Mikey Madison. They still seem to have a gripe with young actors however and I’m fearful they won’t let Timothée win until he has his own overdue narrative (despite the fact that he’s been acting onscreen almost his whole life and arguably already does have one).
In terms of Best Actress, I’ve been seeing a lot of Mikey Madison slander (and slut shaming…) under the guise of “Mikey winning over Demi proves the point of The Substance” despite a quick Google search finding that the last Best Actress winner under 30 was Emma Stone for La La Land in 2017…eight whole years ago. I’m not saying Hollywood doesn’t have a misogyny problem, but claiming they don’t award older/veteran actresses is just false. White women will have opportunities regardless of age. It’s women of color like Lily Gladstone, Danielle Deadwyler, and even Zoe Saldana (however annoying she may be) who are going to have to work a hundred times harder than their peers in order to end up in the awards conversation again.
IN: history making
I know this sounds contradictory to what I just said, but walk with me for a second. Michelle Yeoh in 2023 should not be the first Asian woman to win Best Actress. Halle Berry should not be the first and still only Black woman to win Best Actress. This year, Paul Tazewell should not be the first Black man to win the Oscar for costume design. We should not still be making history nearly a hundred years into the history of this very ceremony, but at this rate, better late than never I suppose. It’s not a matter of the nominees of color being undeserving of the award but simply ignored in favor of their white counterparts. Just two years ago, nearly every White actress in Hollywood banded together to get [checks notes] Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie an Oscar nom over Danielle Deadwyler in Till and Viola Davis in The Woman King.
I’m also very annoyed by the fact that Adrien Brody is still the record holder for youngest Best Actor winner. I need the Academy to look me in the eyes and tell me that no leading performance by a man under the age of twenty-nine during the last twenty-three years deserved an Oscar. Be serious! I was rooting for Timothée this year, but alas here we are. Brody might keep that record until he’s six feet under at this point. Gabriel LaBelle and Cooper Hoffman, you’re our only hopes.
OUT: sweeps
Sweeps are just boring. They make the speeches boring. They make ceremonies boring. They make awards season boring. I think awards should go to the best performance period, but when a category is so stacked, I don’t see the logic in going all-in on one performance rather than spreading the love. I love Kieran Culkin. I saw A Real Pain at Sundance in January 2024, and his performance has been my pick for Best Supporting ever since. That being said, Best Supporting was absolutely stacked this year and Guy Pearce and Jeremy Strong especially would have been more than worthy of a win somewhere along the way. The other sweep this year was Zoe Saldana for Emilia Perez, another instance of category fraud (bring back REAL supporting wins) which was particularly upsetting to witness considering there were some great supporting actresses this year. When I say supporting, I mean performances that did a lot with a little screen time. Under that logic, Felicity Jones (so I’ve heard) and Monica Barbaro would have been worthy wins at some point as well. Spread the love when it makes sense to do so.
IN: genre love
More flowers for horror and comedy films, please and thank you! Bring back “Renée Zellweger getting a nom for Bridget Jones’ Diary” energy! Lupita Nyong’o should have swept for her performance(s) in Us, a performance that I’m certain will go down as one of the best in film history. As much as I didn’t care for The Substance, the Academy recognizing it at all (as well as recognizing Nosferatu below the line) is a step in the right direction, but there’s still a very long way to go.
OUT: reactionary behavior
Oscar enthusiasts like myself need to stop with the reactionary behavior after every awards show. Enough! It’s absolutely insane that Anora was pronounced dead after the Golden Globes of all things, a January ceremony voted on by journalists and not Hollywood. It’s not over until it’s over which is important to remember for both fans of frontrunners and their competition. It feels like we get hit in the head with this reminder at the end of every season and by then it’s too late. Enjoy the ride and no more premature death declarations. Reports of Anora’s death were greatly exaggerated.
IN: left-field noms
One thing about me is I absolutely love an out-of-left field nom. I loved the Nickel Boys Best Picture nomination this year. I loved Brian Tyree Henry’s Best Supporting nom for Causeway in 2023. I loved Paul Mescal’s Best Actor nom for A24 indie Aftersun that same year. I just love when the Academy has fun with it and does whatever they want. These left-field noms may not lead to wins and may seem to have “Chris Paul hits a huge three to cut the lead down to 42” energy, but a nomination itself can do so much for a rising artist’s career and the Oscars should be all about celebrating new and exciting talent and filmmakers.
OUT: stan wars
Stop pitting women against each other. This idea that only one woman can succeed at a time is misogynistic and demeaning. Keep that stan behavior to yourself. Please change and grow as a person.
Also, if you’re going to engage in awards season discourse, at least do your research. I know we all have to start somewhere, but respectfully, Ariana Grande hasn’t had a chance at winning Best Supporting in months at this point and you keep using this word, “snubbed.” You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means, and Google is free! That’s all.
IN: fun!
More than anything, awards season is supposed to be fun for all involved. It’s never that serious to be sending death threats, resorting to slurs, and spreading rumors over a little gold man. Make your predictions, support your local theaters, but keep it cute.
Well, congratulations soldier! We survived Awards Season 2025 and all we got was this article cooked up by yours truly. My work here is done. You can rest now. You did good.
[post-credits tease]
Don’t mind me, just claiming my 2026 priorities: Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, After the Hunt, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Sorry, Baby, and Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme. Ok, this time next year?