The Oscar nominations were announced bright and early on Jan. 23, so naturally, X was a hellscape and TikTok was up in arms. The swirling melting pot of opinions has created a vapid discourse cycle. Unsurprisingly, much of these fiery reactions concern the biggest film of the year — Greta Gerwig’s monumental summer blockbuster, “Barbie.”
Despite the film’s incredible nomination tally, amounting to eight total nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Original Song (x2), many, including Hillary Clinton, took to social media to express their disdain for two notable omissions. Yes, Margot Robbie and Gerwig failed to achieve nominations for Best Actress and Best Director, respectively.
So, if it’s considered prestigious enough for eight nods, including the top prize, where is the love for the leading ladies? Did they miss the point of the movie? Well, it’s not so simple.
Reading and listening to an onslaught of think pieces and complaints, I can’t help but wince at their egregious dismissiveness of other deserving talent. As someone who keeps up with the film industry and awards races, I squirm when people spew out undercooked blanket statements about an industry they don’t pay much attention to unless their box office darlings are up for awards.
Yes, the Academy has a shameful track record when it comes to honoring women and people of color. I don’t want to undersell the long history of terrible representation at the Oscars. The fact that the industry is still having firsts in many categories is a nasty reality.
However, I can’t help but feel like the majority of online rage is dedicated to two extremely well-recognized white women — both of whom are nominated for awards this year. Despite what the headlines and quick typers say, Robbie and Gerwig are both recognized for their work on “Barbie.” Robbie, who fought tooth and nail to get this production off the ground, received a well-deserved nomination for Best Picture as a producer — an award that distinctly honors the film’s existence as one of the 10 most outstanding movies of the year. Gerwig, alongside her husband Noah Baumbach, is among the nominees for Adapted Screenplay — a category that boasts an incredible line-up of essential films.
What the outrage lacks is the consideration of intersectionality. Where we extend our concerns about gender equality, we must also extend our condolences and congratulations to the men and women of color who were overlooked or nominated. The fact of the matter, which the discourse has largely overshadowed, is that this slate of nominees is one of the most diverse bunches in Oscar history — and that extends to women.
For one, with Celine Song’s “Past Lives,” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and Gerwig’s “Barbie,” this is the first time in history three women-led films were all nominated for Best Picture in the same year — all three of which are gorgeously crafted and thought-provoking in their own right. You might be thinking that Gerwig’s snub for Best Director still stings, especially considering the category’s infamous history of discounting women. So where’s this attention for the equally deserving Song or Triet? Despite its lack of general audience consumption, Triet’s French masterpiece, littered with feminist subtext, did receive a nod here — an impressive feat amongst an astonishingly stacked line-up of filmmakers.
Lily Gladstone, nominated for her incredible work in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” is the first Native American ever recognized for Best Actress. The Best Supporting Actress line-up is a massive win for diversity, featuring three women of color, including Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”) and America Ferrera (“Barbie”). Where’s all the love for Ferrera, who delivered the most empowering and compelling piece of text in the film? Surely these achievements are worthy of our collective attention in place of a misdirected fury.
There is also a sum of people who contend that Ryan Gosling’s nomination as Ken in a movie about women goes against the film’s thesis. I understand these complaints — they conveniently support a narrative of industry voter inequality. The rhetoric fails to comprehend that Gosling did not get nominated over Robbie. His category is entirely different and arguably less competitive. Moreover, it’s not Ken who is nominated; it’s Gosling’s deeply outrageous yet fantastic comedic performance. It might seem silly as a traditional awards contender, but for the entire year, it’s been widely considered as such. I promise it is not a slight to the film when the villain role, written and directed by Gerwig no less, is nominated for an award. It by no means endorses Ken’s actions.
Finally, there’s a strange pattern of people alleging that the film’s chart-topping financial success further indicates that Robbie and Gerwig were erroneously snubbed. Clinton offered her support to Robbie and Gerwig in her Tweet, stating, “While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you.” I know this might be a cheeky callback to her 2016 popular vote win and election loss, but box office success has never been a reason to give out awards. If anything, it’s impressive enough that a blockbuster film scored so many nominations and a testament to its sheer creativity. If more people took the time to watch the other nominated movies despite their challenging themes and relative obscurity, we’d be one step closer to an improved Oscar discourse.
2023 was a fantastic year for cinema, and “Barbie” is one of the leading proprietors of getting people back into the theater. It’s justly nominated for several awards, including nods for Robbie and Gerwig. So many wonderful films and diverse performances were recognized. What’s not to celebrate?
