In the film industry, there is nearly no award more prestigious than an Oscar. Out of all the groundbreaking and mind-blowing releases throughout 2025, I was fully prepared for a three-hour snoozefest with basic boring picks, exactly how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences likes it. While the awards given weren’t far from unpredictable and we got another year of the Academy tightening their blindfold in front of the world, many of the picks were not only satisfying, but felt more human than they have in a long time.
A large portion of the awards were easily anticipated, but too many leaned on the “bad, but expected” side, like “The Wild Robot” not winning any awards, or Jaques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” winning two, which is two too many. Audiard’s regressive and xenophobic film taking home more awards than “Citizen Kane” did back in 1942 is undoubtedly vomit-inducing, but they won far less than myself and many others feared, and if they had to take home any awards, at least one of them could be to Zoe Saldana, who was by far the only watchable part of the film.
The largest awards fell closely to how the world predicted, with the only genuine surprise of the main awards being Sean Baker’s “Anora” picking up not only its expected Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress in a Leading Role awards, but also the crown jewel of the night, Best Picture. Anora’s success is a phenomenal choice due to not only the genius of the film’s composition, but also the representation it gives to the independant film scene, which needs any publicity and sympathy it can get.
Mikey Madison gave appreciation to sex workers and indie filmmakers across the country in her speech for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which was a meaningful cherry-on-top of her deserved win. Baker used his record-tying four acceptance speeches to also give thanks to the sex worker community and to spread awareness of the lack of indie film funding and theater attendance, which was one of the most impactful parts of the show, bringing the audience back to what the root of film is and why it’s so important to not lose those roots.
The Oscars had its disappointments, but was also flooded with memorable and incredibly satisfying picks, touching on parts of the industry that mainstream critics usually ignore completely. This combination of decisions by the Academy felt less flashy and more traditionally appreciative of film that wasn’t necessarily mainstream, which made for a far more warm and genuine show than most years, even if it wasn’t perfect.
