Academy snubs and wins at the 2015 Oscars still make for a lively argument. This is my reaction to the February 22 ceremony, which honoured films released in 2014. The disappointment below belongs to that moment: later awards do not change how those choices felt on the night.
Academy Snubs: Boyhood and the Surprise of Birdman
Every year the Academy slips in a frowned spurn at a movie that is on everybody’s mind. This time ‘Boyhood’ became the bait. The coming-of-age tale that spread brilliantly over the span of 12 years, was a sure shot per se. But alas! the Oscars have a reputation in doing the unthinkable. ‘Birdman’ beat Linklater’s panache not only in Best Picture and Original Screenplay categories but also in Best Direction. Boyhood managed to hold its ground thanks to Patricia Arquette’s Supporting Actress win.
The irritation comes from how differently these two films ask us to watch time. Boyhood lets ordinary moments accumulate until their weight sneaks up on us. Birdman feels restless and theatrical, forever pushing us into another room and another confrontation. Calling one the winner does not make the other approach less daring. That is the maddening thing about a race like this: a single envelope has to stand in for experiences that are not really interchangeable.
The Academy Snubs That Began with the Nominations
When the Academy released its nominations, several omissions stirred frustration. Foxcatcher missed Best Picture, Big Eyes received no nominations, and The Lego Movie missed Animated Feature. Actors like Amy Adams, Jennifer Aniston, David Oyelowo, Helen Mirren, Bill Murray, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes and Christoph Waltz also missed out on acting nominations. Leaving David Oyelowo out of the acting nominations for Selma felt like a big rebuff. It also sharpened the argument about whose work the Academy notices and whose work it overlooks. Selma did receive a Best Picture nomination, so the frustration was about the recognition it missed, not a complete absence from the ballot.
Apart from the biggest surprise of the night, some more were strewn all along the event. Academy chose to ignore the ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ franchise once again giving precedence to ‘Big Hero 6’ in the animation department. Best Editing went to ‘Whiplash’ which again was a pie in the face for ‘Boyhood’. ‘American Sniper’ losing to ‘Whiplash’ in Sound Mixing was another one. American Sniper actually won Sound Editing; those were two separate awards. ‘Interstellar’ managed only one out of its five nominations. Surprise was Zimmer’s stunning score bowing down to Desplatic rhythm. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes overlooked in the Visual Effects department came as a big blow. However, it was a close call since Interstellar’s visuals were quite brilliant as well. It was great to see Glory glorified and Feast winning the Best Short Film Animated category. Winston just had to win 😉
The Wins, the Craft and the Final Tally
Awards for craft deserve more than a disappointed shrug. A score, an edit, or a visual effect can shape the way an entire film feels. My admiration for Zimmer does not mean Desplat’s work lacks its own personality, just as one effects winner cannot erase another film’s achievement. For the feeling behind my disappointment, read our Interstellar review. The music and images matter because they serve an emotional journey, not because they fill a trophy cabinet.
Here is a short summary of what happened:
- The Imitation Game (had 8 nominations, bagged 1)
- Boyhood (had 6, bagged 1)
- American Sniper (had 6, managed 1)
- Birdman (had 9, got 4)
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (had 9, got 4)
- Whiplash (had 5, got 3)
- Interstellar (had 5, got 1)
- Foxcatcher (had 5, received none)
When discussing Academy snubs, a nomination and a win tell different stories. Foxcatcher was not ignored altogether: five nominations acknowledged several parts of its achievement, even though it missed Best Picture and went home empty-handed. Likewise, a film with one award can still have found an audience that values it deeply. The count is useful context, but it cannot measure the work that stays with us after the ceremony ends. The official 2015 winners and nominees provide the full category record.
‘Foxcatcher’ was overlooked big time. Given the amount of work Bennett Miller had put in to create the beauty, he needed a little Academy respect and attention. Steve Carell’s transformational looks as John du Pont at least deserved a Makeup and Hairstyling accolade.
Rumours have continuously surrounded the Academy owing to its big decisions which seem pretty biased sometimes. The one that exemplifies the obvious perfectly – Incessant snubbing of Leonardo DiCaprio despite outstanding performances throughout his life. Academy even failed to recognize exceptional knacks of Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater last night. As of this February 2015 reaction, neither had won an Oscar, and that felt sad.
I picture Academy as one old crude witch, who just loves to see the world burn. If you have a favorite the Academy would snub it and shout “In your face!” in your face. Popular favourites can struggle to make the list, even though the ballot plainly does include mainstream movies.
Why Academy Snubs Do Not Decide a Film’s Worth
Academy snubs leave room for argument without turning every winner into the villain. What stings is the gap between a film’s place in our lives and its place on an awards list. We remember a performance, a scene, or a strange little feeling that a director managed to capture. The Academy cannot put all of that into its categories. Nor should disappointment make us stop talking about the films we love. The argument itself keeps them alive, provided we remember that our enthusiasm is a judgment too, not some final court of appeal.
Whatever the hammer says hardly bothers us though. We know for sure, nothing is really lost. The shattered are still celebrated. We still have incredible movies to watch thanks to sensational efforts put in by excellent directors, actors and the remaining crew.
If you didn’t make it, we don’t really care. Academy is just a bunch of people with their scathing point of view. If you consider all of us – people who watch you from every corner of the world, who care about every single thought you conceived to carve something beautiful, who praise your extraordinary efforts to create what we can only imagine, those who really love your work, who really encourage you to do the exceptional, the real movie buffs, for us, you are still our winners! You will never lose! Let us raise one to that!
