The list of the Oscar winners, commented

Staff February 25, 2019

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We bring you the list of winners of the Oscar Awards with comments and figures on this year's awards

The list of the Oscar winners, commented

This Sunday, February 24, the 91st version of the Academy Awards was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. This is our commented list of the 24 winners of this Sunday.

Leer en español: La lista de los ganadores de los Óscar, comentada

Best film

As we had predicted, Green Book won the most anticipated award of the night. It was expected, due to the correct and low risk that is the movie, very much in the style of the Oscars. To receive the award, at least 20 men, the filmmakers, got up from their seats. Among them, almost the only black man was Mahershala Ali, co-star of the film. Thus, Green Book not only leaves a lot to be desired on the screen, but it also shows how little we have crossed the racial frontier that the film supposes to denounce.

Best Director

It was taken by the Mexican Alfonso Cuarón for his great film Roma. It is a reason to celebrate that an essentially Latin American theme takes one of the most important awards of the night. However, we must also remember that this is not a triumph of Mexican cinema, as Cuarón moves within the Hollywood circuit. He is a Mexican director who has taken his place to tell a story about the Latin American family, but he is not part of the Mexican industry.

Best Actor

Rami Malek won in this category. He won by doing an excellent imitation of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody in a role in which he saw a judicious actor and student of the gestures of his character, rather than an interpreter. In his acceptance speech, he spoke about having made a gay movie about immigrants, but both things totally censored in the film. Their nominees, however, except perhaps Willem Dafoe and Viggo Mortensen, were not much superior either: Bradley Cooper and Cristian Bale were also, after all, imitators of another character.

Best actress

It was won by the great Olivia Colman, who had made a career in British television and in the independent film industry, until now, who starred in the latest film by Yorgos Lanthimos. In her acceptance speech, nervous and moved, she expressed her admiration for the Greek director and thanked her co-nominees. This category has become in recent years one of the most interesting of the Oscars, no longer guided by beauty or by the "it-girls", but by interpreters of the deepest female characters of cinema. Frances McDormand, the winner of the same award last year for her brilliant Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missuri, was in charge of delivering the award.

Best Supporting Actress

Regina King won in this category for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk, a love story in the heart of Harlem. This film has been commented above all by the excellent performance of King, who sometimes steals the brightness of the two protagonists of the film.

Best Supporting Actor

It is the second Oscar that Mahershala Ali takes. The first, for his moving role in Moonlight, was awarded in the ceremony of 2017. On this occasion, he wins for his interpretation of the black pianist Don Shirley in the also winning Green Book. A great actor who did what he could with a somewhat poor and uninteresting script.

Best Original Screenplay

It also takes the great prize of the night: Green Book. Written by Nick Vallelonga, it is not surprising that the film idealizes its characters and the friendship they cultivate: in the end, it is a story written by a son who admired his father.

Best Adapted Screenplay

First Oscar that he takes, finally, Spike Lee won by the script of BlackKklansman. Undoubtedly, the best-dressed of the night jumped on stage to receive for the first time his well-deserved prize from the hands of Samuel L. Jackson. In his acceptance speech, as in his films, he gave a lesson of black history and showed, once again, how, speaking of the past, one can speak of the present. He invited everyone to do the right thing.

Best Documentary

It was taken by the greatest documentary maker: National Geographic, with Free Solo, which explores the adventure undertaken by Alex Honnold when he tries to do a solo and free (without harness) climbing in 2017.

Best Makeup and Hairdressing

Win Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney basically by the transformation of Cristian Bale into Dick Cheney, the ruthless vice president of George W. Bush. These films that try to make an actor the closest thing to a historical character are the ones that usually win in this category. There were no surprises.

Best Costume and Best Production Design

He won Black Panther in both categories. It was to be expected due to the complete universe that the filmmakers must have imagined. The winning filmmakers, Ruth E. Carter, and Hannah Beachler are the second and third black women to win an Oscar in a non-acting category. This shows that, while representation on the screen is important, the real presence of black women in the film industry is almost null and should also be included behind the scenes.

Best Cinematography

The Mexican Alfonso Cuarón also takes him for his caring and subtle work in Rome.

Better Edition, Assembly and Mixing of Sound

Bohemian Rhapsody won in all three categories especially by superimposing scenes to the sound of the songs of the great Queen.

Best Foreign Film

Again, Rome and Mexico. He wins on this occasion to Japan, Lebanon, Germany, and Poland. The only Latin American movie on the nominees.

Best Animated Movie

Maybe it was the most fought category because all the nominees were good. It takes Spider-Man: a new universe in this year in which Marvel put on the shirt of the claims.

Best Short Films

The Best Animated Short takes him, once again, Disney and Pixar, with Bao. The Best Short Documentary takes Period. End of Sentence, performed by women about women in India who lead a sexual revolution around menstruation. And the Best Short Fiction is taken by the Israeli Skin, about a white supremacist marriage and what happens when they arrive home after a day of leisure.

Best Special Effects

It was the only Oscar that took First Man, one of the favorites and that was thought to be nominated for Best Picture. The story of the first man on the moon, of course, has the best special effects of the year.

Best music

On the one hand, Black Panther won Best Soundtrack for the work of Ludwig Gorasson. On the other, Lady Gaga won the Best Original Song award for "Shallow" for A Star Is Born. In her acceptance speech, full of commonplaces like "chase your dreams, no matter how much they reject you", she was seen as overactive as in the movie.