The movies “Oppenheimer”, directed by Cristopher Nolan, and “Poor Things”, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, have won Oscars for many nominations that were held at the Academy Awards. These Oscars included Best Picture and Best Lead Actor for “Oppenheimer” and Best Makeup and Hairstyle and Best Lead Actress for “Poor Things.” The awards were given at the ceremony of the 96th Academy Awards, which took place on Sunday, March 10, 2024.
Oppenheimer, which focused on the life and work of the physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer (the inventor of the atomic bomb), won awards for Actor in a Leading Role, Actor in a Supporting Role, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), and Best Picture. “Poor Things”, which tells the story of Bella Baxter, a woman with a child’s brain in a fictional version of Victorian England, won Actress in a Leading Role, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Production Design. These victors were decided by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences by voting among its many members, who work in various fields of the cinematic industry (the same areas in which the awards are given). The awards, the iconic statuettes known as Oscars, were physically awarded by important actors and directors, including those who had previously won the Oscar in the specific discipline.
Cillian Murphy, the actor playing the physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer in the film and who accepted the Oscar for best leading Actor, stated that he “would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere,” because: “for better or for worse, we’re all living in Oppenheimer’s world.” He thanked: “The Academy, Chris Nolan, and (producer) Emma Thomas.”
Emma Stone, the actress who portrayed the protagonist Bella Baxter in “Poor Things”, was very emotional when she accepted the statuette: “Oh, boy, this is really, this is really overwhelming. Sorry.” Despite the emotion, she expressed the desire to use her speech to recognize the achievements of the other nominees: “The women on the stage, you are all incredible, and the women in this category; Sandra [Hüller], Annette [Bening], Carey [Mulligan], Lily [Gladstone], I share this with you (…) it has been such an honor to do all of this together.”
Another important nominee was “Anatomy of a Fall”, a legal thriller from France directed by Justine Triet. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Other important nominees in the ceremony which did not win any award were the historical crime drama ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,” directed by Martin Scorsese on the murders that took place in the Osage Native American Nation’s reservation as a plot to take over the Osage’s oil; and “Maestro”, a cinematic biography of Leonard Bernstein, one of the greatest composers in American and world history, directed by Bradley Cooper.
