A very online film dominated the 2023 Oscars

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Most people maybe not thought The Everything everywhere at oncea maximalist sci-fi epic about multiverse jumping, intergenerational trauma and existentialism moves at the speed of the internet with a mostly Asian cast and by the directors behind it great farting corpse moviewould dominate The oscars when it premiered SXSW Last year (a few had the wherewithal).

But at the Oscars on Sunday night, the offered few surprises And much less controversy compared to last year, EEAAO‘s ultimate lap of honor was everything, everywhere, and happened at once.

EEAAO went away seven Oscarsmost nominated films; nothing new in the West won the second most awards by four in a ceremony that saw five of the 10 nominees for best picture go home empty-handed. Even if you do not want EEAAO or were rather ambivalentit was It’s hard not to root for the cast and crew as they rose to their victory speeches again and again and again.

Ke Huy QuanHe, who was pushed out of the industry for 20 years because of institutional racism, brought audiences to tears. Jamie Lee Curtiswin in a category that could have gone in any directionShe celebrated the genre films they made. Paul Rogers editing win made viewers swoon. And Daniels (writer/director duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) took to the stage several times celebrating their mothers and the collective that brought them forth EEAAO possible.

The night culminated with two ready-viral moments: Halle Berry, the last woman of color to win Best Actress, handing over Michelle Yeoh won the Oscar for Best Actress (which could have gone just as badly as Anthony Hopkins wins Best Actor award in 2021 if the result had been different), and a Temple of Death reunion between Quan and Harrison Ford as the latter announced best picture for EEAAO.

Every historic victory like Yeoh’s comes with a double-edged sword: as great as the moment was (and the Live reaction from Yeoh’s mother Janet watching in Malaysia did it even more memorable), it’s a shameful memory that only two women of color have ever won the best actress Oscar – and it lasted 21 years that a non-white actress wins after Berry. Let’s hope the next one doesn’t take another 21 years.

Why it matters

I am in love EEAAO‘s Oscar dominance not just because it’s a movie I love (It was on our top 10 list). In many ways it is a exciting choice—I haven’t been this excited about a Best Picture winner since parasite— and one that will hopefully result in more filmmakers being admitted to tell the stories they want with the cast they want, even if it’s extremely far out.

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