After a forced ‘move’ due to a pandemic, the Oscars return tonight to the Hollywood Walk of Fame for one of the most ambiguous competitions, where the favorites “CODA”, “Dog Power” and “Belfast” are competing for the prize. best feature film.
A dark, psychological western for men who do not accept their sexuality, “Dog Power” has long been at the forefront of speculation, raising hopes on Netflix for a historic victory in this category.
But a few weeks ago, the optimistic dramatic comedy “CODA”, a cover of the French hit “Belier family”, returned to the race.
The film, which follows a high school student who is torn between the passion she discovers she has for the song and her family, all members of which are deaf and dependent on her to communicate with the listening world, swept one after the other. another all the awards of the American film industry unions.
Yesterday, Friday, for the first time, this film with the small budget, the course of which started in Sundance in January 2021, was first in the forecasts of the experts in the field, in front of “Dog Power”.
In third place is “Belfast”, a black-and-white flashback to Kenneth Branagh’s childhood in Northern Ireland in the late 1960s.
“It’s a race between two or three horses,” says Clayton Davis, a film awards expert for Variety magazine, a benchmark in the field.
In his view, the “dynamics” of recent days are in favor of “CODA”. “The last two years have been very difficult for everyone. And ‘CODA’ is positive, stimulating. I think the voters are in a good mood,” he told AFP.
Netflix vs. Apple TV
Many professionals were outraged for “Dog Power”, noting the stage achievements and performances of the actors. Four of them (Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plimons and Cody Smith-McPhee) are nominated for this 94th edition of the awards.
But many others saw a certain coldness in Jane Cambion’s film. “It’s not something everyone would want,” said Scott Feinberg, a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter.
This may prove to be a disadvantage because the unusual multi-layered voting mode used for the Oscars in the Best Feature Film category generally favors the films that garner the most unanimity.
But a surprise is always possible at the Oscars and the competition “has never been so open”, said on condition of anonymity one of the voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the prestigious trophies.
Ace up the sleeve of “CODA”, the fact that this is an independent film with a small budget ($ 15 million) that was considered an underdog this year and that could attract voters with these qualities even if it comes out of Apple TV +.
“Some members of the Academy I speak to are still reluctant to vote for a Netflix film in the Best Feature Film category,” he told AFP.
Will Smith or Jessica Chastain?
In terms of actors, the big favorite this year is the always very popular Will Smith, who plays the father of champions Serena and Venus in “The Williams Method”.
One of the “CODA” vendors, Troy Kotsour, has a good chance of winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The deaf actor, who plays a loving father who sometimes lacks an understanding of adolescence, has won several film awards this season.
From the female actors, the competition is fierce but Jessica Chastain, unrecognizable in the role of a TV announcer in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”, seems to have the most chances. He could be threatened by the interpretation of Penelope Cruz, who enchanted in “Parallel Mothers” by Pedro Almodovar.
Ariana Deboz is expected to take home the second female role for Spielberg’s remake of ‘West Side Story’, but the latter does not seem to have much of a chance of directing against Jane Cambion, who could win a second Oscar. of her career after the “Piano Lessons”.
The imposing space opera “Dune” is expected to stand out in the various technical categories, from photography to sound and special effects.
The organizers and the ABC that broadcasts the ceremony hope that this 94th edition of the awards will allow them to reconnect with their audience and audience, which has been in free fall in recent years.
The 2021 ceremony was watched by ‘only’ ten million viewers, a drop of 56% compared to the previous year which had already recorded the lowest level of viewing in history.
In order to attract cinephiles, organizers launched an “audience award” this year, inviting them to vote on social media: so that the Oscars “see how they can reach a new audience, this generation of TikTok,” Clayton said. Davis.
The queen of pop Beyonce and her young successor Billy Ellis will also be engaged in catching viewers on the stage of the Oscars. They are both nominated for Oscars for Best Song, for “The Williams Method” and for the latest James Bond film, respectively.
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