‘CODA’ triumphs in Oscars dominated by ‘Dune’
By Javier Romualdo
Los Angeles, United States, Mar 27 (EFE).- “CODA,” the winning film at Sundance 2021, was the Sunday surprise after winning the 94th Academy Awards for best film in a ceremony dominated by science fiction film “Dune,” which won six statuettes in the technical sections.
Behind them were the unexpected “CODA,” with three awards, and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” with two, including best leading actress for Jessica Chastain.
Despite “The Power of The Dog” being the big favorite of the awards season, in recent weeks it began to be overshadowed by “CODA,” whose triumph at the Screen Actors Guild Awards illuminated their options as the great alternative to the award.
The film, a remake of the French “La Famille Belier” that Apple TV + acquired for $ 25 million when it won at Sundance, had won awards from the unions of producers, actors and screenwriters. An important compass, since many of its voters repeated at the Oscars.
Its mostly deaf cast and storyline, about a musically talented daughter of deaf parents, ticked many of the boxes for the diversity Hollywood is valuing this decade.
“We want to thank the Academy for giving the award to a film about family and love,” said its directors and producers as they collected the award as a group.
“CODA,” which stands for “Child of Deaf Adults,” was also crowned best adapted screenplay and distributed the award for best supporting actor to Troy Kotsur, who has swept the awards season by winning all the contests except the Golden Globes.
The main loser from the victory of the Apple TV + movie was Netflix, which had never been so close to the Oscar for best film: “Roma” seemed to come close, Martin Scorsese tried it with “The Irishman” and, as did “Mank.”
In this edition “The Power of the Dog,” its great asset, won a meritorious Oscar for best direction for Jane Campion, the third woman to win this award after the victories Chloe Zhao, last year for “Nomadland,” and Kathryn Bigelow, who was first for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010.
In the acting section, Will Smith, star of “King Richard,” won the Oscar for best actor, to which the Spanish Javier Bardem also aspired for “Being The Ricardos.”
His acceptance speech was marred by the apology he made on air to the Hollywood Academy after he slapped Chris Rock onstage for a joke involving his wife.
“I want to apologize to the Academy and I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” he said before the stunned look of the audience, which fell silent during his long intervention.
Jessica Chastain was winner with “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” of the Oscar for best leading actress and beat Penelope Cruz from “Parallel Mothers,” which had the only candidate for a performance in a language other than English.
Chastain devoted much of her speech to “people who live alone and without hope,” because “suicide is a huge problem in America.”
Ariana DeBose, born in the United States and of Puerto Rican origin, won the Oscar in the category of best supporting actress thanks to her role as Anita in “West Side Story.” It’s the same one Rita Moreno embodied in the 1961 adaptation, when Moreno became the first Hispanic woman to win the Oscar.
DeBose highlighted her identity as a Hispanic from the LGTBQ community to defend that Hollywood cinema can be a place for minorities.
In animation, “Encanto” won, a Disney film closely linked to the Latin world for being inspired by the magical realism of Colombia, but which did not win the award for best soundtrack, nor the best song for “Dos Oruguitas,” despite the fact that their music being a worldwide hit.
The Oscar for best soundtrack was instead won by “Dune,” which would have been the star of the night if the academy had not delivered the technical awards before the television broadcast to lighten the gala.
The work was awarded for best soundtrack, sound, production design, photography, editing and special effects. It already has a sequel in the works.
