The envelopes have been sealed for a long time and it will be until 5:00 p.m. local time to begin to discover the winners of the 92nd Academy Awards, the culmination of the film award season in Hollywood.
"1917", the ambitious feature film by British director Sam Mendes is the big favorite this year. It depicts the desperate team of two young soldiers during the First World War, constructed as a two-hour long sequence shot. The film flew from victory to victory, from the Golden Globes to the British Bafta.
"It comes under the traditional rubric for Hollywood, that's what the Oscars appreciate," said Tim Gray, specialist in film awards for Variety magazine. "It's great, it's epic, but it doesn't use old recipes," he said.
In Sam Mendes' @ 1917, the filmmakers used no digital background actors, hiring 500 men to play World War I soldiers. One particular scene alone required 475 background actors. pic.twitter.com/j1hvre9vAv
- The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 29, 2020"'I love Parasite', period"
The big favorite, however, is never guaranteed to win when it comes to the Oscar for best film, awarded via a strange and unique "preferential" multi-turn ballot which sometimes elects an outsider.
The lucky winner could therefore be "Parasite", from South Korean Bong Joon-ho. Already a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Festival, this hybrid of crazy family comedy and thriller won over many professionals voting for the Oscars.
"For all the other films, people say 'I liked but ...' With Parasite, it's 'I like Parasite', period," said Variety journalist and veteran of Mark Malkin. the entertainment industry.
The iconic Park and Kim family homes in #PARASITE were designed and created from scratch on massive stages in Korea.
Over 1,400 VFX were used to bring these environments to life and over 130,000 gallons of water were used to flood the Kims' home in the film's thrilling climax. pic.twitter.com/ZE257t5KL4
If he fails in the queen category, "Parasite" has every chance of winning in that of the best foreign film, where he will notably face "Les Misérables" by Frenchman Ladj Ly.
"Joker" and "Judy"?
Neither "1917" nor "Parasite" align international stars to the casting, which leaves the field open to other films for the prizes awarded to the actors.
For the critics, the games are already made: it is Joaquin Phoenix who must win the statuette of the best actor for "Joker", while Renée Zellweger will be awarded for "Judy".
As for supporting roles, like the Golden Globes and the Bafta, the forecasts give winners Brad Pitt as a stunt performer in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and Laura Dern as a ruthless and manipulative lawyer in "Marriage Story".
The selection of the Oscars 2020 was once again criticized for neglecting cultural and ethnic diversity, a recurring criticism. Apart from the British Cynthia Erivo ("Harriet"), all the actors and actresses competing this year are white and no women have been selected from the directors.
The Academy of Oscars has however highlighted the fact that women have never been so present in the nominations: 65 out of 209 candidates in total.
With AFP
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