The Oscars started well on Sunday for “Anatomy of a Fall”, rewarded with the prize for best original screenplay, at the start of an evening which seems largely promised to “Oppenheimer” and its 13 nominations.
“It will help me get through my midlife crisis,” joked French director Justine Triet, very emotional in her striped suit.
“It’s a crazy year,” she whispered.
After the Palme d'Or at Cannes, "Anatomy of a Fall" was notably rewarded with two Golden Globes and a Bafta - the equivalent of the British Césars.
This legal thriller about the collapse of a dysfunctional artist couple, where an ambiguous writer played by Sandra Hüller finds herself accused of the murder of her husband, is still in the running in four additional categories, including best film.
But he will have his work cut out to steal the spotlight from Christopher Nolan's portrait of the father of the atomic bomb.
With rave reviews and an impeccable casting, “Oppenheimer” should crown the filmmaker as best director.
He is also favorite in a host of technical categories - editing, photography, sound, soundtrack... Robert Downey Jr has already won the prize for best supporting actor.
Cillian Murphy, who plays scientist Robert Oppenheimer, is a serious candidate for the Oscar for best actor.
But Paul Giamatti is resisting, with his character as a cantankerous history professor in “Winter Break.”
“Barbie” puts on a show
Nominated in five categories, this comedy by Alexander Payne has just been accused of plagiarism on the eve of the ceremony.
Enough to slightly tarnish the coronation of its actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph, elected best supporting actress.
Host Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the evening with a sketch and jokes about "Barbie," which director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie snubbed.
"You've both already won something much more important: the genetic lottery," the comedian joked, while reminding Ryan Gosling (Ken in the film) how "hot" he was.
Nominated in eight categories, feminist satire should be content with secondary awards.
But after dominating the global box office last year, with more than $1.4 billion in revenue, she is putting on a show.
Pop star Billie Eilish sang "What Was I Made For?", the film's title track, to loud applause.
And Ryan Gosling, who left his mark as Ken seduced by the sirens of the patriarchy, is still to come.
He will perform on stage his song "I'm Just Ken", a ballad about the fragility of the male ego.
Duel Stone / Gladstone
As for the actresses, the suspense is at its height, with a close duel between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone for the Oscar for best actress.
Already rewarded for "La La Land", the first is in search of a second statuette thanks to her character of female Frankenstein in the baroque tale "Poor Creatures" - honored by three technical Oscars from the start of the evening.
The sophomore, star of "Killers of the Flower Moon," could become the first Native American actress to win the award thanks to Martin Scorsese's historical thriller about the silent massacre of Osage Native Americans in the 1920s.
Sandra Hüller, who plays the writer of “Anatomy of a Fall” can also still create a surprise.
And if she fails on this front, she will surely be able to console herself with the planned success of another film in which she is starring: “The Zone of Interest”.
This chilling chronicle of the carefree life of a family of Nazis right next to Auschwitz is widely considered for the Oscar for best international film.
A category where “Anatomy of a Fall” cannot compete, due to not having been selected by the French authorities.
The start of the evening was marked by the coronation of Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki, awarded the Oscar for best animated film for “The Boy and the Heron”, a fantastic story about the mystery of origins.
The British film "The Area of Interest" won the Oscar for best international film, thanks to its chilling chronicle of the carefree life of a family of Nazis, peacefully installed in their villa adjoining the Auschwitz camp. .
Directed by Jonathan Glazer, the feature film addresses the horror of the Holocaust, always present behind the wall of the family garden, without ever showing anything.
With this story about the banality of evil, he is ahead of “Io Capitano” (Italy), “Perfect Days” (Japan), “The Teacher’s Room” (Germany) and “The Snow Circle” (Spain).
The war waged by Israel in Gaza also made its way onto the red carpet.
Several stars, including Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef and French actor Swann Arlaud, displayed a pin calling for a ceasefire, while several small demonstrations by activists took place in the streets of Los Angeles.
With AFP
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