Oscars: Anatomy of a Fall, Best Screenplay and Poor Creatures and Oppenheimer neck and neck

Who will succeed the Everything, Everywhere All At Once tidal wave? Competing 13 times, Oppenheimer was the winner in the queen sections. The 96th edition of the Hollywood high mass began Monday at midnight in Los Angeles, but for many experts the prize list is a foregone conclusion.

This was particularly the case for the supporting roles. Da'Vine Joy Randolph triumphed among the women thanks to her performance as a grieving mother in the bittersweet Christmas comedy Winter Break. The victory of the 37-year-old African-American actress was little in doubt. She had won all the precursor awards: SAG awards, Golden Globe, Bafta. The same goes for Robert Downey Jr, crowned for his role as opponent of Oppenheimer.

This victory offers its first trophy to Christopher Nolan's blockbuster, which is competing in 13 categories. It was quickly followed by additional prizes: that of editing and photography. But the record of Titanic and Lord of the Rings, winner of a record eleven Oscars, is no longer within reach. Poor Creatures has raided the technical categories. Defeating Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Bet won for Justine Triet who starts the evening well. She will bring home a statuette. Competing in five categories, his Palme d'Or Anatomy of a Fall won the Oscar for best screenplay. It was the most playable category for the Palme d'Or. The only one where the legal drama did not face the Oppenheimer steamroller. "Thank you so much. This Oscar will help me get through the midlife crisis,” said the French director, “the glamor of tonight contrasts with the debut of this film conceived in full confinement. To write, we had to put our children in front of the TV. There was no boundary between diapers and work.

The statuette for best adaptation crowned the satire American Fiction by Cord Jefferson, a sharp portrait of the publishing world which has just been released on Amazon and which also triumphed at the British Baftas. The director urged Hollywood “to make 20 films for $10 million rather than one for $200 million. I felt so much joy making this film. And I want other people to feel that joy and get here. I promise you the next Martin Scorsese is here. »

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. Its star Sandra Hüller did not hide her tears in the face of this victory. In the first political speech of the evening, the director paid tribute to the Israeli victims of October 7 and the inhabitants of Gaza. “In this film, all the choices were made to confront us with the present. The film shows where dehumanization leads us. The victims of October 7, the victims of the Gaza raids are victims of dehumanization.”

Receiving the Oscar for best documentary, Ukrainian director of 20 Days in Mariupol Mstyslav Chernov pointed out: “This is the first Oscar in the history of Ukraine. And I'm honored. But I wish I had never made this film. I wish I could trade that for the fact that Russia never attacked Ukraine, never occupied all those cities. We can ensure that the record of history is set straight and that the truth prevails and that the people of Mariupol and those who gave their lives are never forgotten. Because cinema creates memories and memories create history.

Surprises still took place, The Boy and the Heron by Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki won the Oscar for best animated film ahead of the favorite Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Their compatriots from Godzilla: Minus One won the statuette for best special effects.

Competing in 11 sections, the female version of Frankenstein's creature Poor Creatures won the technical categories with statuettes for best hair and makeup, best sets, and best costumes.

Jimmy Kimmel opened the festivities by reenacting a scene from Barbie. Before appearing on stage. “The evening, like this year, is going to be long,” he said in an allusion to the double strike of actors and screenwriters which paralyzed Hollywood. “Thanks to this movement, we learned that Hollywood, a selfish city, was a union city, not just made of botox and lattes.” He brought on stage, to applause, all those who held the pickets, in particular the technicians who had to renegotiate their contracts. Jimmy Kimmel promises them overtime tonight

The master of ceremonies launched into his traditional presentation of the films in competition. “Shout out to Greta Gerwig for making Barbie popular again. Before the film, my wife would have preferred a pack of cigarettes to our daughter. Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, if you don’t win tonight, know that you’ve won the genetic lottery.” For Oppenheimer, Jimmy Kimmel had fun mispronouncing Cillian Murphy's name and hailed it "one of the high points" of Robert Downey Jr.'s career. "Twenty years ago, you played a bad guy opposite Tim Allen and his dog. If we do a remake, here is Messi, we haven't seen a French actor eat his vomit so well since Gerard Depardieu. “Killers Of The Flower Moon is so long that you have time to go to Oklahoma and solve the Osage murders.”

“Bradley Cooper nominated for Maestro took his mom again, on how much faith can you say he’s making a film about Freud”. “In 1976, Robert de Niro and Jodie Foster were nominated for Taxi Driver. At the time, she was old enough to be his daughter. Now she’s twenty years too old to be his girlfriend.” Jimmy Kimmel stopped at Sandra Hüller, star of two foreign films Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest, where she plays a Nazi housewife. “In Germany they call it a romantic comedy,” he attempted. One of the host's many not very inspired jokes.

The suspense will be at its height regarding the trophy for best actress. Who will win between Emma Stone, astonishing and sensual female version of Frankenstein in Poor Creatures, and the revelation of Killers of the Flower Moon, Lily Gladstone? If Martin Scorsese's actress triumphed, she would enter the history of the seventh art as the first Native American winner.

Despite the internationalization of the Oscar Academy, which has nearly 10,000 voters, it will be difficult for German actress Sandra Hüller, who plays the ambiguous novelist in Justine Triet's film, to create a surprise. Same case for Barbie. The box office heavyweight saw his hopes of medals melt away like snow in the sun. The gently feminist comedy about the Mattel doll garners 8 nominations, including best film, but nothing for direction, nor for its star Margot Robbie. His chances of winning seem slim and limited to the Oscar for best song.

These Oscars, which are trying to boost their audiences, will be closely scrutinized for the dynamism of their scenography. This year, the ceremony is brought forward by one hour (from midnight on Canal) to bring together as many moviegoers as possible, including early sleepers. The presentation was entrusted to a veteran of the exercise, the host Jimmy Kimmel, who, as a trailer delivered a fairly effective parody of Barbie, with the help of Ryan Gosling. Greta Gerwig's Ken will sing live and perform his character's anthem I'm Just Ken on stage, surrounded by a troupe of 65 dancers.