The Academy Award for 2021 has come late, yet it was still present for the sake of historical records. Many of the winners and key contenders, following the trend of the past few years, are films about outsiders and the unnoticeable. Gone were the days of the larger than life epic heroes in past films that have garnered many Oscars. The underdogs found their voices in the many films for the Award this year. Be it a nomadic existence due to economic circumstances, the whistle blower who was silenced due to a heterosexual power structure, idealistic characters who became fall guys to ideology and political power struggle. Even people forgotten in history re-emerge: people may know Orson Welles and his masterpiece Citizen Kane, but how about Herman J. Mankiewicz, the writer who collaborated on the script and received an Oscar along with Welles? Even in a larger than life film, Tenet, the hero and the villain have to resort to alternatives - by reversing the time to place an edge against each other in the struggle. The truth is, these stories are closer to our experience, and the characters are no less heroic than the idealized heroes often found in the uplifting films.
Universal
theme of family values is upheld by a few winning films, emphasizing to the
audience that no matter how the world has changed, there are some fundamental values
that can be truly considered as humanity’s legacy. ‘Minari’ stressed the need
for family relationships in a foreign land; ‘The Father’ stressed the
compassion required for surviving old age; and ‘Nomadland’ reminded the
audience of the humanism common in all the drifters and loners. The importance
of family values and emotional support, after all, is independent of geography
and context, and this note is in particular relevant for the divided world of
today.
While there are many young and talented contenders in the acting category, it is just as happy to see the veteran performers, like Anthony Hopkins and Frances McDormand, getting the recognitions they deserve. It has been about 30 years since Mr. Hopkins first received an Academy Award, with the Chianti-loving Dr. Hannibal in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’. Mr. Hopkins has proved to be a versatile actor throughout the years, from portraying President Richard Nixon to the Pope. In ‘The Father’, the Jonathan Demme-style stare from the intense Dr. Lecter is no longer required: Mr. Hopkins offered us an intimate portrayal of an aging father, alongside with Oliver Colman’s brilliant supporting performance.
Frances McDormand, the frequent leading lady of Coen Brother’s edgy masterpieces, is known for heightened characters like those in ‘Fargo’ and ‘Three Billboards’. In her Oscar-winning performance of ‘Nomadland’, we can see the more subtle side of Ms. McDormand’s performance, which can be easily overlooked when one associated her with the darker films she has often appeared in. It is also gratifying to see that she has taken a more active role in the film by acting as a producer. While actors and actresses have often involved in the backstage work of film production through the history of cinema, this has become more commonplace in recent years. This is indeed a great testament for the enrichment of cinematic experience for practitioners in the film industry!
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
