Oscars may be about Hollywood-style escapism, but in her opening moments, Regina King kept it real. The talented actor and director of “One Night in Miami” immediately reminded the world both of the scourge of the pandemic and the scourge of police violence. “We are mourning the loss of so many, and I have to be honest, if things had gone differently this past week in Minneapolis I may have traded in my heels for marching boots,” she said, a reference to the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. She noted that some viewers prefer their Oscar ceremonies not to dwell on such things: “I know that a lot of you people at home want to reach for your remote when you feel like Hollywood is preaching to you.” But, she added, “as a mother of a Black son I know the fear that so many live with, and no amount of fame or fortune changes that, OK?”
A ‘PROMISING’ SHOWING FOR WOMEN
There was a wealth of history to be made this Oscar night, and much of it came for women. First off was Emerald Fennell, who won the night’s first award — best original screenplay — for the fierce and provocative revenge thriller, “Promising Young Woman,” her directorial debut. The busy Fennell, who also found time for an acting role in “The Crown,” became the first woman in 13 years to win a screenwriting Oscar. Fennell, who is pregnant, joked that she was also pregnant when she shot “Promising Young Woman,” and thanked her son for waiting until the shoot was over to arrive: “I was crossing my legs.”
One of the benefits of the telecast leaving more time for speeches this year — with no play-off music — was that some were deeper and more heartfelt. This was especially true of director Thomas Vinterberg, who, in a heartbreaking moment, dedicated his win for “Another Round” (international feature) to his late daughter Ida, who was supposed to be in the film but was killed at age 19 in a car crash by a driver looking at a cell phone, four days into shooting. “Ida, this is a miracle that just happened, and you’re part of this miracle,” the director said, in tears. “Maybe you’ve been pulling some strings somewhere.”