By Sahil Sankhla:
The much awaited Oscar results are finally out. This year’s nominations have been the best in years, with the visually delighting Gravity, heart-thrilling Captain Phillips, humorously energetic The Wolf of Wall Street, 1970s based American Hustle, romantically emotional Her, impressive depiction of human nature- Nebraska, painful separation portraying Philomena, the hunger to live a day more- Dallas Buyers Club, and a sensitive theme of slavery based 12 Years A Slave, being the nominees for best films.
In the main categories, the winners are as follows:
Best Film: 12 Years A Slave
The film is based on the true story of an African, Solomon Northup who gets trapped into slavery. The film depicts the heartless atrocities faced by the slaves. The story telling has been engaging enough to connect to the emotions of the audience and the cinematography is bang on, showing the most brutal face of slavery.
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)
Gravity, in my humble opinion, has been the most difficult film in terms of direction. Depicting weightlessness on-screen with absolute perfection is a major feat achieved by Cuaron. The level of realistic depiction of outer space, going along with a thrilling story of survival, is purely exquisite.
Best Actor in a lead role: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
A million hopes got shattered today seeing Leonardo DiCaprio not being able to win an Oscar yet again. No doubt his performance in The Wolf of Wall Street was amazing but Mathew McConaughey’s acting was exceptionally unmatchable in Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey plays the character of Ron Woodroof, a badass homophobic rodeo and an electrician by profession, who is diagnosed with AIDS in 1985. He is physically ingrained into the character, looking extremely feeble after losing a bulk amount of weight but holding his badassary till the very end. Going against the law, he not only extends his own life term by means of alternate medication but also makes a business out of it, saving many more lives.
Best Actress in a lead role: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
There was hardly a doubt about Cate winning this one. She plays the role of a socialite who, after a disaster in her life, moves in with her not-so-rich sister. The anxious and traumatic Jasmine(Cate Blanchett) marks her physical, mental and emotional presence on the screen flawlessly. Insulting her sister, lying to a man whom she wishes to marry, and screaming on the streets hints her rush to ameliorate life but ends up with nervous breakdowns at regular intervals. She impeccably plays with her expressions, voice and body language. No one deserved it more than her, although Meryl Streep had a little chance.
Best Actor in a supporting role: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Returning to the big screen after 6 years, Jared Leto delivers a mind-blowing performance leaving the audience spellbound. Playing a transgender character suffering from AIDS, Leto puts in all of his dedication and passion into his performance losing 30-40 pounds of weight. The competition was the toughest in this category with Jonah Hill’s highly energetic performance in The Wolf of Wall Street and Bradley Cooper’s over-passionate character in The American Hustle, but Leto’s unconventional performance made him the best contender to win.
Best Actor in a supporting role: Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave)
A hard working slave, who is considered to be an object of sexual desire by her master and faces violent consequences from the master’s wife, is one extremely important character which firmly holds 12 Years a Slave together along with Chiwetel Ejiofor. The emotional part of her makes the audience sympathetic and it allows the audience to gently absorb the agonising story based on slavery and torture.
This time the Oscars have been given to most deserving ones unlike the previous year where Argo was named the best film. Many smiles, some tears- overall a spectacular show of honouring the best people in the cinema industry.