This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Temple chapter.

The 92nd Academy Awards was on February 9th, 2020. For any avid film lover

(such as myself) this is an exciting time where the best-of-the-best are highlighted and rewarded

for their outstanding work of the past year. Although oftentimes, the Academy fails to recognize

those who really deserve it. Here are some of the highlights of the night along with the lowlights

and the snubbed!

The Best: Parasite Sweeps

Parasite, directed by Bong Joon-ho, took no prisoners this award season. The film took home

best original screenplay, best international feature, best director, and most impressive of all, best

feature overall. With the Academy facing monumental criticism in the past for their lack of

diversity during award season; Parasite being the first foreign language film ever to win best

picture is pretty significant just in itself. Personally, I am ecstatic that the Academy recognized

Parasite for the outrageously clever and fantastical film that it is. It truly proves that originality is

in fact still alive while simultaneously challenging others in the industry to step up their game.

The film does a magnificent job of taking class and status, and turning it into a symbolic

masterpiece that only a true genius could emulate. In the end you could truly see the excitement

radiating from the audience and the cast itself; making it quite a night to remember!

The Worst: Female Directors Are Overlooked Once Again

The Oscars has a long and absurd history of not recognizing the brilliant works of female

directors. Even with the outstanding top-notch female directed films that conquered this year, it

appears that the Academy is still in denial. Greta Gerwig for instance, wrote and directed the film

adaptation for the novel Little Women, which she received not a single nod for from the

Academy. What makes this a particular upset is how the film was critically acclaimed with an

impressive score of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and at the least deserved a nomination. The

disappointment from the fans at home and the fellow actresses itself was crystal clear, as Natalie

Portman even made a Dior cape that was embroidered with the last names of those snubbed

female directors that didn’t make the male-dominated lineup. While watching, I was shocked

that Gerwig, along with the rest of the cast, did not take home a single award for all the hard

work put into the film.

Before I start, I will say this; Uncut Gems was not my favorite film of the year, but Adam

Sandler gave one of the best performances of his career, and that should not of been dismissed.

Uncut Gems was a captivating and anxiety-inducing film about a jeweler from New York who is

always on the lookout for the best big score. Sandler portrays a man with a serious gambling

addiction who tries to balance family, business and adversaries while neglecting to come to terms

with his addiction. The film excelled in being a whirlwind of chaos while keeping the audience

on their toes the whole time. Sandler is usually type-cast in Hollywood as being “the funny

man,” and while we love to see that side of him, this side was nonetheless a breath of fresh air.

But sadly, it is not surprising that the Academy shut out Sandler’s Oscar-worthy performance, as

it typically does the same to others that experiment outside their typical film element. As I’m

sure critics and fans alike would agree, I would of loved to see Sandler’s name up with the others

at least nominated for best actor.

While the Academy has come a long way — it has serious hurdles to overcome

before we can call the process fair and orderly.