That’s of course because this isn’t just the kickoff of the forthcoming awards season, it’s also the first round of Hollywood nominations since the ongoing chorus of #metoo began…a fact that made the category of “Best Director of a Motion Picture” a little difficult to stomach.
But I mean, who was going to tell Stephen Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott, or Martin McDonagh that they’d been overlooked for a woman who wrote and directed the most critically acclaimed film of the year? I mean what did you expect?
This is not a judgment on these films, particularly “The Post,” “The Shape of Water,” and “All the Money in the World,” which I have not seen. It’s a recognition of the gut punch that looking at that category was in a year that brought us “Lady Bird” and “Wonder Woman” and yes a lot of soul-crushing revelations too, but also stories of resilient, brave women.
Of course, Greta Gerwig, the director and writer of “Lady Bird” who was nominated for Best Screenplay (to be fair) and Patty Jenkins, who directed “Wonder Woman,” were not the only snubbed directors. And, of course, gender shouldn’t determine nominations, although seeing as only five women have been allowed into the category in the award show’s 75-year history, it sure would seem that’s the way things have been operating.
And, look, I realize that these awards, are an honor, but are ultimately not the be all end of creative achievement. However, I like to think that if we’ve learned nothing else from the revelations rolling out of Hollywood, we’ve learned that these “oversights” can be indicative of a bigger picture and larger, darker issues lurking beneath.
So, seeing as today also happens to be the first night of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, I’ll follow the holiday’s lead, and make this righteous fire burn for a miraculous amount of time.
Oscars, you’re up next, and on notice…
…bi-daily smile…