The 2020 Oscar nominations were announced Monday morning, and they gave us one of the most frustrating lists of honorees on public record in recent history. But on the other hand, you might be happy to learn that South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s magnificent film Parasite has managed to clear any foreign language barriers and reigns as one of the most nominated films of the year. So, as the Bible says, the Academy giveth, and it taketh away.
Let’s unpack it all.
3 | AND SPEAKING OF TRAGICOMEDIES, THE FAREWELL WAS ALSO IGNORED.
It’s not just that the gracious director Lulu Wang was on the press circuit for a full year since her wonderful dramedy premiered at Sundance last January, but The Farewell has also been on almost every best-of list (including ours) for the last several months. It seemed like a shoo-in that it would not only be nominated for an Oscar, but also win—especially since star Awkwafina has collected a few major awards, including the Golden Globe for best actress. On top of that, after much hullaballoo about relegating the movie as a foreign language feature despite the fact that The Farewell is an American movie largely set in China, it doesn’t even make it in the newly renamed best International Feature Film category. WTF?
Everett
