2020’s Oscar Nominees Reflect An Antiquated System

Ursula Muñoz Schaefer/Assistant Opinion Director

Those keeping up with awards season might have thought they were experiencing déjà vu on Monday, Jan. 13 when the nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards were revealed. Of the 20 acting nominees spread across four different categories, only one—Cynthia Erivo in “Harriet”—was a person of color.

I realize that discussions like these usually wind up leading to conversations of forceful inclusion at the expense of those “actually deserving” acclaim. In principle, awards should be given on the basis of merit rather than identity politics, but that is far from what’s happening here. In contrast to 2015, the nominees this year are less reflective of Hollywood’s lack of POC-led films and more reflective of the Oscars’ inability to recognize diverse talent.

Subversions of the narrative that only white, Western art holds any kind of cultural grandeur have only recently gained traction. In 2018, the Carters’ music video for “Apesh*t” challenged the notion of what belongs in the art history canon by placing Beyoncé and Jay-Z in Paris’ Louvre museum, forming contrast against the very eurocentric art on the walls while simultaneously cementing their status as cultural icons.

Like the museum, however, many of the learned organizations dedicated to preserving and recognizing today’s art remain painfully antiquated.

Take one of the year’s biggest Oscar snubs: Jennifer Lopez, whose physically demanding and emotionally vulnerable performance in “Hustlers” is widely considered to have been one of 2019’s best. Despite a fairly successful awards season run, the critical and commercial darling failed to garner a single Oscar nomination even outside of acting. It gets even more uncomfortable when we consider the Academy’s history with Latin women. Only one Latina, Rita Moreno, has ever won an acting award in the 92 years the Oscars have existed.

“[‘Hustlers’] in its entirety is excellent and should have been nominated for more but I think the Academy has issues with both women and movies about women that are too sexy,” says Alejandra Gonzalez, a senior English major at FIU who is a contributor for Talk Film Society and co-hosts the site’s “Seequels” podcast. “It’s frustrating, and I think the Academy is terrified of anything that might be a force against their boundaries of comfort.”

Like Gonzalez, many have been quick to question the Academy’s more conservative tastes, pointing out that, despite the layered role, many of the film’s detractors weren’t able to view Lopez’s stripper character past objectification. The Oscars’ insularity is also reflected in this year’s acting nominees; eight of the 10 leading roles are rooted in film, television and literature professions, which is what the voting body is largely made up of.

And it’s not like the Academy votes on the merit of principle, either. It’s no secret that many members have admitted to not watching films and simply vote for whoever generates the most buzz. Being based on real events, undergoing rigorous production circumstances and resting on a physically taxing performance are usually good signs for contenders and “Hustlers” did all of those things. So what’s the deal?

As you’ve probably heard, Lopez wasn’t even the only snub after a year that saw a watershed for Black and Asian-led cinema. If there’s anything Erivo’s lone nomination proves at a time when Lupita Nyong’o and Eddie Murphy were ignored after giving some of the best performances of their careers, it’s that the Academy only values people of color suffering in less-than-average period films.

So is the lack of acknowledgment towards POC-led films deliberate, or is it a subconscious bias? Either way, Gonzalez says she won’t be tuning in to the Oscars this year.

“The Academy had a very diverse year the year that “Moonlight” won Best Picture, and so some sense of optimism made itself present,” she said. “Realizing that they have learned nothing from the positive feedback that year feels way more disappointing because we were teased with real progress only to have it taken away from us.”

Canonizing non-white, non-male art remains important when it comes to pushing for inclusion and changing narratives concerning how we’re viewed. Hopefully, others like the Carters will soon be able to stand in the Louvre and say “I can’t believe we made it.” 

Featured image by John Bauld on Flickr.

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