A couple of Sundays ago, the films “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez” went home with trophies after the 2025 Academy Awards. Based on this year’s winners, the primary criterion seems to be films that champion progressivism. But they did not go home without their fair share of pushback.
“Anora” was condemned for its portrayal of the sex worker community, while “Emilia Pérez” was criticized for its inaccurate depiction of Mexico and trans identity. The Academy should make efforts to honor diverse stories, but the controversy surrounding recent Oscar winning films demonstrates a lack of skillful execution and leaves us with a valuable lesson to always critically evaluate progressive movements before our full endorsement.
The Academy has a pattern of making safely edgy decisions, prioritizing palatability over execution. During the awards season, “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez” were lauded for their progressive themes, even though they follow predictable narrative structures. “Emilia Pérez” uses the musical format and “Anora” employs age-old themes of Cinderella, both of which make the films more digestible.
By prioritizing palatability, the Oscars lose out on films that showcase these themes more eloquently. “Nickel Boys,” for example, tackled race relations in the Jim Crow South, but through a first-person shot approach, a rarity in mainstream cinema. This allowed the viewer to feel as though they were the victims of racist dogma. The Academy has a history of snubbing similar films for Best Picture, such as “1917,” (2019) with its incredibly long shots, and “Boyhood,” (2014) which was filmed over 12 years — both films that, in actuality, tackle the themes that the 21st-century liberal era supports, just in a more unconventional way.
Sometimes, the most progressive film is the best choice, such as the historic 2023 wins of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a movie that blends stories of immigrant Asian American families with a bold and creative style, culminating in true emotional resonance.
But progressiveness alone doesn’t make a film worthy of an award. Just because a film showcases trans people or sex workers, it should not be guaranteed an Oscar win. The film must also excel in filmmaking, which is a blending of storytelling and execution.
While “Anora” was an excellent movie, “Conclave” would have been a stronger Best Picture, not only due to its ability to tell a story of religious tolerance but also because of its skillful craftsmanship. While I personally would have liked “Killers of the Flower Moon” to win the last awards season due to its representation of the often forgotten plight of Native Americans, I can understand the “Oppenheimer” victory due to the quality of the film and vision of director Christopher Nolan.
After her historic Oscar win, Zoe Saldaña was questioned by a Mexican news outlet about the film’s controversial reception, to which she gave a flippant response. This controversy leaves many questioning whether the film’s win was a performative gesture by the Academy to signal its progressiveness without fully engaging with the Latin American community. Recognizing mediocre or divisive films in the name of progress will undermine the legitimacy of future truly diverse winners. If the Academy continues its trend of rewarding films based just on what the film signals socially, it dilutes the credibility of such victories.
Brown students can learn from the Academy’s mistakes. The University’s political composition is no secret, but if we are to truly champion the progressive cause, on the screen and in our real-life activism, we must understand that true progress requires higher standards.
The Oscars’ superficial approach to awards underscores a broader challenge we, as Brown students, face: balancing ideological purity and idealism with critical evaluation. This university has no shortage of activist organizations. Even in the classroom, we encounter progressive ideas and movements that may align with our values. However, similar to the world of film, not every activist effort or idea is equal in its execution. Not every idea, activist effort or initiative is equally well-executed — and blindly endorsing something because it aligns with progressive principles weakens the broader cause.
Brown students must push for meaningful activism and more thoughtful political engagement, instead of engaging with ideas absent of critique. The temptation to support any left-wing or progressive initiative can be strong, but true progressiveness requires demanding the best from the world around us, films and ourselves.
Christian Davis ’27 can be reached at christian_davis @brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
