Oscars 2019 Excludes Three Films Directed by Women – Update

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has often been criticized when it comes to recognizing films directed by women. In 90 years of filmmaking, The Academy has only nominated five women for the Best Director category, with only Kathryn Bigelow taking home the Oscar for her film The Hurt Locker. Additionally, The Academy has only nominated 13 films directed by women for the prestigious Best Picture category.

On January 22, the nominations for the 91st Oscars were announced, and to much surprise, there were no films directed by women nominated for Best Picture or any women directors nominated for Best Director. This was surprising news as Oscar voters have recently been more open to nominating diverse directors and films that have more diversity in the production. The voting rights are a bit complicated to explain, but membership to vote is determined mostly by if a person is active in the film community or has been in their lifetime. There have also been measures in place to ensure that there is enough diversity within the Academy.

This year there has been a number of films that have been directed by women that have flown below the radar of Academy voters. These are films that I and others have found to be worthy of recognition, but did not see any nominations for Best Picture or Best Director. I am not saying from a completely objective point of view that these films are better than those that are nominated because they are directed by women, but merely that they should have been recognized by The Academy for their exceptional quality.

 

1. You Were Never Really Here | Directed by Lynne Ramsay

You Were Never Really Here has been a huge winner in terms of other awards and recognition it has received, winning the awards for Best Actor and Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival where it premiered and nominated for a BAFTA Outstanding British Film of the Year award. With the amount of accolades and awards traction, fans were hoping this adaptation of the Jonathan Ames novella would be nominated for a Best Director Oscar for Lynne Ramsay (dir. We Need to Talk About Kevin, Ratcatcher).

The plot follows hired gun Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) who rescues trafficked girls by any means necessary. When a New York City Senator’s daughter (Ekaterina Samsonov) is abducted, Joe is hired to rescue the girl and exact revenge on the abductors. However, things never go as planned and the plot takes all sorts of twists and turns as we also find out Joe has problems and inner demons of his own to deal with. The film is gritty, atmospheric, and violent. However, Ramsay injects nuance, beauty, and grace throughout this dark tale, showcasing brilliant direction and a balanced script that is serious and thought-provoking. Not only is the script and direction exceptional, but the on-screen talent is as well. Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Walk the Line) gives one of his best performances that has not gone unrecognized and he is given a chance to show raw emotion and bring a disturbed character to life. Ekaterina Samsonov plays the Senator’s daughter Nina, and perfectly meshes her innocent caricature with Phoenix’s more disturbed and ruthless profile. Overall, it is a shame that Ramsay wasn’t recognized for her efforts with an Oscar nomination, but she is definitely a woman to watch out for as she will no doubt continue to direct feature films.

 

2. Leave No Trace | Directed by Debra Granik

Director Debra Granik is no stranger to The Academy as her 2011 film, Winter’s Bone, was nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Writing for Granik’s work. Actress Jennifer Lawrence’s career was shot to stardom as she was nominated for Best Actress that same awards year. Fans of Leave No Trace were hopeful that a similar situation would occur for Thomasin McKenzie, who stars alongside Ben Foster (Warcraft, Hell or High Water) in Granik’s family centric drama.

Based on the novel “My Abandonment” by Peter Rock, the story follows a PTSD stricken war veteran (Foster) who lives with his 13-year-old daughter (McKenzie) in a public park in Portland, Oregon. Shot on location, the film showcases gorgeous landscapes and scenery. The film feels deeply personal and does not hold back on emotional moments and scenarios. It is beautiful to see the bond that these two characters share. As stated, McKenzie’s performance is one that stands out as being very affectionate. McKenzie is up for an Independent Spirit Award for her role. Debra Granik is also up for Best Director and the film is nominated for Best Feature by the Independent Spirit Awards as well. With these kinds of nominations, fans were pushing for Granik’s film to be recognized in the Best Picture or Director categories. While this obviously did not happen, Granik is paving the way for more humanistic and emotionally affecting dramas that continue to not only showcase great directing, but solid performances as well. Oh, and did I mention it holds a 100% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score?

 

3. Private Life | Directed by Tamara Jenkins

While The Academy has been oozing with praise over Netflix’s Roma (dir. Alfonso Cuaron), another Netflix film has not been getting the same amount of Oscar recognition. Private Life directed by Tamara Jenkins follows a couple (Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn) undergoing the process of fertility therapies to hopefully reproduce a child. They are at wit’s end and are open to trying anything to have a child.

The journey has its ups and downs and this film truly is a roller coaster from beginning to end. Tamara Jenkins is able to establish a film that is at times funny, sad, heartfelt, and hopeful. The flow of the narrative is crafted perfectly and the last shot is raw and feels realistic. Tamara Jenkins is trying to get the audience to feel for the couple and relate to them in many ways. As stated, many are focused on Netflix’s current Oscar success found in Roma, but I would encourage others to check out Jenkins’ Private Life which is just as carefully crafted as Cuaron’s film.

The 91st Academy Awards will be held and broadcast on February 24, 2019.