Hollywood is back. The Golden Globes have come out of the grave, where they had fallen buried by their own corruption, to crown Oppenheimer in cinema and Succession in television.
Barbie turned pale suffering what they call dying of success. Many nominations, nine, and little teak. The Catalan J.A. Bayona walked away empty-handed with La sociedad de la nieve while Lily Gladstone won as best actress for Los asesinos de la luna, the first time an indigenous woman has won this recognition. The screenwriters’ and actors’ strike that marked the vicissitudes of the industry last year is also behind us.
Barbenheimer was the slogan with which Hollywood, in search of recovery, forged a phenomenon that caused, last summer, millions of people from all over the world to set foot in theaters again. It acted as a balm after the serious crisis of the pandemic. Barbie and Oppeheimer were the two titles that encouraged this revival. But at the presentation of the Golden Globes, the beginning of the awards season, this commercial marriage suffered a break.
Oppenheimer, the biography about the father of the atomic bomb, became the big winner of the evening held in Los Angeles. It was distinguished as the best dramatic film and collected four more relevant awards. His list of achievements includes Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Dramatic Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.) and Best Soundtrack (Ludwig Göransson).
Instead, Barbie only took home a newly created distinction, that of highest-grossing film (what else could compete in that field?), and that of best song with What was I made for by Billie Eilish (and her brother Finneas). The most promoted film received three very hard blows to its pride. Poor creatures by Iorgos Lanthinos, Golden Lion in Venice, took away the crown of best comedy. It was as bad or worse that Emma Stone, Lanthinos’ Frankenstein, snatched the scepter of best comedy actress from Margot Robbie, the human face and symbol of the doll.
In addition, Justine Triet and Arthur Harari deprived her of the Globe for best screenplay with Anatomía de una caída. This film won the award for best non-English language. Competing in this category was Barcelona’s J.A. Bayonne
One of the most emotional moments of a nondescript evening came from Lily Gladstone, of the Osage Nation, with Blackfeet and Nez Percé origins, when she addressed the crowd in her native language, “a beautiful community nation that I raise, which encouraged me to go ahead, to continue doing this”, he explained in English, while the loudest ovation was produced. It was the only distinction that was treasured by Martin Scorsese’s Los asesinos de la luna, another favorite.
Among the awardees were Paul Giamatti, best actor in a comedy, and secondary Da’Vine Joy Randolph, both in Los que que queda.
On television there was more balance with a clear winner. Succession won the awards for best drama, the two leading actors (Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin) and the secondary, Matthew MacFadyen. Thus it tied in the historical classification of series with the most Globes with Mad men and Expediente X.
Close behind was The Bear, best comedy production, which also won best actor, Jeremy Allen White, and actress, Ayo Edebiri. The miniseries Beef won three awards, one making it the best of the nominees and two for its protagonists, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. In The crown only the distinction of secondary actress was touched to Lady Di, that is, Elizabeth Debicki.
The gala, without political allusions and minimal references to the refounding of the Globes or the strike, was closed by its presenter Jo Koy with his only precise sentence: “Hollywood is back”.