Without doubt, the diversity of nominees and winners in this year’s Academy Awards is a triumphant display of the diversity present in quality filmmaking, and provides a glimmer of hope that the Academy is moving away from their conservative image.
But there’s one problem with a field of winners that includes the first black superhero (Black Panther), a film dominated by three female leads (The Favourite), a film which grapples with race relations in 1960s America (Green Book), a Spike Lee joint (BlackkKlansman), and a Netflix original, directed by Mexico’s Alfonso Cuaron, which focuses on a working-class, indigenous woman (Roma).
And that problem is simple. Straight white male Obiter editors are beginning to wonder whether their scorching hot takes are needed.
Speaking anonymously to The Obiter, which is weirdly like talking to yourself, editor Joe Dwyer wondered out loud whether his article idea, ‘Gee, Black Panther Is A Weird Remake Of The Pink Panther,’ quite captured the vibe of the zeitgeist.
‘For whatever reason, I feel a little less happy to comment on some of this year’s nominees. Hm. Honestly can’t put my finger on why the BlackkKlansman ideas have been flowing less readily than our thoughts on La La Land.’
On a similar note, leaked messages from The Obiter’s WhatsApp group give some insight into the challenges facing satirical writers who are slowly realising that maybe some of this year’s nominees weren’t exactly ‘for’ them.
‘So what you’re saying is we shouldn’t do a live video where we ask Peter Hoj if he believes in Wakanda Forever?’ was one such message.
‘Tbh, I wonder if we need to actually watch Roma before we start paying it out,’ was another.
But the true nail in the coffin was the question we’ve all been asking.
‘Why is this a WhatsApp group? You’ve never heard of Facebook Messenger?’
However, the fleeting uneasiness was immediately put aside in favour of an onslaught of articles that some might describe as in ‘poor taste,’ including ‘The Favourite Wins Best Thing To Bring When You’re Told Not To Bring A Thing,’ and ‘Green Book? More Like Meme Book.’
At press time, Samantha Haran was heard asking the other writers if they were ‘fucking kidding themselves.’
Hopefully, no more to come.