The 2024 Oscar Nominations: Phenomenal or a Flop?

By Shanna Sivakumar

Reviews are typically about movies, television, or new music, but as an amateur film buff, I felt it necessary to talk about the 2024 Oscar nominations that came out January 23rd.

With the spectacle that was Barbenheimer, nominations for both Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” were guaranteed. And while “Oppenheimer” has been nominated for 12 Oscar awards (including best picture and best actor in a leading role), a certain demographic was shocked at Barbie’s mere… 8 Academy Award nominations…? After thorough research (scrolling through Twitter), I’ve concluded that most of the online discourse is due to Margot Robbie not getting nominated for her role as “Barbie” while Ryan Gosling does for playing “Ken,” which is a valid qualm for a movie that was centered around introductory feminism.

But with every award season comes the yearly debate of representation in media, and this year’s nomination includes a remarkable step forward: Lily Gladstone’s nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Her nomination marks the first Native American woman nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars. To see a meaningful and accurate depiction of indigenous people and culture win possibly multiple academy awards is something I don’t think the general population is celebrating enough.

Other personal highlights include Celine Song’s “Past Lives” receiving two nominations (my personal favorite film of 2023!) and Colman Domingo’s long-overdue nomination for “Rustin.” And while it can be argued that award shows are overrated, I think I’ll be seated for this year’s Oscars.