Oscar Snubs Carol in Best Picture and Best Director Categories

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and it didn't go entirely how many of us would have hoped. Though Carol scored six nominations total for Best Actress, Supporting Actress, Costume Design, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography, it was left out of the Best Director and Best Picture categories. Recently, Todd Haynes was also shut out of the Directors Guild Awards, despite the fact Carol has been scoring major nominations in nearly every other awards opportunity for the last several months, including the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Independent Spirit Awards, and New York Film Critics Awards. And yet, here we are. The Revenant, however, leads this year with 12 nominations.

Recently, we discussed the idea of Carol's impending Best Picture loss, though we never expected it to not even receive a nomination. Today, Vanity Fair released an article analyzing the post-nomination debacle in this thoughtful piece. "Maybe it’s that, yep, Carol is too gay," Richard Lawson writes, "The film chronicles the beginnings and early stumbles of a lesbian relationship in repressed 1950s New York, and though its broader themes of passion and heartache may be universal, this is a film written by a gay woman (based on a book by a gay woman), directed by a gay man, that speaks in a vernacular that, I’d guess, only queer people are fully fluent in. Perhaps that was just too narrow, too restricting, too limited in scope for the Academy." We couldn't agree more. Do take the time to read the rest of Lawson's article.

Another shameful blow from the Academy came when not a person actor of color was nominated in an acting category. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite has been reigning on Twitter since, and Entertainment Weekly really nailed the disturbing truth of the situation with its headline, "This is the whitest Oscars since last year." As the article points out, there were many actors of color who gave highly acclaimed, Oscar-worthy performances this year. And yet, once again, here we are. Academy Awards, go sit in the corner and think about what you've done.

As for the actual nominees, you can check out the list right here. Some triumphs include Mad Max: Fury Road's ten nominations, including for Best Picture. As we've said before, Mad Max is a wild and fantastically feminist adventure, so seeing it representing is a breath of fresh air in this disappointing list. And though Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett often split the Best Actress category, here Cate slotted into Best Actress with Rooney scoring Best Supporting so they both have a chance of winning. Cate will be going up against Brie Larson (Room), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), and Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn). Joining Rooney in the Supporting category are Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), and Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs). No female directors were nominated this year. Well, 2017, here's hoping you've got better news for us. 

The 88th Academy Awards will air on ABC on February 28th. Will you be tuning in this year?