The battle for the best premiere of 2023 is coming to a close on March 10 at the Oscars, and the student body seems divided on which films will take home laurels.
In a recent survey of 58 students, a vote was conducted to see students’ predictions for the Oscar awards. The two films at the top of the poll for Best Picture were “Barbie,” receiving 34% of the votes, and “Oppenheimer,” receiving 48% of the votes.
For many students, the two films resonated personally in different ways, swaying their interpretations and enjoyment of the films.
Junior Bridget Gray was drawn to the social themes presented in “Barbie.”
”I loved its feminist message that brought empowerment to girls around the world and addressed the well-known stigmas of Barbie in a meaningful way,” Gray said.
Some students looked toward the visual elements and historical story of “Oppenheimer” when choosing their predictions.
“The cinematography is really cool, and the soundtrack is incredible. Additionally, it tells a very interesting story that I feel like not a lot of people knew,” junior Sam Ferber said.
For supporting actor and actress, votes were split yet again between “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”
For Best Supporting Actor, Ryan Gosling as Ken in “Barbie” won 52% of the votes and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer” won 38% of the votes.
For Best Supporting Actress, America Ferrera as Gloria in “Barbie” received 49% of the votes, while Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer in “Oppenheimer” received 32% of the votes.
Despite the large sway toward “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” some students are rooting for other films, such as “Poor Things,” garnering 12% of the votes on the survey for Best Picture. Similarly, some students supported “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a film equaling the suspense and length of “Oppenheimer.”
”Martin Scorsese knows how to unfold a story that is suspenseful and eerie that keeps you hooked so much that the three-hour movie didn’t feel long at all,” junior Mauricio Mata said.
Unlike the split predictions for Best Picture, the poll suggests that Best Leading Actor will go to Cillian Murphy for his portrayal of the titular character in “Oppenheimer.” Murphy garnered an impressive 63% of votes. Mata noted the intensity of Murphy’s acting across the three-hour feature film.
“He was able to express the emotion and tension of the movie well,” Mata said.
Other students felt Emma Stone’s leading role of Bella Baxter in “Poor Things” deserved an Oscar win.
Some were dissatisfied with the absence of Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Barbie among the nominations.
“Although she was nominated as a producer, I wish that Margot Robbie was nominated for her acting,” Gray said. “She was able to give a plastic doll a bigger range of human emotion than many actors who play actual people.
