May be a movie about “the most important fucking thing that’s ever happened in the history of the world,” but by the time the 96Academy Awards drew to a close, its crowning achievement already felt like an anticlimax. Standing center stage with the envelope for Best Picture, Al Pacino neglected to read out the names of the 10 nominees and cut right to the chase, so abruptly that it seemed to take the room a moment to realize it was all over.
Parasite’s seven wins—for picture, director, actor, supporting actor, cinematography, editing, and score—were foregone conclusions. Emma Stone edging past Lily Gladstone in Best Actress was the night’s biggest surprise, not least to the show’s producers, who uncharacteristically slotted the award between Best Director and Best Picture in apparent anticipation of a historic win by Gladstone, who would have been the first Native American to triumph in any acting category