Well, I'm just as shocked as many other people today. I remember myself weeks ago, making these conjectures about how Parasite could win big, which one between Directing and Film could go its way, bla bla, bla bla... But I never imagined in a million years that the Academy (this Academy) would reward what's pretty much unarguably the best film of the year in both categories. Truly an amazing couple of choices, another step in the right direction for inclusivity and films with a relevant message, no matter where they come from or in which language they've been written. After the PGAs and BAFTAs, it was hard to believe in some other film but 1917 winning. Yet there was a remote chance, considering that Best Film here is chosen by the whole body of members, and that's exactly what happened.
No disrepect to Sam Mendes' film, which it has its own share of virtues, I was petrified with the amount of accolades it was collecting in the last few weeks; to me it's a bland war-based attraction in the footsteps of the works by directors like Cuarón or Iñárritu, taking it as far as the mimicking of Lubezki's camera language by the also legendary Roger Deakins, whose triumph tonight is more than justified, if anything, by all those times he never got it. I thought it unbelievable to see this film towering the rest, after the many war films that didn't make it in the last 30 years; almost as difficult to justify as a second Oscar for Directing to Mendes, when sitting not far from him there's a man named Martin Scorsese who's living history of this medium (1 of 9 nominations in the category after tonight) or directors like Joon-Ho who had all the traction to win, except in the (prejudiced) American industry.
I think It's quite apparent that, as a regular moviegoer, I couldn't be happier with all this situation. ;)
PS: Aside of these two big "surprises", the only puzzling moment in what was a predictable night has to be in the Animated Film category: ignored in the ANNIEs, defeated again in the BAFTAs, yet once again Toy Story and Disney took the statuette home. It could happen, and therefore, it did.
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