Editorial | The real winners and losers at this year’s Oscars

The 95th Academy Awards took place Sunday and had many upsets and triumphant winners. From first-time winners to veteran actors and actresses, the awards given reflected movies’ power to affect people. As usual, some of the winners deserved their awards more than others. Here are our favorite winners and some losers at this year’s Oscars.

Best Winner: Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Ke Huy Quan who played the goofy dad in this year’s Best Picture winner “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” gave an emotional speech when he won the award. After a stint as a child actor in 80s classics such as “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” he left the acting business. But as he said in his speech, he was “welcomed back.” Everyone seemed to root for him, so watching him win the award was highly satisfying.

Most Unfortunate Loss: Stephanie Hsu for Best Supporting Actress in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Stephanie Hsu lost to her co-star Jamie Lee Curtis for Best Supporting Actress. While it was exciting that Jamie Lee Curtis won her first Academy Award after nearly 50 years in Hollywood, her performance paled in comparison to Hsu’s. As Joy Wang and Jobu Tupaki, Hsu had a heart-wrenching performance that made the movie win in all the other categories.

Most Confusing Win: Brendan Fraser for Best Actor in “The Whale”

While we were excited that Brendan Fraser received recognition after a tumultuous career in Hollywood, winning for “The Whale” was not as exciting. “The Whale” received rightful criticism for its depictions of obesity with many saying that it perpetuated fatphobic tropes. The movie was also clearly Oscar bait, trying to woo the Academy by artfully displaying a depressing subject matter. For these reasons, we are unsure about this win.

The Country with the Most Losses: Ireland with Paul Mescal, “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “An Cailín Ciúin”

Despite having 14 nominations, Ireland did not do as well as it thought it would. Paul Mescal, the Irish actor nominated for his role in “Aftersun,” lost to Brendan Fraser. Additionally, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan from “The Banshees of Inisherin,” lost all of their awards. And the Irish-language film “An Cailín Ciúin” lost in the Best International Feature Film category. On the upside, “An Irish Goodbye” won the Best Live Action Short Film, and Richie Baneham from Dublin also won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects on “Avatar: The Way of Water,” so Ireland had two wins to celebrate. 

Most Significant Win: Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian American actress to win the Best Actress category, and her win was well deserved. Her inspiring speech acknowledged the history of Asian actresses who set the path for her and sent a message to those watching to never give up on their dreams. Her win shattered the glass ceiling and hopefully sent a message to Hollywood that actors of color have important stories to tell.

While this year’s Oscars did not have the infamous slap, it did have historic moments and great upsets. Movies have important stories to tell. It’s important we celebrate them — the wins and the losses.