“Is Get Out an Oscar Worthy Film?” More Like, Why Is That Even A Question?
- Naomi Agnew
- Mar 9, 2018
- 3 min read
For some dumb reason, several Academy voters apparently don’t think Get Out is an Oscar worthy movie. I almost couldn’t believe that anybody would ever think that, until I remembered the white-old-male demographics that make up a majority of the academy’s voters.
In the days leading up to the Oscar’s, Vulture released an article highlighting the voting habits of the most recently added academy voters in order to analyze how their habits are affecting the way our Oscar’s looked this year. Before the famous #OscarsSoWhite movement created by April Reign, the academy’s voters all looked a little too similar and a little too white, and thus primarily voted for movies that all looked a little too similar and a little too white. In order to appease the critics, the Academy has appointed several new voters that represent a far more diverse group of people; including various PoC’s, more women, and younger aged individuals. This new group of voters is more than likely the reason we get to see films like Get Out, Lady Bird, and Call Me By Your Name running against films like The Post and Darkest Hour for Best Picture.
Still, there is one thing that sets apart Get Out from it’s other youthful nominees and that is it’s blatantly progressive and political critique of modern day racism. It’s incredible ability to create a whole new genre while still maintaining a beautifully, thrilling story AND be chalk full of stand out performances like Daniel Kaluuya and Betty Gabriel (who should’ve knocked out Mary J Blige for a Best Supporting Actress nomination imo) makes it more than worthy for an Oscar nomination amongst the younger Academy voters and younger film-watchers alike, despite it’s political message. In Vulture’s article over the voting habits of new Academy voters, they quote one new voter who said that Get Out doesn’t look like an Oscar movie in the sense that just a few years ago, the white-old-male dominated Academy would have never voted for it’s nomination to begin with.
Apparently, even with the new exposure to incredible movies displaying more diverse and inclusive themes, some of the older Academy voters are still stuck in there old ways. One Academy voter is quoted saying that they spoke to older members who were adamant that Get Out was not Oscar worthy, despite not even seeing the film!
Truly, we need to stop giving people like this the time of day. Why they are amongst our voters, I have no idea, but I can at least revel in the fact that the Academy is working to give less people like that the time of day. Their new diverse additions to the voting pool may seem like they don’t have a huge impact, but then again, Get Out won Best Original Screenplay over it’s whiter counter-parts. Giving diverse and politically charged films like Get Out the award it deserves just paves the way for more films like it in the future. In order to have a truly diverse and inclusive film industry, we have to attack the issue at all levels, not just on screen, but off screen as well.
So props to you, Academy, for finally doing something you should’ve done when you first were established. We have a long way to go, but I feel confident that some day in the next 50 or so years, we will finally be rid of the kind of people who never gave Get Out a chance.
References:
Precarious Creativity; Strategies for Success?: Navigating Hollywood’s “Postracial” Labor Practices, By Kristen Warner
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