On the BAFTAs

Lisette Reed discusses the highs and lows of the BAFTAs

THE EE BAFTA Film Awards fell in mid-February this year and though many of the winners are well-deserved, there have also been countless criticisms and complaints over some of the winners, with many upset viewers stating that a range of films have been ‘snubbed’ for the number one spot, as well as a general lack of diversity within the winners.

To begin this discussion, it’s best to start with the winner of Best Film, All Quiet on the Western Front. The film won five awards in major categories, however, when discussing the films with fellow students, it appears that no one particularly knew of the film’s existence. Though it was released on UK Netflix in late October, there was a lack of advertisement for the film, and this could be a reason why it wasn’t as well known. Moreover, the film itself faces many issues. Despite it not romanticising war, like many of its counterparts in the genre, it is a remake of both a 1930 and 1979 film, as well as an adaptation of the original 1929 book. The constant recycling of this story and creating a new rendition of the same movie just emphasises the recycling of ideas in the film industry; there is a constant complaint that there are ‘no new ideas and movies nowadays’, and with remakes like this frequently being retold in a just slightly different manner, it’s no wonder that comments like this are made in the media. Furthermore, the original All Quiet on the Western Front from 1930, used many German military veterans as extras in the film, many of whom likely suffered with war-related mental health issues. Therefore, is it really necessary to reproduce a film which played and relied on the trauma of others for its background characters? Of course, the concept of the film is one of anti-war, a message which is still relevant today, and its lack of glorification is certainly powerful, but these messages could’ve been portrayed in a new way, rather than recycling the same story. In comparison to its other nominees, including Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Banshees of Inisherin, in terms of originality, there were much stronger contenders for this category. still qualified for the BAFTAs but at what cost? Tar was nominated for an abundance of awards, with Cate Blanchett winning Best Actress for it but is it something that should be celebrated? The film follows a female lesbian conductor, who is accused of sexual abuse and her entire career is shattered. Despite the soundtrack of this film being impressive, its overall premise is not. Throughout the industry, there is a lack of lesbian and sapphic representations and to have a film like this be the current depiction of a queer woman in the mainstream media is incredibly harmful and quite frankly idiotic. By presenting the mainstream with a predatory lesbian character, it plays into harmful and offensive stereotypes of LGBTQ+ individuals being dangerous and exploitative. Additionally, by portraying a more masculine lesbian as abusive and threatening, towards not only her wife but also her peers, it further accentuates these stereotypes. The film was marketed strongly as one about a powerful queer woman and her successful career to attract young LGBTQ+ individuals and the trailer never mentions anything about the accusations or Tar’s completely stereotypical and abusive demeanour. Yes, Cate Blanchett’s performance was impressive at times but, once again, in comparison to her fellow nominees, she shouldn’t have won the award.

In this year’s BAFTAs, there was an overwhelming whiteness and no nominees of col-

Only time will tell. Hopefully, solutions can be found for this situation so I can enjoy watching shows and films without having to consider whether to cancel my subscription because I cannot afford my own account.

BUT HOW FAR CAN STREAMING SERVICES GO WITH THEIR RULES AND REGULATIONS our won the award for their proposed category. Unlike the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes, where Everything Everywhere All At Once won several awards and broke the record most wins for a single film, the movie only won a single award at the BAFTAs, despite being nominated for a range of them. However, its win for the Editing category was completely deserved, the film’s dynamic and intriguing style is part of what makes it so entertaining to watch. Its powerful “metaphor for the immigrant Asian American experience” is intensely impressive, as well as wonderfully weird with the entire film centring around a bagel. It was most definitely snubbed for most awards, including Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh, Director for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert and many more.

Though there were many disappointing outcomes of the 2023 BAFTAs, there were a range of well-deserved awards. Aftersun’s Charlotte Wells won Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, a film which encapsulated the nostalgia of a British summer holiday and the passionate and supportive relationship between a father and his daughter. With ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen as its prime soundtrack and a range of nostalgic aspects of a holiday abroad, including having thread plaited into hair in the town, drinking mocktails pretending they were alcohol and karaoke nights on a resort, Aftersun was destined to have this award.

EDITORS: Annabelle Law and Madison Sohngen