The 2025 Oscars ceremony proved to be an unpredictable night for the film industry, with both expected wins and surprising upsets that left audiences divided. While previous awards shows, like the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, had set expectations for certain winners, Sunday night introduced its share of twists.
Predictable wins included Adrien Brody taking home Best Actor for The Brutalist, Kieran Culkin winning Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain, and Zoe Saldaña securing Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez. However, the biggest shock of the night came from Anora, which emerged as the most decorated film with five Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Actress and Best Picture.
Director Sean Baker made history by winning four Oscars in one night—a record previously held by Walt Disney in 1954. His wins included Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, solidifying Anora’s place in Oscar’s history.
While Anora’s success was celebrated, Mikey Madison’s Best Actress win sparked mixed reactions. Madison triumphed over strong contenders, including Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez), Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here) and Demi Moore (The Substance). Moore’s loss, in particular, has sparked outrage from viewers who considered her performance Oscar-worthy. Many have pointed out that the events of Sunday night directly mirror the plot of The Substance: A younger actress getting praised and winning over an older one.
“OH MY GOD, biggest upset of the night! I thought Demi Moore had this in the bag,” wrote a Bluesky user. Even Jeopardy host Ken Jennings joined the conversation, posting, “Demi Moore losing to Mikey Madison should be a post-credits scene to The Substance.”
However, others argued that dismissing Madison’s win as a result of her youth and beauty undercuts her performance and perpetuates a sexist narrative.
“To reduce her win to the grounds of youth and beauty is fundamentally sexist and belies the hard and complex work Madison did honing her craft and bringing her character to life… To weaponize The Substance’s feminist message to undercut another woman feels ignorant at best and ignoble at worst,” Slate writer David Mack pointed out.
Controversy also surrounded Emilia Pérez, which had already faced criticism for its portrayal of Mexico, the lack of Mexican representation in its cast and lead actress Karla Sofía Gascón’s resurfaced tweets. The film’s surprising four Golden Globe wins—including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and Best Song for Saldaña’s “El Mal”—sparked outcry from fans of Wicked and other favorites.
“The Golden Globes are a joke. How is Emilia Pérez winning so many awards? It’s a racist, xenophobic mess with awful Mexican representation made by a French director who didn’t even bother to research our culture…” posted one user on X. Another added, “So you are telling me that the voting body for the Golden Globes thought Emilia Pérez was a better musical than Wicked?”
At the Oscars, Emilia Pérez led with 13 nominations but only secured two wins, setting a new record for the lowest conversion rate of nominations to wins.
Despite the controversies, there were uplifting moments throughout the evening. Wicked received praise for its costume and production design, The Brutalist won three accolades and the Brazilian film I’m Still Here earned recognition after being overlooked at other awards shows.
While opinions about the night’s outcomes may vary, the 2025 Oscars delivered an evening of surprises and celebrated the artistry and hard work of the film industry’s many talents.
Photo courtesy of Samuel Ramos on Unsplash
