The Golden Globes, sponsored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are often a mixed bag. Honoring the best of film and television for each respective year, they do celebrate filmmaking and often award phenomenal films that deserve vast exposure. However, this show has also been known to have a compromised sense of ethics, gravitating to overly gaudy, excessive marketing from desperate studios, and the entire voting base is only composed of roughly eighty-seven and mostly anonymous foreign film journalists, which is neither a wide enough nor credible voter base.
The entire process this year alone yielded some immense controversies, including the revelation that the group does not have a single Black member, which is inexcusable; the inexplicable multiple nominations for Sia’s film Music, a critically reviled movie already notorious for its offensive depiction of autism; and the insensitive categorization of Minari as a foreign language film (more on that later).
On the other hand, there were some triumphs this year. Three extremely deserving women were nominated for Best Director, which is the most in the history of this institution or any other televised awards show for a category that is infamously dominated by men. Additionally, the entire array of winners and nominees were quite diverse regardless of the body that produced them.
Ultimately, however, in the tumultuous race to the highly coveted Oscar, the Golden Globes are often seen as a stepping-stone and do bear weight on said race (almost exclusively in its drama categories, though), despite the lack of reputability of the entire organization of the HFPA.
The Golden Globes elicit ambivalent feelings from almost all, but for the sake of discussing film and awards coverage, they do require analysis. The winners are indicated in bold, and I have included what I think the winner of the nominees should be and the most notable individual who was snubbed (I limited myself to only one per category). This piece is only for the film section.
Best Motion Picture—Drama:
Nomadland
The Father
Mank
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Should Have Won: Nomadland
Chloé Zhao’s lyrical, immersive, and raw film is a masterpiece for the ages. She deftly sands down the embellishments of humanity to its most intrinsic, fully depicting it in all its pain and glory. In a contemporary America where capitalism and the American dream has failed countless people, the only solutions are the spiritual and eternally enlightening ones of internal fulfillment and human connection.
Should Have Been Nominated: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
George C. Wolfe’s kinetic and tactile adaptation of the widely acclaimed August Wilson play is a deeply haunting experience, empathetically depicting the plight of Black artists, all bolstered by the textured work of Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman.
Best Actress—Drama:
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Should Have Won: Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
The lead actress categories have been the most robust in recent years with supremely talented women delivering towering performances, and it is extremely difficult to have many qualms with Andra Day’s showstopping work in The United States vs. Billie Holiday (She truly deserved a better film than the flat, tawdry one she received) being rewarded in a surprise win over an array of industry titans and established actresses. However, Carey Mulligan’s engrossing, facetted work as a traumatized woman seeking vengeance deftly subverts the woman scorned archetype with haunting, achingly human subtext: It’s the performance of a lifetime.
Should Have Been Nominated: Rachel Brosnahan, I’m Your Woman
Rachel Brosnahan imbues her character in Julia Hart’s riveting feature I’m Your Woman (a fantastic movie on Prime Video) with both stoicism and emotional intimacy, redefining with dimension to astonishing effect the stock marginalized housewife in innumerable crime films.
Best Actor—Drama:
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian
Should Have Won: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Hopkins and Ahmed are mesmerizing and tactful in their depictions of dementia and deafness respectively, but Boseman’s incandescent farewell performance is unforgettable, marking what should have been an auspicious career as an awards darling that was curtailed by his tragic passing.
Should Have Been Nominated: Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods
Delroy Lindo is unimpeachable in Da 5 Bloods as Vietnam War veteran haunted by both thar treacherous conflict and the systemic oppression that has afflicted him for decades.
Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy:
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Hamilton
Music
Palm Springs
The Prom
Should Have Won: Palm Springs
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is wonderful and far better than it has any right to be, offering a buoyant antidote to the malice of politically divided times, but Palm Springs is the comedy of 2020, an existentialist, boundlessly clever time loop film that introspectively contemplates what truly lends life its meaning, all through the lens of an endearing romantic comedy. At least Hamilton did not prevail; it’s a monumental piece of art, but it is a filmed stage musical, not a movie.
Should Have Been Nominated: On the Rocks
Sofia Coppola’s richly melancholic and soulful father-daughter buddy comedy is a delightfully modern take on the screwball genre with effervescent style and a charming, honest central relationship. Bill Murray and Rashida Jones have a hysterically sentimental rapport that will fill your heart with love.
Best Actress—Musical or Comedy:
Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Kate Hudson, Music
Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
Anya Taylor,Joy, Emma.
Should Have Won: Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
Pike offers her wicked character a searingly human center, and awards bodies do need to atone for not aptly showering her in accolades for Gone Girl. However, either Bakalova or Pfeiffer would receive my roses, and since Bakalova is really a supporting role that was miscategorized here, my pick is Pfeiffer’s deliciously morose, emotionally moving work as a morally debased socialite finding some semblance of humanity. Also, I would like to underscore my enthusiam Taylor-Joy’s win for her immaculate work in The Queen’s Gambit in the television category.
Should Have Been Nominated: Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs
Milioti finds nuance in the romantic comedy female lead, authentically and poignantly depicting a self-loathing woman seeking redemption.
Best Actor—Comedy or Musical:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
James Corden, The Prom
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
Should Have Won: Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
Samberg makes desperation and listlessness tragically funny without compromising the dramatic subtext of the story.
Should Have Been Nominated: Adam Brody, The Kid Detective
Brody delivers gleefully sardonic humor and dourly layered work in this underseen gem about the disillusionments of both childhood and adulthood.
Supporting Actor—Combined:
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Jared Leto, The Little Things
Bill Murray, On the Rocks
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Should Have Won: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Many, including me, feared a Sacha Baron Cohen upset, but the rightful winner was crowned in Daniel Kaluuya, who is masterful as an electrifying and magnetic Fred Hampton.
Should Have Been Nominated: Brian Dennehy, Driveways
Another cinematic gem that more need to experience, Driveways thoroughly showcases Dennehy’s sensitive, subtle, and emotive performance in another poignant farewell role as a lonely widower fostering a fulfilling friendship and connection with a timid boy who appears next door.
Supporting Actress—Combined
Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Helena Zengel, News of the World
Should Have Won: Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Jodie Foster plows through The Mauritanian with palpable energy like only a true movie star can, but Seyfried is my favorite as a neglected Golden Age actress who enthralls and radiates off the black-and-white frames of Mank.
Should Have Been Nominated: Dominique Fishback, Judas and the Black Messiah
Fishback makes Deborah Johnson, the girlfriend of Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton, compelling in her own right, employing impressive vulnerability and candor.
Best Director:
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Regina King, One Night in Miami
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Should Have Won: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
No one else deserves this award. Zhao embeds an absorbing amount of compassion and empathy into Nomadland, making the deep-rooted feelings of its down-trodden subjects tangible, and the use of naturalism is utterly mesmerizing.
Should Have Been Nominated: Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chung lends his autobiographical film a vivid, tender, and exquisite remembrance, intricately balancing the kaleidoscope of perspectives of the story’s immigrant family.
Best Screenplay:
Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Jack Fincher, Mank
Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, The Father
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Should Have Won: Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
Though Sorkin’s screenplay is dependably riveting and incredibly timely, Fennell’s work is a masterclass in writing and far more innovative, contextualizing the conventional female revenge thriller with haunting real-world subtext and subverting its exploitative tropes with a harrowing examination of female grief.
Should Have Been Nominated: Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Chung’s script is just as eminently great as his direction with richly drawn symbolism and characters.
Best Original Score:
Soul
Mank
News of the World
The Midnight Sky
Tenet
Should Have Won: Tenet
Tenet is a mixed bag of needlessly confounding plotting, but the merits in its craft are undeniable with arguably its greatest asset being its score. Soul’s jazz music is euphonious, but, again, I think my winner is a bit more innovative with its pulsating notes that invert the standard conventions of music to exhilarating effect, which is perfectly aligned with the film’s inversion of time itself.
Should Have Been Nominated: Minari
The score for Minari is engrossing, gorgeous, and an integral facet of the film’s immersive atmosphere.
Best Original Song:
“Io sì (Seen),” The Life Ahead
“Fight for You,” Judas and the Black Messiah
“Hear My Voice,” The Trial of the Chicago 7
“Speak Now,’ One Night in Miami
“Tigress & Tweed,” The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Should Have Won: “Speak Now,” One Night in Miami
“Speak Now,” co-written by One Night in Miami and Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., is an inspiring calling card for social reform that demands to be heard as much as its subject demands to be enacted.
Should Have Been Nominated: “Husavik,” Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a comedy that is radically uneven and only sporadically effective at best, but “Husavik” punctuates the film and clarifies its themes to an incredibly rapturous caliber.
Best Animated Feature:
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Wolfwalkers
Should Have Won: Wolfwalkers
Soul is solid metaphysical and abstract existential contemplation, but Wolfwalkers is an enamoring, vibrantly drawn, and mystical film brimming with topical dramatic weight that displays utmost mastery of the animated form.
Should Have Been Nominated: Hey, look! They got these five correct!
Best Foreign Language Film:
Minari
Another Round
La Llorona
The Life Ahead
Two of Us
Should Have Won: Minari
Though Minari is the best film of these five, the HFPA’s placement of it in the Foreign Language category is blatant and, frankly, xenophobic. Congruent with Nomadland, there is not another 2020 film more American than Minari, as it explores topics of the immigrant experience, assimilation, and the dualities of the American dream in addition to being produced by a studio and filmmaker having originated in the United States. To say it is foreign simply because the majority of the dialogue in it is in a non-English language insinuates that people are not American if they do not predominantly speak English. This decision from the HFPA is, therefore, racist, and, thus, it is crucial that this organization does better with their inclusion standards.
Should Have Been Nominated: This is not a bad batch, either (besides the ignorance)!
Photo Credit / Hollywood Foreign Press Association
