Within the run-up to the Oscars every year, movie pundits attempt to predict the winners based mostly on earlier awards within the season. 2022’s frontrunners for finest image are CODA and The Power of the Dog, however one is relatively extra divisive than the opposite. After CODA took residence the Producers Guild Award for finest image this weekend, some movie buffs drew comparisons with controversial Oscar-winners like Crash and Green Book.
To set the scene right here, The Energy of the Canine was the early frontrunner. Written and directed by the acclaimed filmmaker Jane Campion, it’s a Nineteen Twenties Western that includes A-list stars (Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst), broadly praised for its cinematography, music, performing and route. It’s been nominated for 11 Oscars.
In the meantime CODA was directed by a lesser-known filmmaker (Siân Heder), starring a less-famous solid. Nominated for 3 Oscars, it’s a coming-of-age story a couple of woman who grows up in a Deaf household, however will not be Deaf herself. She’s a gifted singer, torn between her goals of a music profession and her duties as an ASL interpreter for her household. Incomes glowing reward after its Sundance premiere final yr, it made headlines when Apple TV+ dropped an astounding $25 million on distribution rights—an indication that Apple noticed the movie as a crowd-pleasing hit. Its crucial response was extra blended general, with a 74% rating on Metacritic.
CODA is seen as a feel-good “issue movie,” whereas The Energy of the Canine is extra of an artwork movie. This comparability is shaping the discourse round 2022’s Oscar season, sparking debate this weekend as some people compared CODA to Crash and Green Book—each of which confronted criticism for his or her depiction of race and racism. The implication right here is that whereas CODA is groundbreaking when it comes to Deaf illustration, it’s additionally type of problematic.
Unsurprisingly, this unflattering comparability impressed some pushback. And it’s extra sophisticated than only a area of interest Movie Twitter beef.