The 82nd Golden Globes are officially in the books. While the organization may no longer be the HFPA, the Globes stayed true to their unpredictable nature, shaking up the awards season landscape. Dreams were dashed, hopes were reignited, and the once-murky Best Picture race now seems clearer. Meanwhile, new contenders have emerged in the acting categories.
Best Picture Is Between Emilia Perez and The Brutalist
The two Best Picture winners of the night—Emilia Perez and The Brutalist—also happened to be the two films that won the most awards. Emilia Perez led with four wins, while The Brutalist followed with three. It appears the Best Picture race is now between these two, and it’s hard to determine which one is ahead.
Emelia Perez won the most awards, and the international and industry love for the film continues to grow, even as audience reception weakens. However, The Brutalist, despite its limited release, claimed arguably the three biggest prizes of the night: Best Drama, Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Best Drama Actor for Adrien Brody. The film hasn’t even been widely released yet, so no one knows how audiences will react to its three-and-a-half-hour runtime.
The BAFTAs will be the next battleground, where the frontrunner may finally emerge.
Demi Moore Is Now the Front-Runner for Best Actress
In what turned out to be the biggest moment of the night, Demi Moore surprised everyone by winning Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy and delivered an emotional, powerful speech that brought the house down. After tonight, it looks like the Oscar could be hers to lose.
She defeated her three biggest competitors: Karla Sofia Gascón (Emelia Perez), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), and the odds-on favorite going into the night, Mikey Madison (Anora). The love for Demi is palpable, and award shows adore a great comeback story. Of course, things could change,Golden Globe voters are not Oscar voters, but Demi made a statement with her win and speech that resonated worldwide.
Anora Is Out of the Race for Best Picture
The biggest loser of the night was Sean Baker’s Anora. The film, which had been the odds-on favorite in three major categories (Best Picture – Comedy/Musical, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy), went home empty-handed. This was a shocking result for a movie that many believed to be the frontrunner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Since 2010, only two Best Picture winners, CODA (2021) and Spotlight (2015), have been shut out at the Golden Globes. However, CODA won in an unusual, pandemic-impacted year. If Anora has any hope left, it lies in Spotlight‘s trajectory, but even that film rebounded with a SAG ensemble win, which Anora has very little chance of achieving.
Zoe Saldana Takes the Lead Over Ariana Grande
Zoe Saldana claimed the first major victory in the Best Supporting Actress race, triumphing over Ariana Grande. While Grande could rebound with more populist groups like SAG or the Critics Choice Awards, Saldana’s Golden Globes win highlights her stronger appeal with international voters—a potential deciding factor for the Oscar.
Meanwhile, Emelia Perez now holds a clear lead over Wicked in the Best Picture race, further bolstering Saldana’s momentum.
Fernanda Torres Is Going to Be Nominated for Best Actress
Fernanda Torres has been a wildcard in the Best Actress race all season. The Brazilian actress was snubbed by both the Critics Choice Awards and the BAFTA longlist, yet she pulled off a surprise Golden Globe win over globe favorites Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman.
Since 2000, only one lead actor (male or female) who won a Golden Globe for Drama has failed to secure an Academy Award nomination, and that was Kate Winslet for Revolutionary Road (2008), who still won that year but for a different film, The Reader (2008). Streaks aren’t guarantees, and today’s Golden Globes are not what they were 20 years ago, but the precedent and Torres’ high-visibility win make her hard to ignore.
Jolie and Kidman’s Oscar chances took significant blows with these losses. Both have missed key nominations recently, Jolie with the BAFTA longlist and Kidman with the Critics Choice Awards. They needed the momentum from a Golden Globe win and now appear to be on the outside looking in. That said, they are industry veterans, so the SAG Awards could still give them the boost they need.
Flow Is Following the Same Path as The Boy and the Heron
Flow, the small Latvian silent film that continues to exceed expectations, pulled off a surprising upset in the Best Animated Feature category, defeating the presumed frontrunner, The Wild Robot. This victory immediately drew comparisons to last year’s Golden Globes, where The Boy and the Heron similarly triumphed over Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The Boy and the Heron followed up its Golden Globe win with victories at the BAFTAs and, ultimately, the Oscars. If Flow can replicate that trajectory, it could mean Oscar gold, regardless of what other awards groups decide.
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