Many didn’t expect the pioneering LGBTQ film Moonlight to win the coveted Best Picture title at the 89th Academy Awards, but yes, they did realize that the impact that it left would be felt long after the ceremony. As it turned out, the film won and La La Land lost the race in an epic Oscar upset and an unexpected faux pas that saw presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway getting confused about the winner. The presenters had seemingly picked the wrong envelope — the one that was meant for best actress winner Emma Stone. On realizing the blunder, representatives for Price Waterhouse Coopers came onstage to halt the acceptance speech.
While most of us were a bit shocked by what had happened at the Oscars ceremony, we were also happy that Moonlight – a haunting film about a poor African-American kid (who doesn’t have a father) growing up in the primarily black Liberty City neighborhood of Miami – made a cut. Actor Vinay Pathak, who had wanted the film to win because he found the story a poor, gay, black man extremely impressive, had told us earlier, “I saw the film recently and I was totally blown away by it. Moonlight is a wonderfully made film. And it comes from a first time filmmaker. Honestly speaking, Moonlight should win Best Film."
Happy with the announcement, Pathak said, “Moonlight is a landmark film. From the Hollywood standard, it isn’t the typical film which has a beginning, a middle and an end. It is not a typical morality film either. It is a real film. It is an independent film that Hollywood has supported. I’m happy it won the Best Picture award."
Pathak doesn’t want to refer to Moonlight as a ‘black gay love story’. “We have labeled it like that. And that’s what the film isn’t. In my opinion, it is a film about trauma, personal struggle, and so many more things. But not black gay love film," he adds.
Since the film’s win comes a year after the #Oscarssowhite debate dominated the awards season, many feel it was used to put across an evidence on how far the industry has come in the last one year. “Oscars have always been righteous and politically correct. So I’m not surprised on that issue. Considering their current political scenario, it could have been a way to tell US President what they thought of his racial slurs."
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