A Recap and Review of the 98th Oscars

The 98th Academy Awards, which aired on March 15, were expected to be a continuous back-and-forth battle between theatrical heavy-hitters “Sinners” (2025) and “One Battle After Another” (2025). While many awards were understandably taken by those two films, this season’s headlining winners were still more varied than expected, as films like “Weapons” (2025) and “Frankenstein” (2025) garnered awards as well. Overall, this year’s Oscars gave love to the filmmakers who weren’t afraid to push past genre boundaries and the performers who aren’t afraid to think outside the box. The 2026 Oscars was a statement that genre is simply a construct that shouldn’t restrict filmmakers or actors, and that no longer dictates award proceedings. In that vein, I will examine these wins to understand why some films and actors won over others.

Best Picture — “One Battle After Another”

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” faced Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” and stood victorious. Both films were massively acclaimed and beloved, with justification for awarding either. “Sinners,” the remarkable vampire horror film set in Mississippi during the Jim Crow era, seamlessly blended the history of African American culture and music with supernatural elements, creating a truly beautiful story about finding your heaven in hell, and the lengths people will go to maintain their autonomy and self-expression. “One Battle After Another,” following radicals determined to oppose an alternate authoritarian America, gave a hyperrealistic portrait of a politically fractured America through satire and dark humor, overflowing with political and societal commentary. While the film possesses considerable artistic merit, I hypothesize it was this commentary that won over the Academy, as the film’s themes of radical activism and institutional white supremacy are greatly relevant in current political discourse and carry a more urgent message.

Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson has long been overdue for Academy recognition for his work. Long renowned for classic, beautifully shot films like “Phantom Thread” (2017) and “Inherent Vice” (2014), the Best Director win was well deserved. He nearly perfectly adapted Thomas Pynchon’s notoriously difficult novel “Vineland” to the big screen, a feat which understandably swayed the Academy. That being said, I believe Ryan Coogler’s creativity in directing “Sinners” was overlooked. The sheer difficulty of juggling vampire horror, Jim Crow history and the origins of blues music is astounding, and his ability to blend it all to be coherent, thrilling and emotionally resonant was truly marvelous. 

Best Actor — Michael B. Jordan

Michael B. Jordan’s win for best actor for his dual performance as identical twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore in “Sinners” was well deserved. Jordan’s performance was exciting to watch, as his two vastly different characters drove forward the plot and dynamically played off each other and the rest of the cast. Moreover, he carried the emotional weight of the film, as he was able to masterfully carry the traumatic history of two different characters on his own shoulders and express their differing personalities without either becoming caricatures. Despite Jordan’s electrifying performance, many believe Timothee Chalamet’s performance in “Marty Supreme” was overshadowed for unjust reasons. Chalamet’s portrayal of the slick-talking table-tennis hustler Marty Mauser was chaotic yet charismatic, making you want to cheer for a bad person, and many believe it trumped Jordan’s portrayal. Though he may have overshadowed his own performance through recent eccentricity in interviews, including a comment disparaging the ballet community.

Best Actress — Jessie Buckley

While there were many deserving performances from brilliant actresses, such as Emma Stone in “Bugonia” (2025) and Kate Hudson in “Song Sung Blue” (2025), there was not a doubt in most people’s minds that Jessie Buckley earned this award over everyone else. Anybody who watched “Hamnet” (2025), the tragic story of William Shakespeare’s family, was melted by Buckley’s portrayal of Agnes Shakespeare, as she conveyed grief and loss on screen like few ever have in the medium. Buckley’s performance of Agnes losing her child is unmatched; her demeanor, clearly changed by the traumatic experience, perfectly conveyed this level of loss that only a mother can experience. 

Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn

Sean Penn as antagonist Colonel Lockjaw in “One Battle After Another” was the highlight of the film for me and his Oscar validates his brilliant performance. He was simultaneously terrifying and comical at the same time. Lockjaw’s lack of self-consciousness and inflated ego fits the film’s satirical tone perfectly, making its heavy hitting commentary significantly easier to swallow. The most compelling case against Penn was Delroy Lindo as Delta Slim in “Sinners.” He arguably also deserved this award, as his character — the old, drunken blues musician — was the pillar upon which most of the film’s historical imagery and consciousness stood. 

Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan

Amy Madigan was the upset of the night; her win proved all her previous snubs wrong, winning her Oscar 40 years after her last nomination. Her portrayal of the terrifying, yet hilarious Aunt Gladys in “Weapons” (2025) made the film click. Her comedic moments in the film make her unpredictable, polishing her near-perfect portrayal. Despite this, I believe Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills in “One Battle After Another” still deserved the win, as she did something nearly unheard of with her role. Despite 19 minutes of screentime in a two hour and 45 minute film, her character was the driving force of the story. Taylor, with the strength of her performance, turned this minimal role into the quiet heart that beats throughout the story.

These primary categories, dubbed, “The Big Six,” set the tone for the Oscars and how the future of cinema should look. Blurring the lines of genre, actors and directors alike used the boundaries between different stories as tools to create original films and powerful roles, melding social commentary with artistic strength and entertainment value. The recognition shown by the Academy this year sets a precedent that innovative storytelling is the most powerful artistic value of all.

Photo Caption: The recognition shown by the Academy this year sets a precedent that innovative storytelling is the most powerful artistic value of all.

Photo Credit: Samuel Ramos / Unsplash