Vistamar Students Give Thoughts on the Oscars

Lights, camera, Oscars! On March 2, 2025, the 97th Academy Awards lit up the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, celebrating the brightest stars and biggest achievements in cinema from 2024. Conan O’Brien took on hosting duties, keeping the crowd in stitches with his sharp jokes and infectious energy. The night’s biggest star? None other than Anora, which swept up five golden statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Director for Sean Baker, and Best Actress for Mikey Madison. Adrien Brody took home Best Actor for his role in “The Brutalist,” showing once again that his talent is as sharp as ever. Zoe Saldaña made history, winning Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez and becoming the first American of Dominican origin to take home an Oscar. Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actor for his work in A Real Pain, showing the world that the Culkin family is still making Hollywood proud! Wicked also cast a spell over the Academy, winning Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Paul Tazewell, who designed the costumes, made history as the first Black man to win in the costume design category.

But the students of Vistamar had mixed reviews on the night’s big winners. Winnie T. (Grade 10) was all in on Anora’s Oscar triumph, saying, “People were upset with Demi Moore not winning because she’s been in the industry for so long, but it’s not about that but the performance.” Not everyone was caught up in the Anora excitement, though. Eli E. (Grade 10) wasn’t exactly blown away, “I didn’t think it was all that great, I think that there were definitely better movies that should’ve won best picture.” The students of Vistamar showed that opinions on cinema can be as diverse as the films themselves. Whether they loved Anora or thought other movies deserved the spotlight, one thing’s for sure—this year’s Oscars sparked plenty of conversation.