Award Adjustments: Who Deserved the 2025 Oscar Awards?

Articles
March 17, 2025
0 Comments

Luka Oatman || STAFF WRITER

Since Oscar season has passed, it is time to look back and admire some of the best cinematic productions from this past year. Though the nominated films each have their own strengths, only a few emerged victorious, boasting highly sought-after awards to recognize their excellence. Of the winners for the 23 categories, I disagreed with several. Here are my top picks from this year’s selection.

Best picture: I am firmly convinced that The Substance should have received this year’s award for best picture. The cast of this film was not only convincing in their individual roles but worked together flawlessly. The actors harbored a strong sense of togetherness, and their connections felt authentic. Furthermore, The Substance’s camera crew challenged themselves with unique, difficult shots. The viewer frequently sees through the eyes of the leading roles, including views of actors through mirrors. The camera work for these scenes was thoroughly impressive and added to the overall intricacy of the movie. In terms of writing, The Substance tackled difficult themes, challenging the concept of unattainable beauty through satire. Through this outlandish, dramatic story, the film’s writers made an indirect commentary on the impossible definition of beauty in Hollywood, and did so seamlessly. This movie was perfect in nearly every aspect and, in my opinion, was deserving of best picture.

Performance by an actor in a leading role: In Sing Sing, Colman Domingo created a complex character, Divine G. I believe that Domingo deserved the Oscar for Best Leading Actor for his astounding performance of optimism. Throughout the film we see Domingo maintain a consistently well developed character as he navigates through the endeavors of a small group of inmates producing plays. I found it amazing to see how Divine G finds a sense of self through the group of players, and it is easy to appreciate the effort and dedication to the role that was made by Domingo. His choices within the character are clearly thoughtful and purposeful, making it clear to me that he should possess this award.

Performance by an actress in a leading role: Although each of the nominees for this category performed wonderfully in their own aspects, one actress was truly outstanding in comparison to the rest. Demi Moore was incredible as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance, showcasing a true comprehension of the character’s emotional conflicts. As the film progresses, it remains evident that Moore put a lot of effort into understanding how her character would react to each of the difficulties she is faced with. It truly felt as though she were deeply connected with the role throughout the movie, which is a difficult feat to accomplish, especially while handling a display of such emotional maturity as her role required. While I watched The Substance, I never doubted the authenticity of Moore’s performance as she embodied the dismay of her character, growing steadily more tired and losing sanity, up until the very last moment of the film. Her performance as Elisabeth Sparkle was spectacular, and she is beyond deserving of this award.

Cinematography: Of the nominated movies for the Best Cinematography award, Emilia Pérez was the most memorable for me. Although the film is facing some backlash for its recent win of the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), some backlash which I can not say I disagree with, it was recorded and edited in such a way that I was able to look past my discontent with the musical score and recognize its unique style. Emilia Pérez frequently included distinctive camera angles, all of which were connected and displayed in such a way that their creative excellence was evident throughout. The film and editing crews of this movie obviously dedicated a lot of effort to ensuring each scene was shot from a new perspective, working seamlessly with the set designers and choreographers to perfectly capture and utilise each individual detail. Emilia Pérez stood out amongst the films selected for this award, the majority of which were filmed and edited in a fairly standard, familiar style. Emilia Pérez should undoubtedly be applauded for its creative and abstract style.

Music (Original Score): Renowned for its original Broadway musical form, Wicked hails at the top of my list for overall musical achievement. The film’s soundtrack included key elements from the original adaptation while still featuring unique changes and creative liberties. This is to the credit of the actors, actresses, musical directors, and composers who contributed to the film. In comparison to the other movies that were nominated for this award, Wicked’s score was unique, emotionally compelling, and vocally impressive. Additionally, the songs were lyrically creative, involving select words from the fictional language in the land of Oz, such as “disgusticified,” “scandalocious,” and “hideoteous.” Wicked’s musical team did not fail to consistently amaze me with their orchestration. They are “clandestinedly” deserving of this award for their “thrillifying” score.

Music (Original Song): Coming from The Six Triple Eight, “The Journey” does an incredible job recounting the film’s events. Following the true story of women of color who fought in World War II, the movie includes scenes that are emotionally burdensome and anxiety-inducing. “The Journey,” performed by H.E.R., includes minor piano chords that occasionally resolve to a major progression, perfectly resembling the somber and uncertain times experienced by the women in the 6888 Battalion. The song’s lyrics are complex, telling of “the times [they] thought [they’d] never make it through,” and how those times were “part of the plan, the journey.” The composition of the song invoked a strong sense of sorrow and perfectly complemented the story captured by the film. Its placement at the end is phenomenally powerful, helping summarize the events of the movie. With its continuous melodic and lyrical excellence, “The Journey” exceeded my expectations and was undoubtedly my favorite of the songs nominated for this award.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Anora’s Yura Borisov stole the show with his role of Igor. Borisov played the part with ease, and his presence was overall quite enjoyable. His character was very memorable and believable, and although the character was relatively simple, he stood out amongst the chaos of the movie. His role, an inexpressive henchman hired to find the son of a Russian oligarch, was played expertly and helped ground some of the more overwhelming scenes. However, when necessary, he was able to contribute to the overall disorder of the production. For example, his execution of fight choreography was thoroughly impressive, moving quickly and demonstrating a believable altercation. Borisov was incredible as Igor, and holds his spot as my favorite of the nominees for this award.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role: With her performance as Rita Mora Castro in Emilia Pérez, Zoe Saldaña took me by surprise. Castro is a lawyer who is kidnapped and hired to aid a criminal in transitioning from male to female. As she is jostled between a life of luxury and the complications of organizing the sex change, her emotions rapidly change. I was stunned by the ability of Saladaña to make such quick shifts in sentiment, carrying an effortless accuracy with the character’s display. It was truly amazing to see how Saldaña’s body language adjusted scene by scene to fit the character’s environment. Displaying emotion is something that many actors and actresses spend years attempting to perfect, and Saldaña seems to have reached that point of perfection, qualifying her for the award.

image credits: Vogue

Andoverview

Articles

NEASC Visit Highlights AHS Goals

April 3, 2026

Anushka Dole || ONLINE EDITOR

Andover High School hosted a re-accreditation visit from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) from March 16-18, as part of a decennial review process designed to evaluate how well AHS supports student learning and identify areas of improvement.

According to Assistant Principal Alicia Linsey, the process started during the 2023-2024 school year with a visit from the Collaborative Conference team, a group of visiting educators from across the New England area. In preparation for the visit, a team of AHS faculty members and administrators was formed.

“We picked out priority areas and presented those to this visiting NEASC committee … and they agreed with [our priority areas],” said biology teacher Lindsey L’Ecuyer, the AHS committee’s science department representative.

There were five priority areas that AHS pledged to work on starting in the 2023-2024 school year: developing the Vision of a Graduate, implementing consistent curricula throughout all departments, vertical/horizontal alignment across departments and throughout grades, promotion of school pride, and building infrastructure.

The Vision of a Graduate outlines the skills and values that the school hopes to instill in every student by the time they graduate.

Vertical alignment refers to improving coordination between teachers across grade levels to ensure student skills build progressively, while horizontal alignment emphasizes greater collaboration between teachers across departments.

“[The committee is] working on … finding time in the school day for teachers to collaborate more,” L’Ecuyer said, adding that AHS has begun standardizing curricula to support this effort.

“There are committees in the school that have been working on documenting curriculum in a consistent format for our core classes … freshman English, for example, [and] biology,” L’Ecuyer said.

Linsey mentioned that students and parents also play a role in the accreditation process. A team of visiting evaluators—distinct from the Collaborative Conference team—conduct interviews to gather student perspectives on the school climate and learning experiences.

Although the committee leads the reflection process, administrators are then responsible for implementing action plans based on their findings. In accordance with these plans, faculty members must provide evidence of integration of the district goals.

L’Ecuyer emphasized that NEASC accreditation is more about reflecting on and improving school processes than it is about recognition.

“It’s less of a badge as it is opening yourself up to reflecting on and documenting what you do well and what it’s like setting goals for your school,” L’Ecuyer said.

Beyond internal reflection and planning, the “badge” that the reaccreditation process provides does carry additional, tangible benefits for students. It reassures families and colleges that AHS maintains a rigorous academic program, and that it’s constantly working towards improving learning.

“My understanding is that colleges know Andover High School—they know what our programs are like,” L’Ecuyer said. “[Because] of [accreditation] … they know the kinds of students that graduate from here, and what skills that [they] have.”

Accreditation also plays a role in the school’s ability to receive funding.

“NEASC accreditation is required for eligibility to receive some private, state, and federal grants, loans, and other federal funds,” Linsey noted in an email.

Articles

AHS Hosts TEA Scholars

April 3, 2026

Advika Singh || STAFF WRITER

Through the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Scholar program, international teachers visited Andover High School throughout 11 days to observe classes and exchange educational practices across different cultures.

The TEA scholars consist of experienced educators from countries including Ukraine, Egypt and many other regions of the world, who were selected through a rigorous application process. As part of the program, scholars are based at UMass Lowell where they learn about the U.S. education system with a focus on curriculum, classroom structure, and teaching styles. During their time at AHS, the visiting teachers observed classes, discussed differences in education systems and made presentations about their home countries.

Zakria Ahmed, a chemistry teacher from Egypt, was surprised at the contrast between student-teacher relationships here compared to in Egypt. “In my country, students stay inside their classroom and teachers move between classes,” Ahmed said. “Here students move between classes and there is time between each period.” She explained that in Egypt, students typically sit in the same classroom from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., which can make the day feel longer.

In addition to different classroom etiquettes, the learning tools also differ. “I learned many methods here, but one of the tools I liked most were AI apps and other simulations,” Ahmed said. “Also, during chemistry lessons, experiments are done in the lab with students, which helps them see reactions happen in real time.”

The shift from traditional lectures to an interactive environment also changes how students interact with their instructors. “They follow their teachers, they are farther in discussions and respectfully speak to their teachers,” she said, noting that students here experience a more interactive environment, whereas in Egypt, classes are taught mainly through lectures.

The teachers also presented to students, sharing cultural practices from their home countries, which allowed students to learn about a variety of cultures. On the 26th of February during E block, a teacher named Iveta Kalidzeja presented to one of Jennifer Percival’s freshman english classes. It featured a slideshow introducing students to the Latvian alphabet along with examples of customs and notable landmarks throughout the country. The images and explanations displayed allowed students to learn about aspects of daily life in Latvia. Freshman Kyra Prengel noted, “The presentation about Latvia displayed many customs and traditions, and was very informative.”

Teacher Seema Gupta also reflected on the larger impact of the exchange program and the opportunities it provides for educators. “In my opinion, cultural understanding at both ends, learning new teaching strategies, and professional networking created through collaborative projects can be seen as a most valuable outcome of this program. Becoming a more culturally responsive teacher and fostering our students to be global citizens by bringing in real world global examples is another positive aspect of participation in this program.” Her perspective highlights how programs like this extend beyond classrooms, and help teachers and students gain an understanding of the world beyond them.

Apart from academic purposes, the exchange allowed for a cultural introduction to the U.S. All participating teachers were visiting the country for the first time and some even experienced their first snow day. “There are many things I would like to take back to my students,” Ahmed said. “Educational methods, technology, and also my students have some misconceptions about the U.S., so this experience will help correct that.”

AHS NEWSPAPER

Or check our Popular Categories...

AHS NEWSPAPER

Or check our Popular Categories...

Award Adjustments: Who Deserved the 2025 Oscar Awards?

Like this: