Greta Gerwig interviewed at the British Embassy reception for the release of The Barbie Movie.

 Sarah Storer

Ahead of the 96th Academy Awards in March, there’s been a lot of chatter about a ‘Barbie snub’ — but isn’t that a bit dramatic?

In the year of Barbenheimer billions, some viewers are surprised to see Barbie (2023) miss out on the coveted Best Picture and Lead Actress spots – but why are we discounting their eight other nominations? What about the scores of other female directors and actresses finally getting their moment in the sun?

With both Barbie and Oppenheimer (2023) dominating the box office and the news over the summer, it is not surprising that both films have been nominated for multiple awards. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer leads this year with 13 nominations, while Greta Gerwig’s Barbie received a pretty impressive eight.

Christopher Nolan secured his second nomination for Best Director, and Oppenheimer lead Cillian Murphy got his first nod for Best Actor. Both are also widely considered the frontrunners in their categories.

In comparison, Barbie’s Greta Gerwig has missed out on Best Director – as has Margot Robbie for acting and producing. The move has been recognised as a snub, but is it really as catastrophic as some are making out? Should we not focus on the other female talent receiving their deserved spotlight this year?

The Nominations Weren’t “Kenough?”

“it became a cultural phenomenon in its own right. Missing a few awards does not change any of that.”

The ‘snub’ didn’t take long to become the forefront of internet debate. Even major news outlets got involved: CNN called the snub “enraging,” and The LA Times claimed it “proves the movie’s point.” Even Hillary Clinton posted her support to Gerwig and Robbie on X. She commented they are both “more than Kenough”, and vaguely alluded to her own 2016 loss against Donald Trump.

However, despite the outrage over these misses, Gerwig and Robbie have both received nominations. Gerwig has gained a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Robbie has been nominated for Best Picture on behalf of her production company LuckyChap Entertainment. These awards may not be as flashy as Best Director or Actress, but they are still worthy of celebration. It’s not as if The Academy has washed their hands of Barbie. Just this week, the film became a huge feature of the Oscars marketing push, starring in Jimmy Kimmel’s promo video for the ceremony.

We shouldn’t forget that, as the best-selling film of 2023, Barbie made over $1.4 billion at the box office. Not only that, Barbie is the first film solo-directed by a woman to earn over $1 billion. It helped cinemas bounce back to their pre-pandemic levels, and it became a cultural phenomenon in its own right. Missing a few awards does not change any of that.

In recent years, The Academy has also avoided nominating billion-dollar blockbusters, opting to award more low-key, artsy films. Marvel Studios for example, have churned out three box office hits a year for the last decade, and have only received one Oscar nomination for Black Panther. There are exceptions to this (Titanic, Lord of the Rings, Joker, and even Top Gun: Maverick), but generally, mega-bucks get snubs. With its Best Picture nomination, Barbie should actually be considered one of the anomalies here.

“Barbie snub”, Or Women Snub? The Academy Is Slow To Change

“With so much female talent on show, it must have been difficult for voters to narrow down to just one”

There have been eight women nominated for Best Director. The first was Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller in 1977; the most recent is Justine Triet this year for Anatomy of a Fall. The Academy works at a very slow pace, and is only now making a conscious effort to nominate female directors. It also only tends to nominate one woman for Best Director at a time, and Triet got the position this year.

Last year was such a fantastic year for film. With so much female talent on show, it must have been difficult for voters to narrow down to just one out of five Best Directors. It’s worth noting that, for the first time, three films directed by women are up for Best Picture. Alongside Barbie and Anatomy of a Fall is Celine Song’s directorial debut, Past Lives. It’s a tender story about two childhood sweethearts reconnecting decades later. Past Lives would have been just as deserving a nomination as Triet’s. Yet, there has been far less outcry over her snub.

The outrage over Gerwig’s snub has also overshadowed Justine Triet’s success. Anatomy of a Fall won the coveted Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, and has continued to receive critical acclaim in the months following. It follows the trial of a woman accused of murdering her husband. The film features three languages and is an intense watch, yet Triet’s story and direction are captivating throughout. In the eyes of a voter, it is definitely the more grown-up of the two films. Simply, it is the more likely nomination.

https://twitter.com/EmmieAward19/status/1749904375286321517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Mojo Dojo Casa House

People have also criticised Ryan Gosling’s nomination for Best Supporting Actor, despite being secured for his genuinely hilarious performance as Ken. However some viewers have said it’s sexist to nominate him, but not Gerwig or Robbie.

From even before the film’s release, Gosling has been a highlight of Barbie, so it is no surprise he has been nominated. He has probably been a lock-in nomination since the summer. Gosling has received multiple nominations and awards across the entire award season in recognition of a great performance. It wasn’t outrageous, misogynistic, or missing the message of Barbie, for him to receive this nomination. It is deserving, and should be celebrated alongside the other eight. Like being a woman doesn’t detract from great acting, producing or directing, being a man doesn’t either.

Every award season creates the same discussions over who was snubbed, who didn’t deserve their nominations and who didn’t receive enough. It is unlikely that Barbie will win every award it is nominated for. But that doesn’t take away the film’s incredible successes. There have been so many incredible films this year directed by women, and Barbie wasn’t the only one.

Award season makes these films accessible to general audiences. There certainly will be more incredible films made by women in the future.

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Featured image courtesy of UKinUSA via Flickr. No changes were made to this photo. Image license available here.

Sarah has recently graduated from Newcastle University with an MA in International Multimedia Journalism. When she’s not editing the Opinions Section, you can find her at the cinema or on the beach with her dog.

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