Perspectives: The Oscars 2021

The Oscars 2021 made history on Sunday, with Chloé Zhao becoming the second woman and first woman of color to win best director for “Nomadland,” which also won best picture. Best actor, which many expected to go to Chadwick Boseman posthumously, was instead awarded to Anthony Hopkins for his role in “The Father”; Hopkins paid tribute to Boseman in his Monday morning acceptance speech. Tyler Perry was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award; in his now-viral acceptance speech, Perry urged the global audience to “refuse hate and blanket judgment,” saying, “I want to take this humanitarian award and dedicate it to anyone who wants to stand in the middle. Because that’s where healing, where conversation, where change happens.” Voices in left-rated outlets often focused on racial and gender diversity at the Oscars, primarily focusing on Chloé Zhao and Youn Yuh-Jung (best supporting actress, “Minari”). Voices in right-rated outlets were more likely to criticize the Oscars as unwatchable. Some voices from across the spectrum praised Tyler Perry’s “refuse hate” speech.