10 May Is this the end of Drama and Romance?
Romance and Drama have really taken a turn for the worse. Since 1970, the boom of all things romance and heart breaking have become, dare i say… annoying.
Romance and Drama BARELY have half the amount of Oscar wins in 2017, as you can see from the dramatic difference in the bar chart both romance and drama need some love (did you notice the pun) and quite frankly some more Oscar wins.
In defence of these lovable (no pun intended) genres, there are not as many Oscar awards in comparison to the 1970’s. Today’s awards are a lot more focused, whereas in the 1970’s there was pretty much an award for everything. It’s evident ‘prestige’ is now paramount in the world of Oscars, hence the limited awards.
I guess for the people who do still have a soft spot for romance in their hearts, they can thank La La Land and Moonlight, who in comparison to other Oscar winners collectively received the MOST awards. In that respect, it’s possible that romance and drama isn’t entirely dead. In fact from this perspective it’s very much dominant.
Emma Stone, presented above the chart (left and far left) is a perfect visualisation of both perspectives of the current fate of romance and drama. On one hand tearfully slobbering in a tub of ice cream and on the other hand, collecting one of this years Oscar wins for La La Land. La La Land is far from the ordinary ‘fate of two people in love’. Instead it’s a funny tear shedding story of a musician and aspiring actress who’s drive to reach their goals naturally pull them apart. Not to worry there are plenty songs to sing along the journey, modern romance can’t look or sound any better than this. It would also be insulting to not mention her co star Ryan Gosling, the pinnacle of modern romance and a heart-throb who everyone loves (even your boyfriend). La La Land received a record breaking 14 nominations and won 5 Oscars, the romantic musical confidently ruled this years Oscars.
Drama, we just can’t function without it. Another sensational Oscar winner was Moonlight, which won 3 awards, including winner of best picture and best supporting actor, Mahershala Ali. Mahershala Ali playing Chiron, a young black mans journey through manhood in Miami, with the help of his communities support and love. This epic tale is a breath of fresh air in modern drama. There was no surprise about the popularity of Moonlight, way before nominations Moonlight was on everyone’s minds.
Romance and Drama just wouldn’t be the same without Leo. Leo Dicaprio won best actor, his first Oscar win for the thriller, The Revenant. As happy as we are for Leo, we all know he belongs to romance, The Titanic never goes unnoticed and yes Jack we will never let go.
