Movie Trophies: The Golden Globes celebrate perseverance

The Golden Globes have honored the range of human biographies like rarely before. The big winners included films about emigrants, trans people and a TV production about Japanese samurai culture. International cinema was also in the spotlight, but German hopes for trophies were dashed.

“Emilia Pérez” and “The Brutalist” as winners

“The Brutalist” by US director Brady Corbet won in the premier category of best drama. The three and a half hour fictional historical epic beat out “A Complete Unknown”, “Dune: Part Two”, “Nickel Boys”, “Konklave” by Edward Berger and “September 5” by Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum.

“The Brutalist” is the story of a Jewish architect from Hungary who wants to start a new life in the USA after the Second World War. Lead actor Adrien Brody deals with the consequences of the Holocaust in “The Brutalist” more than 20 years after his Oscar win for “The Pianist.” So touching that Brody also won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Actor. Corbet also won the directing trophy. The director said it took him seven years to make the film and had to overcome a lot of resistance.

The musical comedy “Emilia Pérez” by the French star director Jacques Audiard was in the trophy race with ten nominations. The Spanish-language film about a Mexican cartel boss who has his gender changed to a woman won four Globes: for best comedy, best non-English language film, for the singing supporting actress Zoe Saldaña and the song “El Mal”. With musical numbers, action and emotions, the film highlights topics such as the drug war, gender reassignment and identity.

German hopes were disappointed

Edward Berger’s Vatican thriller “Conclave” had six chances to win, including top drama and directing, but in the end there was only one “consolation prize” for British author Peter Straughan’s screenplay. Wolfsburg-born filmmaker and Oscar winner Berger (“Nothing New in the West”) used the material to create a gripping film about intrigue and power struggles during the election of a new pope.

The German film composers Hans Zimmer (“Dune: Part Two”) and Volker Bertelmann (“Konklave”) also came away empty-handed – the Globe for the best soundtrack went to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for “Challengers”.

No Globe for “The Seeds of the Sacred Fig Tree”

The German co-production “The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree” by director Mohammad Rasoulof lost in the “Best Non-English Language Film” category to the French production “Emilia Pérez”. The Iranian Rasoulof, who fled to Germany, secretly shot the political thriller in his homeland. Germany also submitted “The Seed of the Sacred Fig Tree” for the 97th Academy Awards in March.

“Shogun” and “Hacks” win among the series

In the series and TV categories, the opulent historical drama “Shogun” and the smart showbiz comedy “Hacks” were at the top. The literary adaptation “Shogun” was declared the best drama series of the year by the foreign press. Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai also won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Lead Actor. “Hacks,” about an aging stand-up comedian in Las Vegas, won the Golden Globe for best comedy or musical series. It was the second such award for the series after 2022. As in 2022, Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy. Best Actor in a Comedy Series went to Jeremy Allen White as chef Carmy in “The Bear.” When it came to miniseries, the stalker thriller “Baby Reindeer” was at the top. Jessica Gunning also won best TV supporting actress.

Lots of talk about perseverance

Only a few speeches were explicitly political, but some stars suggested that “in these times” there was a need for entertainment, hope and stories about those who would otherwise be in the shadows. The US comedian Nikki Glaser, a presenter of the Golden Globes for the first time, joked at the start with a view to the election victory of US President-elect Donald Trump and the many stars in the room: “I’m not here to make fun of you and how Could I? You’re all so famous, so talented, so powerful. You could really do anything except tell the country who to vote for.”

Best Actor in a Drama Film, Adrien Brody, also said it was an evening of emotional comebacks. He was deeply pleased and touched that, more than two decades after his Oscar win for “The Pianist,” he was once again receiving such recognition from the industry.

Demi Moore, who won best actress in a comedy for “The Substance,” even said that she was on the verge of giving up acting before reading the script. Too often she didn’t feel taken seriously, she said. Years ago, a producer wrote her off as a “popcorn actress.” Now the 62-year-old proudly held her first Golden Globe in her hand.

Fernanda Torres was also visibly surprised about her Globe as Best Drama Actress, the first win ever for a Brazilian in this category. The 59-year-old actress impressed with her role in “I’m Still Here” by director Walter Salles. The film tells the story of a family that witnessed the cruel effects of Brazil’s military dictatorship in the 1970s. Torres, who beat out Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie (“Maria”) and Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”), dedicated the award to her 95-year-old mother Fernanda Montenegro. She was the first Brazilian actress in the Globe race in 1999 for the film “Central Station.”

Perhaps the most moving words of perseverance came from Spanish trans actress Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the lead role in “Emilia Perez.” “Light always triumphs over darkness,” she said in the final acceptance speech of the evening. “You can put us in prison. You can beat us up, but you can never take away our souls, our resilience, our identity,” she continued. “I won. I am who I am, not who you want me to be.”