In Necessary Celebration of the 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards

“Can we agree that this is the best award show of all of them?” — Jim Gaffigan

From the moment host Aidy Bryant walked out on stage and welcomed the audience to the Film Independent Spirit Awards (“also known as the bisexual Oscars,” as she joked), I knew we were in for a necessary reprieve from the monotony. This is, after all, the same award show that gave us the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles performing an ode to Laura Dern.

Host Aidy Bryant.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m overjoyed to see actors like Ayo Edebiri, Ali Wong, Jeremy Allen White, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Steven Yeun’s deserving performances continue to sweep up award show after award show. And it’s not as though these various shows are or should be in cahoots with an intention to spread the love around. But there’s something stale from a television viewer standpoint about watching the same actors getting up and trying to find new ways to express gratitude and appreciation (Ali Wong using the bulk of her speech to thank Mario's Peruvian & Seafood, the catering on Beef, kinda highlighted where we’re at.)

“Award shows aren’t for you, Evan! They’re to celebrate the achievement of these creatives!” Sure, sure, but as award season continues to grow in scope (Netflix live streaming the Screen Actors Guild Awards for the first time, for instance), it does beget the question: Who is this for? And perhaps the answer lies not in the awards themselves, but in everything surrounding them to feed folks like us, who tune into this place for that Nicole Kidman-style magic.

We also tune into this place for Greta Lee and Andrew Scott.

I’m reminded of BenDeLaCreme winning five maxi challenges on RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars 3. It’s not that she was undeserving — quite frankly, the opposite — but it didn’t make for terribly compelling television to watch her steamroll the competition. So in that analogy, the FIlm Independent Spirit Awards — the last major award show ahead of the Academy Awards — might be the Wite-Out that allowed BenDeLaCreme to write her own name down and self-eliminate, thus finally juicing the competition with a plot twist. “This is so crazy, this whole thing, to have a room full of people that don’t know if they’re going to give a speech” remarked Samy Burch upon winning Best First Screenplay for May December, emphasizing the energy of the unknown. “It’s like Russian roulette.”

During Sunday night’s show, which had the misfortune of following the Screen Actors Guild Awards and being on the same night as the Producers Guild of America Awards (because God forbid we space things out), some love was finally spread. Past Lives and May December finally got some deserved recognition, as did American Fiction’s Jeffrey Wright, The Holdovers’s Dominic Sessa and The Last Of Us’s Nick Offerman and Keivonn Woodard, plus Anatomy of a Fall’s Justine Triet and my beloved Jury Duty. Beyond just the winners, this show doled out love via nominations to some relatively undersung performances: Franz Rogowski in Passages, Trace Lysette in Monica, Teyana Taylor in A Thousand and One, Noah Galvin in Theater Camp, Marshawn Lynch in Bottoms, Michelle Williams in Showing Up and Betty Gilpin in Mrs. Davis and more.

Now, there’s something as to why. This show, smartly (and maybe others could take a note here) has some uniquely fresh categories like Best First Feature, Best Breakthrough Performance and Best First Screenplay. Awards like these put great intention into making sure that young talent is springboarded to the center alongside more routine winners. Congrats to A Thousand and One, Dominic Sessa as well as Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik (May December) for those wins. 

Necessary snaps to Aidy Bryant for following in the footsteps of foremothers like Whoopi Goldberg, Aubrey Plaza and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler before her in showing that women simply do the job of hosting award shows best. “Since this is my first time hosting an award show, I did want to try some of the classics: y’know, like roasting some of the celebrities in the crowd,” Bryant quipped to some nervous laughter from the audience. This is an audience that’s had to endure Jo Koy, after all. “Let’s see,” she said, scanning the crowd. “From May December, Natalie Portman is here. Hey Natalie, you stupid bitch.”

Bullseye! Proving that humorlessness always pervades, we got this Monday morning headline: “Natalie Portman labeled a ‘stupid b*tch’ in brutal awards show roast.” I also want to shout out another fav line: “In Passages, a woman seduces and sleeps with a gay man… which really spoke to me as a woman who did theater in high school. Good job, Aidy!”

We also got some great speeches! Most notably, Nick Offerman, who thanked HBO for having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition that he called truly independent. “Stories with guts, that when homophobic hate comes my way and says, ‘Why did you have to make it a gay story?’ We say, ‘Because you ask questions like that.’ It’s not a gay story. It’s a love story, you asshole.”

Another notable: Cord Jefferson winning Best Screenplay for American Fiction: “Happiness has been elusive for me. I talk about how this is the first year that I think I’ve finally been happy and I think that one of the reasons is that I have been accepted and welcomed into this creative community.” Also want to shout out Lee Sung Jin who won Best New Scripted Series for Beef. “The imposter syndrome is kicking in right now because nothing says independent spirit like a publicly traded corporation, Netflix.”

I also want to mention the protestors at the event. Comedian Jim Gaffigan had just taken the stage when a protestor’s voice began echoing throughout the tent, heard from a bullhorn just outside. “Long live Palestine! Cease fire now! Free Palestine!" His chant continued throughout much of the proceeding, making the crowd visibly uncomfortable — likely the intent. Presenter Jimmy O. Yang made reference to the "heckler,” while John Cassavetes Award-winner Babak Jalali noted that “whatever they’re saying is far more important than what I’m about to say.” He even interrupted his own speech to mention how inspired he was by what they were saying outside. This was met with what sounded like a good amount of applause from the room — err, tent.

At one point, Aidy Bryant attempted to make a joke from it: “We're at the beach and we're exercising free speech,” but the gravity of the dissonance between what was happening in Santa Monica vs. what was happening in Gaza brought up a somber mood to what began as celebratory and light-hearted. According to journalist Tyler Coates, it was the first protest to disrupt an award show this season. Was it an effective protest? We’re talking about it, so do with that what you will. It certainly served to underline many people’s feelings on the out-of-touch nature of award shows and Hollywood at large.

Lastly, I want to shout-out Celine Song, David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler and the incredible cast/crew of Past Lives on winning Best Feature. There’s no Oscar snub that felt like a bee in my bonnet more than seeing Greta Lee’s name left off the list for Best Actress. I’m reminded of the iconic Joy Behar quote: “I woke up this morning and I was so in a rage.” She was referring to the Trump presidency, while I’m referring to Greta Lee’s Oscar snub — which are equally preposterous in my estimation. Sunday’s wins in the two big categories didn’t end my rage, but it did at least quell it. 

Jokes aside, this was the best film I saw last year. This was the film that stays with me, that continues to haunt and provoke my thoughts, that has made me look at the language of filmmaking with a more discerning and nuanced lens. I love this movie and I’m thankful that it has been given the shine it so deserves. “Thank you so much for letting me share what it feels like to be human, to love and be loved, and thank you for loving our film,” director Celine Song told the crowd.

Celine Song and the Past Lives family accepting the Best Feature award.

Thank YOU, Celine Song, for the gift that is this movie, for your recent Awards Chatter interview (a must-listen!) and for the hope you have given to countless playwrights, screenwriters, directors and creatives of all ilks hoping to walk forward in the path you’ve helped forge.