Why the Academy's Foreign Language Film Oscar is a Joke

 

Thanks to the Oscars, a few moviegoers will rush out to see The Counterfeiters, feeling adventurous for taking time out for the Best Foreign Language Film of the year. But here's a saddening bit of information: The award won by The Counterfeiters doesn't mean a thing.

Why?

First, read the article by Robert Koehler at Film Journey, which starts like this:

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

Then, read the additional commentary from Robert Davis, who concludes with these two anecdotes:

Sugaressentially the same way

1. A commenter in an Oscar live-blog that I was following during the televised event was genuinely excited that so many foreign-born actors won in major categories this year — Day-Lewis, Cotillard, Bardem, Swinton — which made it seem like Hollywood was becoming aware of the outer world. Yes, aware of the outer world as long as the outer world is Europe, as long as the outer world comes here (where the movies are made), as long as the outer world speaks English, Cotillard excepted. This is faux progress, weak evidence of a Hollywood melting pot.