Okay, I am COMPLETELY aware that the Oscars was 2 weeks ago and basically irrelevant now, but something is still nagging at me. Despite the fact that “Roma” deserved more and that “Green Book” was only average, the thing that continues to haunt me is the existence of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
I saw “Bohemian Rhapsody” a few weeks after it came out with zero expectations and very little background knowledge, and I rated it a solid 4/10. It’s mediocre in most ways, the editing is choppy and the only parts that were even mildly good were the concert scenes. Even technically it is not anything astounding; the script is okay, but it is nothing to write home about, and none of this is helped by the fact that the director Bryan Singer is accused of sexual misconduct with minors.
However, despite its mediocrity, the movie spent all night robbing awards from movies that deserved it more. How did “Bohemian Rhapsody” of all things beat out films like “A Quiet Place” or “First Man” for best sound editing? In my opinion, the most egregious win they took was best editing. I’m sorry, but literally, every other movie that was nominated for best editing was better than “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Every. Single. One. However, despite my palpable rage towards the awards this movie stole, the one award I did not find very contentious was Rami Malek’s win for best actor. He is a good actor, but the reactions to his speech set me off.
See, while browsing Twitter, I found a post basically detailing Rami Malek’s win for Best Actor was a win for queer cinema. I’m here to stop in and rant a bit on why it’s not.
In what world is a straight man accepting an award for playing a gay character a win?
In what world is a movie that glosses over a man’s sexuality a win?
In what world is mislabeling an iconic historic queer man a win?
And most of all does anyone really want to attach the name of a man who is an alleged sexual predator to a movie that is supposed to be a win for the LGBTQ+ community?
“Bohemian Rhapsody” may be a win for Queen fans and people who are too embarrassed to watch regular musicals, but it is not a win for the LGBTQ+ community.
So despite this out-of-character rage, I am glad awards season is finally over and we can move on from the tastes of primarily old white academy voters. Here’s to a new year of great movies that’ll never win awards!