Top 10 Exact Moments That Won the 2025 Oscar

Best Cinematography: Lol Crawley[a]
Brady Corbet[b]’s epic psychological drama never fails to impress when it comes to its literally towering visuals — fitting for a film about architecture. Cinematographer Crawley, with whom Corbet has collaborated on his past two films, shot “The Brutalist” on 35mm VistaVision film, giving it a high-resolution sheen that always feels authentic. VistaVision technology allows for a larger frame size, granting almost any locale a sense of looming grandiosity. This is best exemplified in an early, nerve-wracking scene in which Adrien Brody’s Lászlo Tóth[c] is chewed out by Guy Pearce’s Harrison Lee van Buren for undertaking an unsanctioned construction project. It’s almost hard to focus on Pearce’s incredible performance — we’re too busy admiring Corbet and Crawley’s representation of the vast, imposing space.

Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley[d]
While the entirety of Oz is fully realized to stunning effect in “Wicked,” we’d have to say that the film’s opening scene is modern-day production design taken to its maximum potential. In line with its subject matter, director Jon M. Chu’s blockbuster musical wastes no time and cuts no corners in picking up right where Dorothy Gale left off in “The Wizard of Oz.” The screen is adorned with bursts of color everywhere you look, expanding on the look of the original film in pitch-perfect fashion. And we meant it when we said that the film’s production team cut no corners: according to Crowley, they planted “ some nine million actual bulbs in the British countryside to yield an establishing backdrop of rainbow stripes.”

Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
“Wicked” is a marvel of practical effects, and audiences the world over were treated to its lush depiction of the world of Oz. Even better than richly deserving work being rewarded? The historical significance that goes along with Paul Tazewell’s win: for his Oscar-winning work on “Wicked,” Tazewell became the first ever Black man to win the Oscar for Costume Design (as well as only the second Black person ever). Speaking to Teen Vogue, Tazewell spoke of his ethos behind “Wicked’s” costuming, stating that “function is a huge priority for me when I’m designing costumes. It has to be allowed to come to life, so it has to fit the actor properly and do everything it needs to do visually, but also move in space”

Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan[e]
A movie about the election of a new pope is hardly the first thing you can imagine becoming a viral sensation. And yet, that’s exactly what happened in the case of director Edward Berger[f]’s political thriller, which enthralled audiences with no-frills, old-fashioned thrills. While its all-star cast’s performances and precise direction have a great deal to do with that success, the real star is Peter Straughan’s airtight, clockwork screenplay. Straughan, expertly immersing us into the world of the Holy See, uses the film’s climactic moment to extoll the virtues of choosing love and understanding over hate and fear. The little-known Cardinal Benitez’s words serve as a soothing balm following the film’s earlier tension.

Best Original Screenplay: Sean Baker
In the scene that kicks the movie’s second act into pulse-pounding high gear, Vanya’s godfather poses an entirely new set of problems to the titular character. Upon hearing of Vanya’s legally binding marriage to Ani[h], his parents send his godfather Toros to deal with the situation, introducing us to his likeable henchmen Igor and Garnik. Said Baker of the integral scene, it “was very important, striking a balance between absurdity and seriousness, because it is absurd what’s happening [...] these men don’t know how to handle the situation.” A deft blend of comedy and nail-biting drama, Baker’s script is notable for not only its realism, but its sheer unexpectedness, as well as its subtle but effective world-building and character development.

Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña
To be perfectly honest, this was not a win we were expecting — given “Emilia Pérez’s” abysmal reception and seemingly unending string of controversies. From its premise, to its music, to its cultural connotations, audiences of all different stripes had justifiable cause to leave director Jacques Audiard’s surreal musical off their watchlists. However, if the film has any redeemable qualities, we would point to Zoe Saldaña’s highly committed performance as Rita Mora Castro, the titular character’s attorney. The rap-rock number “El Mal” provides a showcase for Saldaña’s physical prowess — as well as her surprisingly adept flow on the mic.

Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin
Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s family comedy-drama may have had somewhat lower stakes than some of its Oscar rivals, but it packed no less of an emotional punch. That’s largely thanks to Emmy winner Culkin’s locked-in performance as the unpredictable Benji, cousin to Eisenberg’s more reserved David. On a guided tour through Poland to reconnect with their Jewish heritage, Benji’s increasingly emotional, outlandish behavior comes to a head during a visit to the Old Jewish Cemetery in Lublin[i]. Despite David’s objections, Benji can’t help but vocalize his concerns about their tour’s detachment from its subjects. Benji is brash, inappropriate, and bears no remorse for causing a scene — and Culkin manages to keep him real and three-dimensional the whole time.

Best Actress: Mikey Madison
Given that up-and-comer Madison appears in nearly every frame of “Anora,” it was tough to nail down one scene that defined her instantly iconic performance. However, if we had to go with one, you might be surprised to find out that it isn’t in the film’s second act. No, we decided to go with a subtler, but no less powerful moment that we felt spoke to Ani’s growth journey. That would be the moment in which Vanya’s parents force an annulment on him and Ani, which sees her forcefully rejecting all the hollow status symbols she’s picked up along the way. Madison’s performance reaches its most compelling point here, standing tall in the face of adversity — and overwhelming class inequality.

Best Actor: Adrien Brody
“The Brutalist” is a devastating deconstruction of the American Dream (whatever that means to you). Whereas the film’s first half is hopeful, the second represents László Tóth’s downward spiral. During a business trip to Italy, Guy Pearce’s Harrison assaults him, traumatizing the architect and causing him to act erratically — much to the chagrin and concern of those around him. László’s wife, Erzsébet[j], admonishes him after one such incident for mistreating his staff. László explodes back at her, delivering a searing monologue that laments the two immigrants’ less-than-warm welcome to America. Brody’s gripping performance makes the character’s suffering feel almost uncomfortably lived-in — and impossible to tear your eyes away from.

Best Picture/Best Director: Sean Baker, “Anora” (2024)
As you probably could’ve guessed by now, Sean Baker’s electrifying Best Picture winner is a wild ride. And it remains that way right up until the very end of the film, when a devastated Ani is driven home — right back to where she started — by Igor. When he returns the wedding ring Vanya gave her, Ani attempts to thank him in… well, let’s say, “adult” fashion. However, when Igor attempts to gently reciprocate, Ani breaks down — and the film ends. Brilliantly but heartbreakingly capturing its core themes, the ending of “Anora” is somehow at once abrupt and perfectly timed. Director Baker’s decision to leave things open-ended feels chaotic, messy, and frustrating… much like the film “Anora” itself.