The Golden Globes were won by Christopher Nolan’s drama “Oppenheimer,” about the developer of the atomic bomb, but its companion summer smash hit “Barbie” lost to “Poor Things.”
On Sunday, “Oppenheimer” won five awards, including Best Drama, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, Best Score, and acting awards for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
Backstage, Nolan told reporters that he was drawn to the “tragedy” of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a scientist who remained loyal to his nation and never apologized for his acts while being “wracked by tremendous guilt.”
Emma Thomas, the film’s producer, and Nolan’s wife, said Nolan’s work about “one of the darkest developments in our history” was “unlike anything else anyone is doing.”
After a calamitous year in which the sector was paralyzed by strikes, A-listers flocked to celebrate on Sunday. Stars who were unable to promote their films due to the months-long SAG-AFTRA strike made up for lost time on the Oscar campaign trail.
Attendees included Bruce Springsteen and Dua Lipa, who were both nominated for best song, as well as Taylor Swift, who was representing her latest concert film.
The wins for high-profile films such as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were a welcome relief for the Globes’ new owners, who had experienced years of scandal and falling audiences.
Lily Gladstone, an indigenous actor, won best actress in a drama for her work in Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” delivering some of her passionate speech in the Blackfeet Nation’s original language.
Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph both won Oscars for their roles in “The Holdovers,” in which they played a grumpy history teacher and the cook at a 1970s prep school, respectively.
The French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall” won both best script and best non-English language picture.
“The Boy and the Heron” by Hayao Miyazaki was named the best animated feature. The Globes also celebrated the finest in television, just a week before the Emmys, which were postponed due to a strike.