The Oscars showed yet again why it's never over till it's over

And you have to watch 'Moonlight,' if you haven't already.
 By 
Proma Khosla
 on 
The Oscars showed yet again why it's never over till it's over
The cast and crew of 'Moonlight' accept the Best Picture award after it's mistakenly presented to 'La La Land.' Credit: kevin winter/Getty Images

Your voice matters. Your vote matters. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences got another reminder last night that there is no such thing as a sure thing, despite whatever you're hearing/reading/predicting.

The 89th Oscars were -- for the most part -- a triumph for diverse filmmaking and nuanced stories, with Moonlight ultimately clinching Best Picture from alleged sure-thing La La Land. The last-minute plot twist had many comparing Moonlight's win to the 2016 election, which should have been a lifelong wake up call to remember that if people are voting on something, anything can happen.

Now, obviously, let's just start out by saying that comparing the La La Land/Moonlight flub to Donald Trump becoming President over Hillary Clinton is highly, utterly dubious. This is more like Clinton losing the nomination in 2008 to Barack Obama -- a surprise for many, but a triumph for both players' shared values and democracy (filmmaking) as a whole.

In fact, the volatile political climate may have affected Oscar voters. One voter told The Hollywood Reporter: "I've felt hugely discouraged about much more important things, and frankly I just didn't want to spend my time doing this."

As the now-legendary envelope gaffe played out in real-time on stage, many Twitter users saw the election ending they really wanted, a scenario in which Moonlight is Hillary Clinton.

Did voters skip out on categories or phone it in, assuming La La Land was a sure sweep? Very possible.

It couldn't have been an easy moment for the cast and crew to physically hand over the Best Picture award, but this time, at least, it's in good hands.

Moonlight and La La Land are both great films that you should check out. The end.

Topics Oscars Elections

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Proma Khosla

Proma Khosla is a Senior Entertainment Reporter writing about all things TV, from ranking Bridgerton crushes to composer interviews and leading Mashable's stateside coverage of Bollywood and South Asian representation. You might also catch her hosting video explainers or on Mashable's TikTok and Reels, or tweeting silly thoughts from @promawhatup.

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