Big Lessons and Big Leo

Big Lessons and Big Leo

By: Erreh Svaia

“I'm just starting to scratch the surface of what really makes me happy and it's taken me a while to admit that acting like a little child and being a jerk and a punk is fun.”

Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his first Oscar Award, one of the finest actors of his generation at last got his recognition for his role in Alejandro G. Iñárritu's The Revenant, honestly I didn't feel The Revenant is Iñárritu's or DiCaprio's best work to date, but is probably the directorial and acting work this year, the fact that Mr. Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest filmmakers ever never got an Oscar for his works is a clear sign that the Oscars are not the best indicators for the transcendence of cinema work, many great directors and actors were never recognized for their best work, Scorsese, Sean Penn, Morricone, etc., to make matters worse, too many forgettable works have been recognized, yes, even Eminem has an Oscar for the original song of a movie he starred, awful doesn't it? Mad Max? Oh Come On!

Bu there are three remarkable things in this year's Oscar's ceremony, the first one, the best movie award went to Spotlight, a movie that recognized the effort of brave journalism, and puts the finger on child abuse within the church, this happening at a time when journalism is becoming a dangerous profession around the world, in places like Russia, Middle East and Veracruz, México, and the fact that even though the Catholic Church send us one very charismatic character named Francis, he hasn't done a lot in order to solve the increasing controversies about child abuse within his church, removed from theaters because of the visit of Francis to México, the award will bring new life to a movie that deserves to be seen and understood.

Second, it is important to recognize not only DiCaprio stunning acting skills, but also his dedication to the cause of fighting Climate Change, DiCaprio has been very vocal about the affectation in the world weather, warning people about the dangers of Global Warming, a situation some really ignorant people have choose to deny, or perhaps are letting it happened in order to have better access to what lies beneath the ice cap in the Artic, it was great that at least within this contexts he had the chance to speak and to be fully paid attention.

Third, last one, but not the least important, the historic well deserved triumph of two talented Mexican guys, Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Emmanuel Lubezki, Director and Photographer for The Revenant, a proof here that there is good and bad nationalism, the good one, comes in the shape of how proud Mr. Iñárritu and Lubezki have made us all of their talent and of the people of México, capable of competing with the best and win in and out the country, in complex times of bad nationalism, wasn't it Mr. Trump who said that México only sends it worst people to the USA to rape and steal? And also that Mexicans were out smarting USA people in a abusing way? It's called talent Mr. Trump, and it is not monopolized by one nationality or race, is a matter of hard work and passion, and it could be developed by everyone.

Big lessons here despite the frivolous Hollywood context.