Oscars 95: The High and Low Point

First the high: Navalny won for Best Documentary. The courageous Russian dissident Alexei Navalny chose to return to his homeland from Germany, after being nearly poisoned to death by Putin's executioners. He is currently languishing in a prison east of Moscow. Accepting the Academy Award last night, Navalny's wIfe Yulia said, "Alexei, I am dreaming of the day you will be free and our country will be free. Stay strong, my love.” It was the peak emotional moment of the ceremony.

The low point: The All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger, who accepted the German film's award for Best International Feature, decided not to mention the war in Ukraine, even though it's bloodily raging miles from his country's border. When he won BAFTA's Best Film award recently, Berger told the audience, "There are no heroes" in the Ukraine war -- a head-scratching statement that got a lukewarm reception at the London ceremony. (There are actually countless Ukrainian heroes -- dead and alive -- who bravely resisted the Russian invasion.)

So, at the Oscars, Berger obviously decided to stay mum about the war (a close-mouthed strategy emulated by the film's winners in three other categories). This was wimpy. Berger came across as a shallow man who lacked the courage of his convictions -- the maker of an antiwar film who had nothing to say about the war that is tearing apart his Europe -- and the entire world.

For the record, here is what I would have said last night: "This award is for the courageous people of Ukraine. It's time for the world to intervene, to stop the carnage, to insist on a just, peaceful settlement."

All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger