Exes agonistes

The world of entertainment is one of intrigue and gossip, and the Oscars, considered the biggest recognition in the world of films, have always given rise to speculations spiced with sneaking rumours about the Tinseltown denizens. Predictably enough, the masala meter would touch an unprecedented high if former spouses were to contend for the Best Picture and Best Director accolades.

Dubbed “the battle of the exes,” this year’s Oscars have the gossip hunters working overtime since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ announcement on 2 February that Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker and James Cameron’s Avatar have each been nominated for nine awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Bigelow was married to Cameron, three years her junior, from 1989 until their divorce in 1991. Though the formers remain “friends,” Oscar watchers are far from taking the run to the awards as a sedate game of friendliness. “I’d love to see her get the recognition she has deserved for a long time,” the Titanic director said recently. Bigelow, too, is sparing no opportunity to protest her Avatar love.

The two movies are vastly different. Made on a staggering $237 million, Avatar is an epic ride into a world of fantasy and once again establishes Cameron’s reputation as a visionary artist. On the other hand, The Hurt Locker, Bigelow’s $11 million indie project, is a stark portrayal of life in the war zone. It’s not just another gritty war movie: the unmistakable psychological and existential overtones of The Hurt Locker make it one of the most poignant war films of all time.

Cameron, the Canadian, has many detractors. He is reported to be egoistic and notoriously foulmouthed, and has married five times since 1978. Plus, his tiff with actors like Ed Harris (who worked with him in The Abyss) is not unknown to the public. By contrast, Bigelow is soft spoken and hasn’t remarried, and lives her life as a filmmaker-classical art connoisseur.

Their differences in personalities notwithstanding, both Cameron and Bigelow are great contemporary filmmakers, and Avatar and The Hurt Locker, their works in contention, are great works of cinematic art.

Let’s wait till the night of 7 March to see which of the exes wins the agon.


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