The Golden Globes 2025 kicked off awards season with a mix of triumphs, surprises, and calculated clinches, leaving Hollywood, critics and prognosticating cinephiles pondering what it all means for the impending Oscars, now that the race is officially underway.
Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, a dense historical epic exploring postwar immigrant struggles, clinched Best Drama, while Jacques Audiard’s flamboyant Emilia Pérez strutted away with Best Musical or Comedy. The two films dominated the night, racking up three and four wins respectively, and emerging as early frontrunners for the Academy’s affections. But if history has taught us anything, Golden Globe glory often leads not to Oscar gold but to a smug sense of overconfidence.
Adrien Brody, portraying an embattled architect in The Brutalist, took home Best Actor in a Drama, delivering a tear-soaked acceptance speech that drew parallels between his character’s struggles and his own family’s immigrant experience.
CONGRATULATIONS, Adrien Brody! Let’s hear it for your #GoldenGlobes win for Best Male Actor – Motion Picture – Drama in The Brutalist! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/pTnKOxOVhu
On the flip side, Emilia Pérez sparkled with a standout performance from Zoë Saldaña, who snagged Best Supporting Actress for her turn as a spirited lawyer in the gender-bending musical. The Spanish-language Netflix production positioned itself as both a crowd-pleaser and an inclusive darling — a potent combination for a Hollywood still grappling with its diversity reckoning.
A huge congratulations to Emilia Pérez for taking home the #GoldenGlobes award for Best Picture – Musical/Comedy! 👏 pic.twitter.com/qnLnQFdbHG
Demi Moore’s Best Actress win for the dark comedy The Substance marked a moving comeback, but her acceptance speech — a sardonic jab at being labeled a “popcorn actress” decades ago — was the evening’s most cutting moment. Moore revealed how she once believed commercial acclaim and awards recognition were mutually exclusive, a notion she dismantled with her triumphant performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading star battling the literal and metaphorical splits of reinvention.
Demi Moore is taking home the award for Best Female Actor – Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy for The Substance. Congrats! 🎉 #GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/cUXNNSmX7O
In a parallel narrative of resilience, Fernanda Torres delivered an understated yet powerful acceptance for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama, for her role in the politically charged I’m Still Here — Brazil’s official selection at the Oscars this year. Torres became the first Brazilian actress to win this award and her victory carries echoes of her mother, Fernanda Montenegro, who was nominated for the same Globe 25 years prior.
Both actress wins may complicate the Oscar race, particularly for frontrunners like Mikey Madison.
Meanwhile, Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow delivered one of the night’s most heartwarming moments, winning Best Motion Picture — Animated and putting Latvia on the map. The stunning dialogue-less film, a tale of a solitary cat navigating survival and community after a devastating flood, triumphed over high-budget juggernauts like Pixar’s Inside Out 2.
The night’s snubs were equally telling. Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light, a critical darling and Cannes favorite, went home empty-handed, casting doubt on any semblance of Oscar prospects despite being shut out from the International Feature race entirely. Meanwhile, Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning Anora going home empty-handed is another sobering reminder that acclaim does not always translate to statues, particularly when the machinery of Hollywood politics fails to align.
Television wasn’t left out of the spotlight. FX’s resplendent dive into feudal Japan, Shogun, swept all four awards it was nominated for, including Best TV Drama, while Netflix’s Baby Reindeer earned two for its disturbing thriller. Both shows conclude their successful awards season runs, having swept at the Emmy’s last year.
But what does this mean for Oscar night? The Academy could potentially lap up The Brutalist, whose themes of resilience and artistry neatly align with its own self-image. On the other hand, Emilia Pérez’s audacious charm could prove irresistible, especially in a year when the industry seems desperate for a dose of optimism wrapped in spectacle. Could either film potentially upset Anora’s leading reign?
With important precursors like the SAGs, BAFTAs, DGAs, PGAs and Critics Choice Awards looming, the field is anything but settled. The Golden Globes are merely the glittering overture for the sprawling awards season to follow — one that may be brimming with hints or red herrings, giving Oscar voters plenty to chew on.
Here is a complete list of winners from the Golden Globes 2025:
Published – January 06, 2025 11:30 am IST
English cinema
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World cinema
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entertainment award
