A lot of people on the internet were angry about the fact that no women were nominated for best director at the Golden Globes. People were particularly mad about Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) and Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman) not getting nominated. I know Lady Bird is a film I should like because I am a girl, but I am not crazy about at all. It took me a lot of courage to admit that in my review “Inauthentic Authenticity: The Ironic Praise and Marketing of Lady Bird.” Wonder Woman is a far more superior film to Lady Bird, but I still would not give Patty Jenkins a directing nomination. I do not want to sound pretentious, but Wonder Woman is not rich enough with cinematic elements to be nominated for best director.

Please do not assume that I do not think women make good directors. I just do not think Greta Gerwig nor Patty Jenkins are worthy of nominations. A female director I really like that is overlooked is Andrea Arnold, the director of Fish Tank and American Honey. She deserved recognition for both of these films. If the Globes wanted to nominate a female director, one woman they could have nominated instead of Gerwig or Jenkins was Rungano Nyoni for I am Not a Witch. I did not see the film, but Nyoni won best director at the British Independent Film Awards and the concept sounds very interesting.

I have not seen enough movies yet this awards season to narrow down a list of my top picks for best director. Nevertheless, I would have nominated Jordan Peele for Get Out over Ridley Scott for All the Money in the World. One directing nomination I was very pleased about was Martin McDonagh for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. He is very well due for a nomination after his success with In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, two great dark comedies. Many people are claiming that Greta Gerwig and Patty Jenkins were purposely snubbed because of the backlash of the #MeToo movement. I did not see All the Money in the World, for it is not yet released. Also, it is not something I am particularly interested in seeing as much as Phantom Thread and The Shape of Water. Nevertheless, I think Ridley Scott’s nomination for best director and Christopher Plummer’s nomination for best supporting actor were a result of the controversy surrounding Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault allegations. Either way, the #MeToo movement has definitely impacted the nominations. In short, award winners and nominations should be based on merit rather than social media hashtags and movements.