The 2020 Academy Awards left many with a feeling of satisfaction as many well-deserving movies, actors, directors and behind-the-scenes crew members took home an Oscar, one of the most prized and sought after awards within the movie industry. However, many have begun to  debate whether or not some winners were truly deserving, with one of the most hotly debated categories being “Best Supporting Actress.” 

At this years Academy Awards, Laura Dern walked away with the Oscar for her role of Nora Fanshaw in Noah Bambach’s “A Marriage Story”. 

Although Dern’s performance as the charismatic divorce lawyer was truly compelling and hard-hitting with viewers, it is not comparable to the range of character that Florence Pugh was able to give her character,  Amy March, in “Little Women”.

Overall, “Little Women” was one of the best novel to screen adaptations that the world has ever seen, as it left fans of the books satisfied and successfully brought the classic tale to life on the big screen. Most impressive, however; was the true depth Pugh was able to give Amy, who is typically the least-favorite sister of the bunch. 

Unlike in previous depictions of Amy, Pugh was able to truly depict to viewers a depth to Amy that had never been explored, as well as explain the reasoning behind her unpopular ideals. 

“I really hated Amy when I read the books and thought she was kind of a buzzkill,” junior 

Olivia Beckett said. “When I watched the movie I think I shed a tear during her monologue.”

Pugh’s monologue occurs between Amy and Laurie, who is played by Timothée Chalamet, as she explains to him why she believes marriage is an economic proposition. The monologue is easily one of the most iconic scenes within the movie, and is a defining moment for Amy. 

With the monologue alone viewers were able to sympathize and connect with Amy, and helped them truly to understand Amy’s thought process, something that has never been accomplished previous to her performance. 

Most impressive was Pugh’s ability to draw attention from the viewer even with the presence of seasoned actresses Meryl Streep and even Oscar winner Dern herself, an extremely hard task to complete by an up and coming actress.

With the depth and range Pugh gave in her acting performance, it is clear that she was cheated at this year’s Academy Awards. As viewers, we must learn to truly appreciate and understand the art behind acting and cinema order to ensure that future awards go to those who are most deserving.