Why Leonardo DiCaprio will take the Oscar for The Revenant

The Reelist is a column featuring Kristen Page-Kirby’s musings on movies. To read Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday’s review of “The Revenant” click here.

Here’s what people will be talking about after seeing “The Revenant”: the insane conditions the actors went through (the film was shot in the various middles of various nowheres, often in brutal cold and knee-deep snow); the bear attack (which is as gruesome and terrifying as you’ve heard); and whether this is the role that will end Leonardo DiCaprio’s four-nomination-long best-actor losing streak at the Oscars.

It might be — but not for the reason one might think, which is that he turned in the best performance of the year. It is an excellent performance, one worthy of praise, but his biggest advantage when the nominations roll around next week and the trophies are given on Feb. 28 is that Hugh Glass — the mountain man DiCaprio portrays — is almost exactly the kind of best-actor role that the Academy likes to reward.

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First of all, let me say (again) that I dislike using the Oscars as a measure of artistic success. Excellence in art should be noted and rewarded, but it cannot be measured. There’s simply no way of telling who crossed the finish line first. Is DiCaprio better in “The Revenant” than Adam Sandler was in “Pixels”? Yes. But when you start looking at the best performances of the year, the space between them is usually so infinitesimally small that a coin flip could do the job the Academy does.

Back to DiCaprio and how this role might get his name on a trophy. For best actor, the Academy likes some standard things: a major physical change, ideally weight loss or gain (two winners in the past 10 years); a character with some sort of disability, illness or addiction (four); a historical figure (seven). Oh, and it helps to be white (nine). Glass hits all of those, assuming you count “giant beard” as a physical change and “mauled by bear” as an illness. The Oscars also often reward actors who work with known, respected directors; Alejandro G. Inarritu isn’t a household name, but last year’s “Birdman” did awfully well during awards season.

Then there’s the competition, which this year looks relatively weak. The only other performance that ticks the Academy’s boxes is Eddie Redmayne’s in “The Danish Girl.” While it might be fun to see him win twice in a row, the film was, frankly, stolen by Alicia Vikander. You don’t get best actor by coming in second place in your own movie.

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So, yeah, I think this is Leo’s year, but not because this is the best performance — or even HIS best performance. This is an example of being in the right role with the right director at the right time. And, often, that’s what the Oscars are really rewarding.

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