Adrien Brody nabbed an Academy Award Sunday for his portrayal of an architect in “The Brutalist,” marking the second Oscar for the Jewish actor, while the film industry’s night of nights’ biggest winner was its unlikely frontrunner, independent black comedy film “Anora.”

The more than three-and-a-half hour Oscars broadcast was a relatively staid affair, with little of the political tub-thumping that has characterized previous editions. Unlike last year’s host Jimmy Kimmel, host Conan O’Brien ignored US President Donald Trump and, despite an astounding week of politics around the war in Ukraine, the ceremony had only one mention of the conflict and only one speech concentrated on the situation in Gaza.

Both of Brody’s awards for best actor in a leading role came for his portrayal of Holocaust survivors. In 2003, he received best actor for his performance in “The Pianist,” in which he played Władysław Szpilman, who was among a handful of Jews to survive the Warsaw ghetto and went on to resume a classical music career. That movie focused almost entirely on Szpilman’s Holocaust experience.

“The Brutalist,” on the other hand, centers on the postwar period, as Brody’s character, László Tóth, makes his way as an architect in the United States.

In his acceptance speech, Brody acknowledged the resonance of the two roles, saying: “I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war, and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism and of othering, and I believe that I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world, and I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”

Oscars show producers tried to play Brody off the stage twice during his lengthy acceptance, offering one of the few moments of levity in an otherwise serious speech.

“Please, I’ve done this before,” he said.

Brody previously won a Golden Globe for his “The Brutalist” performance last month, as well as a Critics Choice Award earlier this month. At that ceremony, he hobnobbed with Adam Brody, who won best actor in a comedy series.

The Holocaust also loomed large in the night’s first award, which went to Kieran Culkin for best supporting actor in “A Real Pain.” Culkin starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg in the film about odd-couple cousins who travel to Poland on a Jewish heritage tour to honor their late grandmother.

“I have no idea how I got here,”........

© The Times of Israel