The 82nd Golden Globe Awards: Beauty, Bold Choices and Unpredictable Wins
The 82nd Golden Globe Awards, held January 5, 2025, at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and hosted by Nikki Glaser, was one of those nights where the offhand glances at fashion and the glamorous performances momentarily took a back seat to the stories being celebrated — and contested — under the crystalline glow of Hollywood’s pre-Oscars spotlight.
Glaser, in her first year as host and the first solo female to do so, brought a relaxed but commanding presence, blending sharp wit with genuine appreciation for the work onstage. But beyond the jokes and the tuxedos, this year felt like a ceremony grappling with the artistic weight of 2024’s films and series — and it made some bold, sometimes surprising choices.
Here’s a full breakdown of the nominees and winners, and what it means for the broader awards season and storytelling culture.
82nd Golden Globes: film categories
Best Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees:
- The Brutalist
- A Complete Unknown
- Conclave
- Dune: Part Two
- Nickel Boys
- September 5
Winner: The Brutalist — A visceral, emotionally layered drama that commands attention not just for its visual bravura but its moral inquiry. Its victory signaled the Globes’ hunger for cinéma that engages both mind and heart — audacious without ritualizing trauma.
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
- Anora
- Challengers
- Emilia Pérez
- A Real Pain
- The Substance
- Wicked: Part One
Winner: Emilia Pérez — A musical crime comedy that defied expectation and dominated this category’s conversation. It not only won Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture but also became one of the night’s most-awarded films overall.
Interestingly, Wicked — the cultural leviathan of the moment — was shut out of the Best Musical or Comedy category despite box-office dominance. This choice underscored Hollywood’s appetite for bold, original storytelling over franchise familiarity.
Best Motion Picture – Animated
Nominees:
- Flow
- Inside Out 2
- Memoir of a Snail
- Moana 2
- Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
- The Wild Robot
Winner: Flow — Charming and affecting, Flow’s victory here suggests the Globes were looking for animation that feels like cinema first, genre second.
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
Nominees:
- All We Imagine as Light
- Emilia Pérez
- The Girl With the Needle
- I’m Still Here
- The Seed of the Sacred Fig
- Vermiglio
Winner: This category took on extra weight because Emilia Pérez not only won Musical/Comedy but also Best Non-English Film — a dual recognition that signals an expanding sense of what cinematic excellence looks like.
82nd Golden Globes: performance in Film
Best Performance By a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees:
- Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)
- Angelina Jolie (Maria)
- Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)
- Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door)
- Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)
- Kate Winslet (Lee)
Winner: Fernanda Torres’ win was quietly poetic: a performance rooted in lived experience and not just crafted technique — the kind of role that lingers after the credits roll.
Best Performance By a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Nominees:
- Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)
- Daniel Craig (Queer)
- Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
- Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
- Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)
- Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Winner: Brody’s win felt almost ceremonial — not just for the performance, but for an unforgettable career arc. His nuanced layering of pain, history, and humanity anchored The Brutalist’s triumph.
Best Performance By a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
- Amy Adams (Nightbitch)
- Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
- Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
- Mikey Madison (Anora)
- Demi Moore (The Substance)
- Zendaya (Challengers)
Winner: Demi Moore’s win was perhaps the night’s most emotionally cathartic moment — a reminder that veteran actors can still center narratives with fearless charisma.
Best Performance By a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
- Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)
- Hugh Grant (Heretic)
- Gabriel LaBelle (Saturday Night)
- Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness)
- Glen Powell (Hit Man)
- Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)
Winner: Stan’s win illuminated a category rich with tonal variety — from absurdity to introspective whimsy — proving comedy has teeth as well as laughs.
Supporting Performance Winners (Film)
- Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)
- Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
Both performances deftly balanced humor with dramatic depth — the kind that elevates every scene they touch.
CREATIVE CRAFT AWARDS
- Best Director: Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
- Best Screenplay, Motion Picture: Peter Straughan (Conclave)
- Best Original Score: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (Challengers)
- Best Original Song: “El Mal” — Emilia Pérez
These selections mixed heavy artistry (The Brutalist), political texture (Conclave), and tonal ingenuity (Challengers), signaling a season that honors breadth over uniformity.
82nd Golden Globes: television categories
Best Television Series – Drama
Nominees:
- The Day of the Jackal
- The Diplomat
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Shōgun
- Slow Horses
- Squid Game
Winner: Shōgun’s sweep reinforced the Globe’s embrace of epic, global storytelling.
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Nominees:
- Abbott Elementary
- The Bear
- The Gentlemen
- Hacks
- Nobody Wants This
- Only Murders in the Building
Winner: Hacks remains one of the sharpest comedic tapestries on TV — its Globe win was both deserved and reflective of its smart ensemble work.
Limited Series & Supporting Awards
- Best Limited Series: Baby Reindeer
- Best Drama Actress: Anna Sawai (Shōgun)
- Best Drama Actor: Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)
- Best Comedy Actress: Jean Smart (Hacks)
- Best Comedy Actor: Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
- Best Supporting Actress (TV): Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer)
- Best Supporting Actor (TV): Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)
- Best Limited Series Actress: Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)
- Best Limited Series Actor: Colin Farrell (The Penguin)
These winners demonstrated bold commitments to character work that doesn’t simply perform well — it resonates.
Final impressions of 2025’s Golden Globes
The 82nd Golden Globe Awards weren’t flawless — sometimes the crowd’s energy lagged between long acceptance speeches and edits — but more often than not, it landed on winners who felt emotionally and artistically justified. When The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez shared the night’s big stage, it wasn’t just award season pageantry — it was a statement: Cinema and television are at their richest when they surprise us, challenge us, and refuse to be predictable. And the Golden Globes did just that — with heart, wit, and unforgettable moments. What were some of your favorite moments from this award show? Did you favorite films and series win? Let us know on social media!
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