One Battle After Another: How a Paul Thomas Anderson Film Became the Defining Story of the 2026 Oscars

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another was the talk of the 98th Academy Awards — and with good reason. The film gave Sean Penn his record-tying third acting Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, gave Anderson his first two Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director, and gave audiences one of the most memorable evenings in recent Academy history. It also gave them an empty stage, since Penn was not at the Dolby Theatre when his name was called.

Presenter Kieran Culkin accepted on Penn’s behalf and joked that the winner either couldn’t or didn’t want to attend. Penn’s three wins now place him alongside Jack Nicholson, Walter Brennan, and Daniel Day-Lewis — the only male actors to have previously won three acting Oscars. His earlier wins for Mystic River and Milk were already enough to cement his legend; the third win elevated it further.

In the film, Penn plays a military officer consumed by ideological certainty — a character that critics described as among the finest he has ever played. Anderson’s direction gave the narrative both dark humor and moral weight, and the double Oscar win was a fitting recognition of a filmmaker whose career has produced some of the most celebrated American films of the past 30 years. His wins drew an emotional response from the crowd.

Host Conan O’Brien opened the ceremony with sharp, topical humor and closed his monologue with a sincere appreciation of the nominees’ global diversity. He noted that participants came from 31 countries and six continents, making the 98th Oscars one of the most internationally representative ceremonies in recent memory. His hosting was well-calibrated to both the lighter and more serious moments of the evening.

Michael B. Jordan rounded out the night with a Best Actor win for Sinners over Leonardo DiCaprio. From start to finish, One Battle After Another shaped the narrative of a historic evening — both with its winner and, more memorably, with his absence.