There is a very clear, though rarely articulated, reason why people like the Independent Spirit Awards: they simply are not the Oscars. Everything that is wrong and awful about the Oscars is completely absent from the Independent Spirit Awards, and this year's were an excellent example.
The Oscar ceremony is widely regarded as an exercise in self congratulation. Does anyone remember when Chris Rock hosted the 2005 Oscars and insulted Jude Law, causing Sean Penn to take offense and lose whatever was left of his sense of humor? Of course, Rock was not asked back. Apparently any jokes that are not at the good-natured expense of Jack Nicholson are taboo.
The Independent Spirit Awards, on the other hand, were hosted by Sarah Silverman this and last year. Silverman didn't back away from her normal racy humor. Whether or not you think she is funny, hers is the sort of humor that the Independent Spirit Awards gets away with by not taking itself so seriously.
As much as mainstream Hollywood is a contest of big-budget cheesiness, independent cinema is the truly serious pursuit of making art films that people actually see. There have been complaints in recent years, though, that big-name actors are making a move toward more independent cinema so they can attend this event, be photographed with John Waters and diversify their awards portfolio.
Despite these allegations, the Independent Spirit Awards reward exceptional filmmaking with very few politics involved. This year, for example, Frances McDormand won Best Supporting Female for her role in "Friends With Money" (2006). The movie itself was met with lukewarm reviews and spent about as much time in theaters as Britney Spears spent in rehab. However, McDormand's performance in the film was fantastic. She would never have a chance at an Oscar (Give an award to "Friends with Money?" The Academy could never sink so low!), but the Spirit Awards recognize what was very plainly excellent work.
As big stars move toward independent cinema, the public is not seeing what people predicted: a slew of filmmakers using big stars to sell their movies at the expense of the film's quality. Instead, they are seeing a huge movement of stars people didn't know could act turning in great performances. Think of Tom Cruise in "Magnolia" (1999).
There are also those who view the Spirit Awards as something of a preemptive consolation prize for the Oscars. Ryan Gosling won because winner Forest Whitaker was the obvious shoe-in at the Academy Awards last night; Shareeka Epps won because winner Helen Mirren went into the Oscar race as the obvious favorite; the directors of "Little Miss Sunshine" won the Spirit because this simply was the year for the oft-overlooked Scorsese.
The thing that the Independent Spirit Awards do best, though, is give people a heads-up on what movies they should be seeing. Luckily, although lots of these movies have problems finding distribution, but the Spirit Awards can often help to change that. One nominee for Best First Screenplay, "Wristcutters: A Love Story," is a terrific film that had not yet found a distributor - but with the added press coverage of the Independent Spirits, it will be released in August of this year. It should also be noted that the film for which Forest Whitaker was nominated (and lost to Gosling) is not "The Last King of Scotland" (2006) - it's "American Gun" (2005). Have you seen it yet?
At the end of the day, you're still watching an awards show, which can make you feel sort of icky. But take heart in knowing that the Independent Spirit Awards recognize achievement beyond distribution (how else could David Lynch even be recognized for the self-distributed "Inland Empire" [2006]?) and manage to have fun doing it. The Academy Awards could afford to take a page out of their book.
