The Oscars are coming up, and, as a film nerd, I decided to watch all of the Best Picture nominees and rank them. This is entirely my opinion, but I give summaries (spoiler-free) and highlights for each movie for anyone who hasn’t watched them yet but may be interested. Throughout this ranking, I’ll also throw in my picks for the acting awards and discuss my predictions.
- Emilia Perez
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With all the controversy surrounding this film, it may not be a surprise to see it at the bottom of my ranking. This movie centers around the leader of a drug cartel in Mexico recruiting Rita (Zoe Saldana), a lawyer, to help her finish her transition into a woman. Years after her transition is complete, the former cartel leader (who now goes by Emilia Perez) recruits Rita to help reconnect her with her children. The rest of the movie focuses on Emilia trying to do good deeds and repent for her past actions, but her past catches up to her.
I thought the movie was okay but shouldn’t have been a musical. Most of the songs were bad, and the choreography was weird. I only liked two songs, my favorite being “El Mal,” which won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Despite this, I thought the acting was great, especially Zoe Saldana, who is favored to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, as she has already won the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice Award.
However, there are multiple controversies associated with this film. The central criticism arose during the past few months, as the film’s director and writer, Jacques Audiard, is a French man writing about Mexican culture while perpetuating stereotypes.
According to BBC, “There have already been complaints from Mexican critics and industry figures about the negligible involvement of Mexican people among its leading cast and crew; and its depiction of the country, not least when it comes to dealing with such a horrifying subject.”
In one sense, Emilia’s transition in the film seems to erase the damage she inflicted as a cartel leader, which isn’t true. Many trans individuals have also criticized the film’s representation; I’ve seen some comparisons to Mrs. Doubtfire. In an article by GLAAD, one transgender critic said, “Instead, her transition is framed as an absolution, used as a tool for deception, and made to be the reason for her redemption and saint-like anointing at the end.”
The newest and just as awful controversy stars Emilia Perez herself, played by actress Karla Sofia Gascon. While it is amazing to see a trans woman nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, Gascon has been under fire for incredibly racist Tweets. A majority of them say derogatory things about Muslims and are Islamophobic. Furthermore, she also posted anti-Semitic tweets and anti-Chinese tweets, in addition to saying awful things about George Floyd back in 2020. All these controversies make it difficult to believe that Emilia Perez is slated to win any of the 13 Oscars it is nominated for.
- Dune: Part Two
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This film is the sequel to Dune, which was released in 2021. We pick up where we left off: Paul Atreides training with the Fremen to achieve his destiny of becoming the Lisan al Gaib or the voice from the outer world (basically a prophet). Paul’s main antagonist is the Baron and the rest of House Harkonnen, as they used to rule over the planet Arrakis before House Atreides.
This movie is almost three hours long, and while there are longer movies on this list that I liked better, the pacing made this movie drag on forever. The film isn’t bad: the acting is great, the cinematography is great, the soundtrack is great, but I realized it just isn’t for me. I don’t hate sci-fi; in fact, I love Star Wars. The problem is that this movie felt like a longer, less interesting Star Wars.
- A Complete Unknown
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Focusing on popular folk singer Bob Dylan’s rise to fame, A Complete Unknown highlights his relationship (both professional and romantic) with singer Joan Baez. The movie, especially Bob’s relationship with Joan, reminded me a lot of Daisy Jones and the Six, a fantastic drama miniseries that is miles better than this film. Timothée Chalamet was great in this role, but I think he would’ve had a better shot at winning Best Actor if his campaign was centered around his performance in Dune: Part Two rather than this movie.
Furthermore, I felt like the movie ended in a weird place. Instead of going through his whole life, like most musician biopics, the film only spanned a few years, ending in 1965. However, if you like Bob Dylan and his music, you’ll probably enjoy A Complete Unknown.
- Nickel Boys
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Taking place in the 1960s, Nickel Boys focuses on Nickel Academy, a reform school in Florida, and protagonist Elwood Curtis’ mistaken admittance to this school. Most of the movie is about Elwood’s friendship with Turner, another boy at the school.
My favorite thing about this movie was the cinematography. The camera angle is from Elwood’s perspective, so everything we see is quite literally through his eyes. The point of view switches between him and Tanner, so we see what Elwood looks like. I thought this was such a cool and creative choice, and I was disappointed to find out it wasn’t nominated for Best Cinematography.
Moreover, the acting was amazing, and the ending broke my heart. So, if you decide to watch Nickel Boys, buckle up!
- Conclave
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Conclave is about the election of a new Pope of the Roman Catholic Church after the previous one dies. I would never have expected a film about the Catholic Church to have so much drama. Many of the candidates get exposed to various scandals — none of which are related to the most common scandal associated with the Catholic church. Cardinal Lawrence has to ensure the election process goes smoothly after the scandal.
The pacing was a bit slow, for my preference, but I loved the way information was revealed. Additionally, I found myself pleasantly surprised at how progressive this movie was. I grew up Catholic, so I know all too well how traditional the denomination is. The discussions amongst a couple of the cardinals were so reminiscent of recent American political discourse. For example, “Is this what we’re reduced to, considering the least worse option?” and “He’d undo 60 years of progress.”
I think this movie came out at the perfect time, and I love that the writers recognized the church’s responsibility to promote diversity and take politics seriously. I don’t want to spoil the ending because it is a fantastic twist that I predicted. However, there’s an important quote I must share: “I am what God made me.” This is so impactful for all LGBTQ+ individuals, especially those who struggle with religious trauma. While Conclave wasn’t my favorite movie, its message of acceptance is so beautiful and necessary.
- Anora
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This film focuses on Ani, a sex worker, as she spontaneously marries one of her clients and the aftermath. Mikey Madison carried this movie as the titular role. There’s a great scene in the middle that seems like one take for 20 minutes, and I enjoyed how it shifted the tone.
I was most surprised by how funny this movie was, though. My favorite character, Toros, was one of Ani’s father-in-law’s employees, as he was hilarious and was one of the only characters who didn’t disrespect Ani. The ending was especially heartbreaking, and I wish Ani the best.
The film won Best Picture at the Critic’s Choice Awards, making it a real contender for the Oscars. The beginning of this movie reminded me a lot of the aesthetic of Charli XCX’s album brat. If you loved brat, you’ll love Anora.
- The Brutalist
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This movie follows fictional architect Laszlo Toth’s journey to rebuild his life after coming to America post-World War 2. I want to emphasize that this is an entirely fictional story because I was disappointed to learn it wasn’t based on a real person.
The movie is split into two parts, with Toth’s wife and niece finally able to join him in America in the second half. For this reason, theaters incorporate a 15-minute intermission, necessary for a film around three and a half hours long. For it being so long, the pacing was terrific, and it kept my interest the entire time. The cinematography was engaging, and I loved the perspective shots of the train, tunnel, and boat scenes.
Additionally, Adrien Brody was excellent in this movie. He’s also the frontrunner for Best Actor since he won both the Golden Globe and Critic’s Choice Awards. He’s currently my pick for the Oscar, but I haven’t seen Sing Sing yet.
That being said, I also want to highlight Felicity Jones, who plays Laszlo’s wife. She truly does an amazing job in this movie, and I’d love to see her take home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. The film won Best Drama Picture at the Golden Globes, so it’s certainly a contender for the Best Picture Oscar. While it’s fourth on my ranking, I certainly wouldn’t be upset if this film won.
- Wicked
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As a former theatre kid, I loved Wicked just as much as I thought I would. Wicked was my first Broadway show, so it’ll always be special to me. In 2017, I saw Jessica Vosk as Elphaba on the National Tour of Wicked and immensely enjoyed the experience. While movie audiences and theatre audiences are very different, the experience was just as wonderful.
Since the musical was split into two separate movies, this film only covers Act One of the Broadway musical. This movie is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, so we get to know Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda, the Good Witch, back when they first meet at Shiz University. Initially, they loathe each other, but they become unlikely friends as Elphaba tries to harness her magic. You’ll have to wait for the next movie to see how the characters become the ones we’re familiar with in The Wizard of Oz.
Overall, this movie is so fun; I loved the music, the costumes, the relationships between the characters, and more. While both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande did a fantastic job, I think they’ll have a better chance of being recognized by the Academy when part two (titled Wicked: For Good) is released.
- The Substance
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I was so excited to see this movie, and it did not disappoint! This campy horror film has little dialogue (although it wasn’t noticeable when viewing), and our main actresses do a wonderful job of storytelling with their bodies — a central subject of the movie.
Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is a famous actress who turns 50 and is fired from her exercise show. This leads her to take the substance, a strange product designed to create the best version of yourself. Sue (Margaret Qualley) is born from this, and Elisabeth’s consciousness transfers between the two bodies; she spends one week as Sue and one week as herself.
The theme of The Substance centers around how society tries to shame women for aging, and I absolutely loved how the film represented this message (the scene from the above image, in particular, is incredibly heartbreaking). Both Qualley and Moore were terrific in this film, and the latter is a strong contender for the Best Actress Oscar, as she won a Golden Globe and the Critic’s Choice Award. She fully deserves the win, which would be fantastic for future horror films since the Academy often neglects acting in horror. This film is pretty gory with a lot of body horror, but if you don’t mind, I’d highly recommend watching The Substance.
- I’m Still Here
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This was one of the last movies I watched, so I was not expecting it to beat The Substance. I recommend going into this movie blind, but I’ll still provide a basic summary: this film is about a family living in Brazil in the 1970s during its dictatorship. The dynamic of the Paiva family (our main characters) felt so natural; it was a joy to watch. It was nice to have humor laced throughout this beautiful tragedy. Grab your tissues because I cried so much watching this movie — especially in the last 20 minutes. The oldest daughter, Vera, has a film camera and records her family and friends often, and I loved how her footage was integrated into the film.
I also thought that the pacing and everything about this film were perfect. Fernanda Torres is fantastic in this role, and I’m rooting for her to win Best Actress. While Moore is the front-runner, Torres also won a Golden Globe. They split the Best Actor/Actress awards by genre, so there are two winners, so she is still a contender for the Oscars.
I really want this to win Best Picture. Although it hasn’t won any, Parasite won Best Picture in 2020, so an International Film can win. Truly, everyone needs to see this movie, and I’d highly recommend seeing it in theatres if you can.
While I think last year’s nominees were better overall, I still enjoyed most of these films. There’s something for everyone, so even if you aren’t a film buff like me, you should check out at least one! I’m excited to find out whether my ranking matches the Oscar winners on March 2!