OhThe annual ritual of announcing the Oscar nominations has finally come to pass. Awards discourse on the Internet often feels like it’s hosting its own year-round film festival, and the Academy Award nominations are when the antipathy spiral begins. As for the subsequent bouts, outrage, and armchair punditry that plague the Internet, this year’s nominations have caused cinephile group chats to go off the rails. Emilia PerezNetflix’s divisive bid for Best Picture glory leads the pack with 13 nods, while brutalistBrady Corbett’s post-modern epic stands as its only possible counterweight. Somewhere between these extremes has been a year for cinema as fragmented, obnoxious and ridiculously contradictory as an industry has been.
France’s official submission for the Oscars this year – Jacques Audiards Emilia PerezA Spanish-language musical about a trans Mexican gangster, which broke the record with 13 nominations, the most for a non-English language film. As a distributor, Netflix is finally ready to claim the coveted Best Picture statuette that has eluded it for nearly a decade.
As yet, Emilia PerezThe path to victory is far from certain. Despite its nomination dominance, the film has polarized audiences, with Rotten Tomatoes scores reflecting both lukewarm critical reception and outright disdain from general audiences. Its detractors, including members of the Mexican and trans communities, have raised concerns about representation, while the film Twitter has had a field day tearing apart its “artistic merit”. Still, the Academy’s embrace of the film embodies a seismic shift in the increasing internationalization of the awards show.
This year’s nominations reflect an Academy voter that no longer caters only to Los Angeles gravitas. Following the #OscarsSowhite controversy of the mid-2010s, the Academy had no choice but to expand its ranks and bring in a more diverse and international voter base. This wider lens has taken advantage, such as with films parasite, drive my car And recently, area of interest pave the way for Emilia PerezStill, the question is whether Emilia Perez can overcome its controversies to become Netflix’s long-awaited Best Picture winner.
Meanwhile, the best picture remains a mosaic of race possibilities. brutalistBrady Corbett’s 3½-hour exploration of Holocaust trauma through a modernist lens earned 10 nominations, including nods for the directing, original screenplay and acting categories. Its nods suggest a possible repeat of the 2002 Oscars, when the piano Guys Dominated the major categories (including Adrien Brody’s first Oscar win), but ultimately lost Best Picture. chicagocan brutalist Suffering a similar fate, overshadowed by populist appeal WickedJohn M. Chu’s blockbuster musical, or even Emilia Perez,
Wicked In itself, the first music became La la Land to score double-digit nominations, but failed to secure directing and screenplay nods—lapses that rarely bode well for Best Picture contenders. Still, its sheer spectacle and star power may capture the hearts of voters.
sean baker enoraWith eight nominations, Now has surprisingly emerged as a dark horse, having powered through the season as the frontrunner so far. The Cannes darling has navigated the awards circuit with a graceful consistency, hitting all the major bells and whistles without faltering. Baker’s personal tally of four nominations (directing, original screenplay, editing, and producing) puts her in rare air with auteurs like Chloé Zhao and Alfonso Cuaron. enora It may lack the bombast of its rivals, but its steady presence in the race could resonate deeply with voters during the final stretch.
International cinema’s footprint at the Oscars continues to expand. For the first time in history, two non-English language films- Emilia Perez and brazilian i’m still here – Dying for the best photo. The latter, directed by Walter Salles, shocked pundits by garnering nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Fernanda Torres), and International Feature. Torres’s campaign has been fueled by her Golden Globe win and a fervent social media push, but her chances remain tenuous given her lack of greens and BAFTA nominations.
The acting categories were highly anticipated this year. Timothée Chalamet (a complete unknown) and Adrien Brody (brutalist) are locked in a duel for Best Actor. Best Actress, Demi Moore (Substance) Mickey confronts Madison (enora) and Carla Sofia Gascón (Emilia Perez) in what could be one of the most competitive performances of the night. Meanwhile, in the supporting categories, Ariana Grande’s performance Wicked The cultural zeitgeist has been captured, but for Zoe Saldana’s Golden Globe win Emilia Perez Positions him as a formidable pioneer. And Guy Pearce, Edward Norton, Yura Borisov and especially tough luck inheritance-Kin Jeremy is strong, but seems like losing his Supporting Actor trophy to Kieran Culkin.
This year’s diversity milestones could not be uneventful. Four Latinos earned acting nominations, a historic first, while Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) became only the second Black actress after Viola Davis to receive multiple Best Actress nominations. Erivo’s quest for an EGOT status is compelling, as she seeks to become the first artist to accomplish the feat with an Oscar win.
The director category, featuring an all-first-timer lineup, is another area of interest. Brady Corbett, James Mangold (a complete unknown), Sean Baker, Jacques Audiard, and Coralie Farget (Substance) represent a new vanguard of filmmakers. Notably absent is Edward Berger (conclave) and John M. Chu, both endured Best Picture nominations. Berger’s omission in particular seems appalling, given conclaveFor eight nominations and its prior snub All Quiet on the Western Front,
In the screenplay categories, the nominations display a fascinating divide between the sweeping and the intimate. Original script nods for brutalist And enora Reflect the Academy’s appreciation for the bold auteur vision. Meanwhile, the competition feels especially tight this year for the adapted screenplay nominees, as the cult thriller, conclave Faces Against Bob Dylan Biopic, a complete unknownwith Emilia Perez And Wicked Also instead of looming in the shadows.
The Guild Awards will undoubtedly shape the weeks ahead. dga can bolt brutalistWhile Shag may lean toward a star-studded ensemble WickedBAFTA’s sensibilities could do the favor conclaveAnd the PGA’s penchant for crowd-pleasing may be valid Emilia PerezWith just over five weeks until the ceremony, the race remains as unpredictable as ever.
Oscars stream live on March 2.
published – January 24, 2025 12:24 PM IST
