By Mark Fields
Since 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has expanded the Best Picture category to include up to 10 films in any award season. This move was undertaken to allow more commercially successful movies into the category, which is normally filled with less-attended prestige films.
The 98th annual Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, March 15. Here are the ten diverse films nominated for the current year:
Bugonia
This intense drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos stars Jesse Plemons as a financially-struggling industrial worker, who, convinced that this company’s CEO (played by Emma Stone) is an alien sent to take over Earth, decides to kidnap her. Though timely and well-acted, Bugonia fails to match the bold vision and execution of previous Lanthimos films, such as Poor Things and The Favourite.
F1
A has-been, maybe never-been Formula 1 driver returns to the racing circuit and schools a cocky newcomer. Though fun and fizzy, F1 is a rather predictable sports film, elevated only by the high-octane race sequences and the charisma of its star, Brad Pitt.
Frankenstein
Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro has created a thrilling, humane version of the classic Mary Shelley monster story, featuring starkly beautiful cinematography and exquisite production design. The film was released directly to Netflix, which hampers its prospects for award season.
Hamnet
In another year (and perhaps another era), this literary film would be a solid Oscar contender, but likely not this season. Based on the acclaimed novel by Maggie O’Farrell, Hamnet is the fictionalized account of how, in very different ways, playwright William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes cope with the unexpected death of their young son. Jessie Buckley is revelatory as Agnes, and the entire period film is sumptuous.
Marty Supreme
Timothée Chalamet gives a feverish performance in the title role of Bennie Safdie’s 1950s drama about an aspiring professional table tennis player. Tautly directed, the movie is nevertheless difficult to enjoy given the grasping personality of the main character.
One Battle After Another
A group of ex-revolutionaries in hiding panic when their old nemesis re-emerges after years, seeking retribution. One of two stand-out films this year, One Battle After Another is buoyed by solid performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti, and also Paul Thomas Anderson’s resonant yet humorous screenplay and propulsive direction.
The Secret Agent
This gripping thriller from Brazil captures the tumultuous political environment of the 1970s and how those struggles persist through time. With many compelling characters and a complex narrative, the film can be challenging to follow, but still contains great power in its story of oppressive government and personal courage. In Portuguese with subtitles.
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier’s emotionally authentic film tells the story of two artistic daughters and their distant filmmaker father as he attempts to revive his career with a personal family story. Renata Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and Inga Ibsdottir Lilleaas were all nominated for their subtle performances in this quiet yet impactful meditation on creativity, family, and tradition. In Norwegian, Swedish, and English with subtitles.
Sinners
Michael B. Jordan plays twin gangster brothers in the Jim Crow-era Mississippi Delta in Ryan Coogler’s intense Southern drama. Like many of his past films, Coogler takes a genre film and infuses it with deeper themes, in this case racism, oppression, and the powerful effect of music. The movie is a provocative combination of thriller and social commentary.
Train Dreams
A quiet, contemplative film, Train Dreams tells the personal saga of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker in the early twentieth century. Joel Edgerton captures the essence of this uncomplicated man as he faces a series of personal challenges and tragedies with grace and acceptance. Perhaps the most beautiful and touching film of the year.
Out & About Oscar Prediction: One Battle After Another or Sinners (toss-up)
Other Must-sees: Frankenstein, Hamnet, Train Dreams
