“And the Nominees for Best Picture Are…”

The Oscars. The most prestigious and important night for movies and Hollywood. Every year numerous movies are nominated for a plethora of awards, ranging from Best Director to Leading Actor and Actress, and all the way back to Production and Cinematography. There is an award for everything at the Oscars, however, the most important one of the night is the Best Picture award. Given to a movie that shows incredible and unique writing, characters and plot, and unforgettable production and cinematography. This year, 8 amazing films are up for the title of Best Picture at the Oscars, many of the films featuring female directors and directors of color. I took the time to watch all 8 films and give my honest opinion about them and predict who I think will take home the title.

Starting with Minari, a film directed by one of the only directors of color, Lee Isaac Chung, explores the challenges of the American dream. It focuses on a Korean family who moves to Arkansas and experiences different social injustices and racism amongst their peers. Jacob (best actor nominee Steven Yeun) hopes to complete his dream of building and sustaining his own farm. His wife, Monica (Yeri Han) invites her mother, Soonja (supporting actress nominee Yuh-Jung Youn) to come and live with them and their 2 children, David (Alan S. Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho). It is the only Best Picture nominee that is featured in a different language, staying true to the Korean cultures that are so heavily featured in the movie. It shows the power of a family in difficult times. The plot, characters, and cinematography are all exemplary and deserve all recognition and praise. I would overall rate this movie a 4.5/5 for its sheer uniqueness and ability to nostalgically convey itself. The only limitation I give is that it must be watched with subtitles, however, any issues with subtitles should be forgotten in order to take in everything that this movie has to offer.

The Father, a film by Florian Zeller, shows a heartbreaking and artful story of a father struggling to keep his sanity and a daughter who must watch and keep up. Anthony Hopkins (best actor nominee) stars in it alongside Olivia Coleman (supporting actress nominee) and both play incredible parts and hold their own in this dark and harrowing film. While the story and characters are incredible in their own rights, I can not stop thinking and talking about the production and cinematography of this film. The set is used in such a way that I have never seen before. The apartment in which Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) lives is used as a central set for the entire movie. It can represent Anthony’s mind in that it is forever changing and is never concrete. To mirror the descent of Anthony’s sanity and confusion, characters are switched out so even the audience doesn’t know who is who. This movie is extremely creative and unique in the way that it presents itself, so I give it a 4/5 and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Promising Young Woman, featuring one of the only female directors in the category, Emerald Fennell, is a modern story that would typically not be honored by the Oscars, however, it has earned its place, in some regards. Starring Carey Mulligan (best actress nominee) as a bombshell woman who seeks revenge for her deceased friend, it is a modern movie that explores the ideas of women in today’s society and the ever threatening presence of men and their behaviors and actions. While it varies from the other movies, it is entertaining and something that is so scarcely seen in these highly regarded categories. This movie on its own is brilliant in its writing, its attention to detail, and its presentation, however, I don’t know if I would consider it a Best Picture nominee. The ending is what helps to make this movie what it is. It features a plot twist that can’t be seen coming, however, the rest of the movie, and parts of the performances, are lackluster in comparison to the other movies that are up for the award. Overall, I would rate it a 3.5/5 and would recommend it to someone looking for a captivating and entertaining film that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Sound of Metal, directed by Darius Marder, is a heartbreaking film that features a drummer, Ruben (best actor nominee Riz Ahmed) who suddenly wakes up one morning with extremely limited hearing. It follows him through his journey of joining a deaf community and becoming close with the people in it. The film’s defining feature, which it is nominated for, is its sound. Perspectives are explored through the sound with some bits of the movie being in complete silence and some being muffled to mirror Ruben’s hearing. Overall, the sound helps to make this movie what it is and helps to create the necessary environment and originality that lets it earn its title as a Best Picture nominee.  It is beautifully well done in terms of characters, story, and cinematography. I would rate it a 4.5/5 and would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Mank, directed by David Fincher, follows the story of famed writer Herman Mankiewicz, played by best actor nominee Gary Oldman, and his journey to write the script for the acclaimed film, Citizen Kane. Out of all the films in the Best Picture category, this was the one I was most disappointed with. I wanted to love the story, however, it is boring and unenjoyable if you know nothing about the story of Herman and the writing of Citizen Kane, and even if you do know the history, it only serves you by allowing you to understand the plot and small nuances made within the dialogue. The only thing I commend this movie for is its production. It follows closely in the style of a 40s movie and is nostalgic in its hair and makeup (both of which it is nominated for). Mank has the most overall nominees of any of the Best Picture contenders, however, its chances to win any big ones is relatively slim. I overall would rate this movie a 2.5/5 and would only recommend it to super fans of Mankiewicz, his writing, and Citizen Kane.

Nomadland, featuring the only other female director, Chloe Zhao, is a film about a woman Fern, played by best actress nominee Frances McDormand, who has lost everything and now seeks to find herself and forget her past through living in her van and traveling as a modern day nomad through the great wilderness. This movie is incredibly well done in every aspect of its creation. From characters, to plot, to set, to cinematography, it has it all and has already swept the field in multiple other film festivals. Everything about this movie screams Best Picture winner and it seems to be everyone’s pick for the title. It beautifully captures the meaning of home and friends and what it means to let go and live truly like yourself. I would rate this movie a 4.5/5 and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a well-rounded movie.

Judas and the Black Messiah, featuring the only other director of color Shaka King, explores the infiltration of William O’Neal (played by supporting actor nominee LaKeith Stanfield) in the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party to gather intelligence on the Chairman, Fred Hampton (played by supporting actor nominee Daniel Kaluuya). It explores different racial injustices of the times that are still extremely prevalent in today’s society. The release time of this film lines perfectly with the BLM movements that have been sweeping the world, which fight for empowerment and inclusion for people of color. The film is incredible and is worth every bit of praise and recognition that it has gotten. I would rate it a 4.5/5 and would highly recommend it to everyone, especially white people who need education on the past, and present, injustices that black people must face in America.

The final nominee, Trial of the Chicago 7, directed by Aaron Sorkin, follows the arrest and trial of 7 individuals who were charged with suspected intentment to start the Chicago riots of 1968. This film was among my favorites of the batch, giving fast and quick-witted dialogue from Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Abbie Hoffman (nominated supporting actor for his performance) and the structured, self-dictated character of Tom Hayden, played by Eddie Redmayne. It is highly enjoyable and entertaining and I would rate it a 4/5 and would highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys a feelgood movie.

While all 8 movies are incredible and deserve their own recognition, only one can come out on top. I spoke to Vanessa Power, my mom who had sat beside me and watched all the films, and asked her about who she thought was going to come out on top, “My final prediction is that Zhao’s Nomadland will take home the Oscar. It has already raving reviews and has already won a few awards, so I think in the end, while there are a few movies that will give it a run for its money, Nomadland will come out on top.” I also asked her what her thoughts were about this year’s nominees and how they compare to last year’s, “I think that last year’s nominees were better. You had huge titles like Jojo Rabbit, 1917, Joker, and Parasite. Every movie that was on last year’s nominee list was different and something that hadn’t been seen before. This year, some of these movies were forgettable and shouldn’t have been included in the 2021 Best Picture nominees.” I also spoke to a close friend of mine, Abbie Campbell, who is currently in their sophomore year studying film at Syracuse University. I ask them what they think a movie needs to have in order to be considered for Best Picture, “They need an artistic element to them. The movie itself, out of context, needs to be beautiful and like a singular piece of artwork, it can’t only rely on the actual climax or plot twist or surprise ending, it needs to be self-sufficient in that the production and cinematography of the film can support itself.” I asked them about their final predictions for who will take home the title of Best Picture at the Oscars, “I would love for Minari or Sound of Metal to take the title, however, I think that Nomadland is going to take the award home that night. The movie deserves it, however, I believe that there are other movies that present more unique plot points and production value.”

As for my predictions, I also think that Nomadland will come on top. I think there are other films that will give it a run for its money, like Trial of Chicago 7 and Minari, however, looking at past reviews and wins, I think that Nomadland will take Best Picture, Chloe Zhao will take Best Director, and Frances McDormand will take Leading Actress. I think Nomadland will sweep multiple of the categories for which it is up for, and it completely deserves it. However, this shouldn’t discourage anyone from watching the rest of the nominees, all were incredible and a joy to watch and deserve the recognition for the hard work and ability that went into making them. The 2021 Oscars will premiere on Sunday, April 25th from 8-11 p.m and will be filmed and aired from multiple locations around the world in order to keep COVID guidelines in place.