With the film awards season kicking off with the recent Golden Globes, The Academy Awards has just announced its share of nominees this past Thursday. Already in a fairly controversial area, Emilia Pérez, a Netflix movie with a significantly lower score than its counterparts in major review websites such as “Rotten Tomatoes,” leads the number of nominations with a staggering 12, including best picture. On the other hand, actress Fernanda Torres, acclaimed by both critics and the public, has earned her well deserved nomination for the lead role in I’m Still Here. So, what does the Oscar picture currently look like and who do I think has a fair chance at winning their categories?
Starting with the most anticipated of all, the ten best picture nominees are all mostly strong contenders. With the exception of Emilia Pérez and A Complete Unknown, the first being a less than average film and the second being a good movie but not necessarily worthy of a best picture nomination, every movie on the list could win the award fairly. My personal predictions are Anora for its bold comedic take on the adult entertainment industry and brilliant directing, in addition to I’m Still Here, a Brazilian film that took the world by storm for its accurate portrayal of a dictatorial government that ties in with many current themes.
In the acting category, the competition is also steep. For an actor in a leading role, Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown has a very strong chance at winning the award. Even though the film is not the most unique, his acting more than makes up for it. Ralph Fiennes in Conclave and Adrien Brody in The Brutalist have also had really great performances, although not my personal pick. In the actress in a leading role category, competition is steeper. In a historic achievement, Karla Sofía Gascón is the first openly out trans woman ever named for the category with a very good performance in Emilia Pérez. In addition, Cynthia Erivo is nominated for her role as Elphaba in the popular screen adaptation of Wicked. But, my top three predictions would be Mikey Madison for her role in Anora, Demi Moore in The Substance and at the top, Fernanda Torres, who has already won a golden globe for I’m Still Here.
Animated feature film features very strong nominations in Flow, Inside Out 2 and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. But, my prediction is Wild Robot. In the more technical categories, Nosferatu is my pick for both cinematography and costume design, Dune: Part Two for visual effects, and The Substance for makeup and hairstyling. Lastly, Sean Baker has to be my favorite director of 2024 in the directing category and I’m Still Here is my choice for international feature film.
As simply a film enthusiast who does not have hands-on experience in the industry as judges do, my knowledge is limited. But, being part of the public who consumes such films and someone who has seen almost every movie nominated in the mentioned categories in this article, my hope is that you now have a better understanding of this year’s Academy Awards. So, if you also love movies, be sure to follow along this exciting season and find out if any of your favorites will win any of the categories!
