Hello, once again, to the Oscars season of 2025! I’ll admit, this year is a nice mix of genres, languages and all-around confusing nominations. As of right now, I’ve only seen two of the ten nominees for Best Picture but I’ll give my overall impressions of the films from their synopses and the things I’ve heard about them. I will do my best to avoid the controversies and politics surrounding certain nominees, and there are quite a few this season and focus primarily on their cinematic merit.
Anora
I have heard of Anora from some posters on the London underground, describing it as “[it] makes Pretty Woman look like a Disney [fairy tale].” According to the synopsis, it is a comedy-drama about a young woman who meets the love of her life who happens to be the son of a rich oligarch. However, their relationship is tested when the parents of the son seek to have the marriage annulled in their home city of New York. From the sound of the narrative, it does sound like something interesting to watch so I’ll try to seek out a way to watch it before the ceremony.
The Brutalist
It wouldn’t be a modern Academy Awards season without the three-and-a-half-hour epic on the screen. This year, we have The Brutalist, a story of a visionary architect escaping post-war Europe to settle in Pennsylvania and soon become recognised for his talent and designs. I did manage to catch a trailer of The Brutalist and it did catch my interest, but the length and some elements of the content have kept me from watching it right away. I have also heard good things about Adrien Brody’s performance, but it’s uncertain whether it’ll make my screening schedule at the moment.
A Complete Unknown
The first wild card, with the rare Musical nomination, comes from a Bob Dylan biopic named A Complete Unknown. Musicals and biopics tick my boxes of interest, and hearing Timothee Chalamet in the lead role only sweetens the deal. It doesn’t strike me as Oscars material right off the bat, but a trip to the cinema may change my mind. I expect to watch this sooner rather than later if I don’t get distracted by other film offerings at the cinema.
Conclave
The rare early watch for me, Conclave was recommended to me by my parents, who also frequent the cinemas back in the States. It wasn’t until later that the film was released in the UK, by then I had seen a trailer and got a feel of what the movie had in store. Conclave, as the title suggests, revolves around the tried and tested tradition in which the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church must appoint a new pope to lead the Church. Cardinal Lawrence, played by the amazing Ralph Fiennes, leads this process and ends up uncovering a number of secrets about his fellow cardinals that threaten their selection during this momentous event. With a supporting cast that includes Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow, this film is surprisingly tense as the conclave proceeds, right until the very end. A strong contender for Best Picture, but the subject matter may or may not factor into the Academy’s decision.
Dune: Part Two
The Academy Awards isn’t a stranger to sequels being nominated, but it is sometimes rare to see. With Dune: Part Two, the story of Paul Atreides continues after the events of the first film, which also managed to get a Best Picture nomination in a previous Oscars year. The science fiction epic does not disappoint and I’ve heard very good things about the sequel from my Dad when it was in cinemas. Another nod to Timothee Chalamet as well, which is also a big plus, along with the supporting cast of Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Dave Bautista. I lagged on seeing it in cinemas but I will try my hardest to see this one before the ceremony.
Emilia Perez
If you want to talk about wild cards, here we have a Spanish-language, musical crime drama, slash comedy, directed by a French director by the name of Jacques Audiard. Emilia Perez is about a Mexican lawyer who assists a cartel boss in transitioning from a man to a woman and retiring from her life of crime in the cartel. Apart from how wild that sounds from a snippet of the movie, the musical part has me intrigued a bit. It’s not every day that the Academy recognises someone other than your Newmans or Menkens, so a new face being nominated could be good. The wide variety of elements in the narrative also seems like it would tickle the Academy’s fancy, so I’m not surprised that the film was nominated. The movie itself has not received the best reviews, but seeing that it’s distributed on Netflix, I might be able to flick it towards the end of my screening schedule.
I’m Still Here
Described as a biographical drama, I’m Still Here is about a mother coping with the forced disappearance of her activist husband under the Brazilian military dictatorship. The film is in Portuguese and is the first film produced by Brazilian to be recognised by the Academy for Best Picture. I did manage to see a trailer for this film and it looked to be what it says on the tin, a biography about the issue of missing individuals under a tyrannical dictatorship. I’m sure it’s an interesting narrative, but it doesn’t make me want to get up and watch it right away aside from it being something safe for the Academy to nominate while also branching out to more international nominees.
Nickel Boys
Another historical drama, Nickel Boys is about the trials of two black boys sent to a reformatory academy in the Jim Crow South and how their optimism works towards their survival in the openly racist environment. Hearing the synopsis, I got a 12 Years of Slave feel for why this would be nominated for Best Picture and once again, I don’t see myself going too far out of the way to see this film in my screening schedule. Still, there is a chance since it seems mostly inoffensive, aside from the themes of outdated discrimination in America’s checkered history.
The Substance
Oh, where do I begin with this one? The Substance is a science fiction, body horror film. Period, end of report. It’s about an acrobat who is fired due to her age and is then offered a new chance at her life thanks to a mysterious laboratory with this “miracle substance.” Great concept, sure, but the thrilling and outright frightening elements of this movie make it a strong pass, even more so than something like Poor Things. Is it a great film? I’ve heard shining reviews for its genre, so it does stand a strong chance for Best Picture. However, it’s something that is definitely not for me.
Wicked
Like the sounds of Glinda’s sweet vocalising, Wicked comes in at the end of something tragic to make it all better. In this case, it’s another Musical nomination for this season. Wicked is one of the other films that I watched, having seen and been a fan of the original stage production. The film follows part one (yes, there’s going to a be sequel for Act II, For Good) of the story of the beginning and eventual end of the friendship between two witches in the Land of Oz, Glinda and Elphaba. If you know anything about The Wizard of Oz, then you have a general idea of the story you’re getting into as these young women start their lives at Shiz Academy. Filled with musical numbers, striking cinematography and standout performances from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Evrio, the movie is a great, fun time at the cinema.
Putting my love for musicals aside, I don’t think it breaks out of the genre to be Best Picture though. If you have no interest in singing, dancing or The Wizard of Oz as the backdrop, this movie will probably do nothing for you. The narrative follows the steps of the stage musical, with a couple of new additions for the film adaptation, which pads its length into a fully packed Act I on the screen. However, it’s limited from reaching new heights because of how much is already set by the story. Still, for an adaptation, it does cast an enchanting spell for those who like the themes that it brings to the table.
With all ten nominees, it’s really hard to say what will lead the pack going into the ceremony. The Brutalist and Emilia Perez have managed to get wins from the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs are not too far behind as of writing this article, but out of those two, I would want to see The Brutalist take home the Oscar. Emilia Perez, as much as it does bait votes from the Academy, would be an absolute mess for the Awards if it took home the top honour. Still, with the Academy, anything can happen at the last minute.
The 97th Academy Awards will be televised live, coast-to-coast, on March 2nd, 2025 at 7 pm EST/4 pm PST on ABC.