With the Oscars coming up in less than a month, I decided it was time to step into the shoes of the Academy, giving Nobles my list of the top contenders for Best Picture. The nominations this year are Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.
While most Oscars are determined by voting among academy members, the Best Picture winner is decided by a preferential ballot in which Academy members rank all nominees. Voters consider factors such as direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing, product design, score, and more. With these factors in mind, I have determined the top five candidates most likely to win Best Picture.
1) One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another is a dramatic thriller written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, this film follows the washed-up revolutionary as he fights to find his daughter, who has been taken by his political rivals. “DiCaprio really put himself into the role, and it felt very authentic. He always plays the disheveled, crazy man under a lot of pressure well,” Chloe Jeppson (Class I) said. But beyond his stellar acting, the film is revered for its unique score and interesting editing. I especially enjoyed the cinematography of the car chase scene, where the camera zooms and bounces through rolling hills, making it feel like you are right there in the car. This film is favored to win, having just recently won Best Movie Of The Year at the Critics’ Choice Awards, and I definitely recommend you watch it!
2) Marty Supreme
Directed by Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme is the story of Marty Mauser, a hotheaded table tennis star from New York City willing to do anything for success. This film is set in the 1950s and is loosely based on the story of Marty Reisman. Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty and is also credited as a producer for the film. I loved Chalamet in this role as he perfectly captures the character’s aggressive, almost neurotic need to win. This film slides into our second-place spot because Safdie and Chalamet are able to turn table tennis into a nail-biting, knuckle-cracking, edge-of-your-seat spectacle. “I really like it because there was always something going on. It’s just one thing after another,” Vihaan Batra (Class I) said.
3) Hamnet
The third most likely to win Best Picture is Hamnet. Hamnet is a historical drama set in the 16th century, centered on Agnes Shakespeare, William Shakespeare’s wife. The story revolves around the death of their son, Hamnet Shakespeare, which inspired William Shakespeare to write the play Hamlet. It is said that in the 16th century, the names Hamlet and Hamnet were interchangeable. Jessie Buckley, who plays Agnes, takes the audience through the life of a family in the wake of a sudden, young death. “I loved Hamnet, and I really want it to win. I think Jessie Buckley should also win Best Actress; she just delivered an exhausting performance,” Hailey Rashes (Class I) said. This film, directed by Chloé Zhao, is highly praised for its emotionally driven character storytelling. Hamnet has a very atmospheric, immersive feel, with a rural English setting that feels as real, raw, and lived-in as the emotional performances of the leading actors. “Hamnet is just really beautiful. I thought the movie adaptation of the book was really well done. There was a lot of cool symbolism that really carried over, and I was just sobbing,” Jeppson said.
4) Bugonia
While this nomination is not often seen at the top of Best Picture Predictions lists, I have chosen to put Bugonia in the fourth spot because of its unpredictable nature. This film follows Michelle Fuller, a powerful pharmaceutical CEO played by Emma Stone, as two cousins kidnap her, convinced that she is an alien determined to destroy Earth. This movie is unlike any other up for Best Picture, and frankly, unlike anything else released this year. “The beginning of the movie sets the stakes while also being really funny and odd. By the end, I was really intrigued. It’s crazy!” Lucas Ilzarbe (Class I) said. Additionally, director Yorgos Lanthimos skilfully brings to life the themes of public disillusionment and big corporate operations in what can only be described as a scathing social satire. With the recent production of the Nobles Theatre Collective’s Urinetown, it seems the Nobles community is not the only one looking to push the envelope with some social commentary.
5) Sentimental Value
The final film to make this list is Sentimental Value — the only international movie to make it into our top five. This is another raw and emotional story of two sisters, Nora and Agnes Borg (played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, respectively), as they navigate their relationship with their father, Gustav, a once world-renowned writer and director. When Gustav writes a film for Nora to star in, only to cast a more famous Hollywood actress, old wounds rise, and complicated emotions are unraveled. While this Norwegian film received less traction than some others, film critics and I appreciate its authentic, relatable portrayal of the hardships of family life.
