On 8 February 2022, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the list of nominees for this year’s Oscars – and the lineup is unlike any I’ve seen before. With a whopping ten films nominated, compared to last year’s eight, there is quite a lot of film traffic to get through to really get a grasp as to which film is deserving of the Best Picture spot. The diversity is there as well – from the remakes of the classic movie-musical West Side Story, science-fiction favourite Dune, and thriller Nightmare Alley to deaf-inclusive CODA to Japanese film Drive My Car – this year’s selection does not skimp on the variety of the different kinds of stories audiences are presented with. To put all of them in comparison to each other and decide which one succeeds the most is a difficult task, yes – but it is a choice that the Academy will inevitably have to make.
Many of the pictures nominated are widely watched, however not all the nominees get their fair share of attention or even a notion of the plot, let alone what makes it worthy to be considered for Best Picture of the year. I, however, have watched all ten films nominated for the Best Picture category for the Oscars. I laughed, I cried, but most importantly, I was impressed. This year’s race will be a close one, no doubt.
In this article, I’ll take you through each of the nominated films, and endeavour to come to a decision as to which one I think will win the title of Best Picture of 2021. Without further ado, here are the nominees.
CODA
Apple TV’s CODA outlines the experience of Ruby, a senior in high school in Gloucester, Massachusetts, who happens to be the only hearing child in an entirely deaf family. To make things even more interesting, Ruby has a long nurtured desire to become a singer – an ambition that obviously neither her parents nor her older brother Leo would be aware of. Inspired to take a chance, Ruby signs up for choir as an elective at school, which brings her in contact with sassy, strict, yet supportive choral teacher Bernardo Villalobos. Despite Ruby’s shyness when singing in front of her peers, Mr. Villalobos sees the clear talent in her and encourages her to audition for the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Torn between staying at home after school as the only hearing member in her family’s fishing business (and therefore key to running it as she is the bridge between her deaf family and their hearing clients) and her dream to move away from home and become a singer – audiences are thrown back and forth as Ruby tries to balance appreciating and spending time with her family while somehow managing to pursue what she truly loves to do. The question stands throughout the film: will she let being a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) bring her pursuit of music to an end? (just as musical coda’s bring their pieces to an end as well). Luckily, by the film’s completion, she is successful in putting time, love, and energy into both. She applies, auditions, and gets into the Berklee College of Music and while her family may never fully appreciate her talent as a hearing family might, their automatic loyalty and compassion for Ruby is moving.
CODA is a beautiful, heartwarming story of self-discovery and I have to say, it is one of my favourite new films I have seen recently. It plucks all the heart strings, brings all the laughs, and all the while provides adequate deaf representation in the film industry. In fact, Troy Kotsur, who plays Ruby’s father, just won the SAG award for Best Supporting Actor. This win could be a strong start for the film as we get closer to the big night; the Oscars.
However, when it comes down to it, will CODA make the cut for Best Picture? As much as I loved it, unfortunately – no. It is a well rounded film that I would recommend to anyone, yes. The ensemble cast has a playful and humorous dynamic (for that they CODA won Best Ensemble Cast at the SAG awards as well). However, based on recent Academy winner trends and the other films that we have yet to unpack, I believe that CODA will unfortunately more likely take a back seat in the department of the Best Picture category.
Dune
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was one of the most highly anticipated films of 2021 – and for good reason. As a remake to the 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, it had much to live up to and all the more to expand upon with modern advancements in film technology. Paul Atreides finds a new interpretation through Timothée Chalamet, alongside co-stars Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, and more – all to set the scene of struggle between House Atreides and House Harkonnen in their dual pursuit of power in the Imperium.
From the big names, to the absolutely captivating cinematography, to the presentation of one of Hans Zimmer’s most experimental and revolutionary scores yet – Villeneuve’s revival of the science fiction classic can easily be considered one of the biggest films of 2021. With this in mind, does it live up to the title of being the Best Picture of the year?
While there are many reasons to hail Dune, it definitely lends itself to some criticism. Firstly, Dune felt like little more than an introduction to a series, and still managed to confuse audiences who have not seen its 1984 adaptation with many unexplained references. Secondly, it’s hard to ignore the consistent advertisement attempts to stage Zendaya at the front and centre of the film’s narrative as per its trailer, while in the actual film, she only gets around seven minutes of screen time. Thirdly, I personally was optimistic to see Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides – but I was unfortunately let down. To read more expansively on my thoughts on Timothée’s performance, check out my film review of Dune here.
To be honest, I don’t think that Dune was the best film of the year. However, it certainly was a memorable one.
Don’t Look Up
Don’t Look Up is a film with a buzz worthy cast and a buzz worthy topic; household names such as Leonardo Dicaprio and Jennifer Lawrence are at the helm of the film’s end-of-the-world narrative against a population that refuses to accept that the end is near, while Meryl Streep leads the charge of spreading misinformation as the fictitious President of the United States.
Don’t Look Up outlines a story that is very current, no matter how you choose to interpret the theoretical asteroid hurtling toward the earth in relation to the real world. Whether it be the threat of Covid-19 or climate change, there are no doubt individuals across the world who genuinely believe that they are ‘hoaxes’, backed up with false information from not-so-credible sources and not-so-trustworthy politicians. Meryl Streep’s performance as the president is hilarious because of how all too familiar it feels to American citizens – the idiocy of Donald Trump in early 2020 in his attempts to discredit the threat of Covid-19 likely contributed to the gravity of the pandemic as we know it today, with nearly six million deaths in the past two years. Not to mention Donald Trump’s famed false claim that climate change was a hoax created by the Chinese government.
The film does a tremendous job generating a sense of urgency while still leaving room for comedy – for in the movie the asteroid threat is so clear that it is almost comical that there were groups of people vehemently decided on its hoax-ness. When the end is near and inevitable, sometimes all you can do is carry on as things are. This sentiment is perfectly captured in the film’s final dinner table scene, where all the film’s principal characters (with the exception of the President and her minions) enjoy a dinner party. Don’t Look Up is a powerful piece and makes strong claims about the world as it is today.
It’s currentness in collaboration with the distress of emotional speeches done by Lawrence and Dicaprio show us why it was nominated for Best Picture – great performances, great message, in turn captivating audiences across the world. However, I don’t think it will come out on top in the end. Just because it’s relatable and thought provoking doesn’t make it the best film of the year, and it lacks that indie ‘mmfh’ that is so often correlated with previous Best Picture winners of the past decade. Like Dune, it is a memorable film – but it is not the best one of the year.
Drive My Car
Ryusuke Hamaguchi proudly presents Drive My Car, a Japanese film that tells the tale of ageing playwright Yūsuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) whose cheating wife Oto (Reika Kirishima) passes away suddenly. Two years later, Yūsuke is given the opportunity to put on the play ‘Uncle Vanya’ by Anton Chekhov that he performed in himself after his wife passed – however things become interesting when young actor Kōji Takatsuki (Masaki Okada) shows up to auditions, who happens to be the man who Yūsuke’s late wife cheated on him with. Even more interesting, Yūsuke is required by the company to accept their complimentary chauffeur to drive his car wherever he pleases: a 23-year-old woman named Misaki (Tôko Miura). Throughout the film, we watch ‘Uncle Vanya’ come to life through the eyes of a still unhealed Yūsuke, and an observant Misaki slowly revealing her own past to her passenger. We come to learn that Yūsuke and Oto had a child who passed away at only four years old, that Misaki believes she killed her own severely mentally ill mother when she was a child, and that most importantly – if Yūsuke’s child had survived, she would be Misaki’s age. In a spontaneous yet sombre decision for the two to visit Misaki’s wrecked childhood home, they are both reconciled with their most uncomfortable feelings and with each other. In this snowy ruin of Misaki’s old life, the two embrace in tears, for Yūsuke will forever be the father she never had, and Misaki would be the child he never got to see grow up.
Hidetoshi Nishijima plays Yūsuke in a very observant, but emotionally stirred fashion. Early in the movie, when he discovers Oto with Kōji, he does the unexpected. Instead of speaking up, like many of us would – he stays silent, creeps away, and acts oblivious to Oto’s affair all the way through when she draws her final breath. When Kōji meets Yūsuke for a drink later in the film, instead of aggressively remarking on the young actor’s sexual relationship with his late wife, Yūsuke takes on the adversity pragmatically, remarking that they are the same because ‘[they] both loved [her]’. His speech in the snow with Misaki is a moving one; he breaks down into tears in belief that he let his late wife slip through his fingers in both life and death. Hamaguchi’s film creates a parallel between Yūsuke’s inability to complete his performance as Vanya in ‘Uncle Vanya’ earlier in the film and his grief and guild of Oto’s passing, making the ending all the more rewarding when he is called upon at the last minute to play Vanya in his own directorial rendition of the play. His performance as Vanya is absolutely incredible, and closes his storyline perfectly.
Drive My Car was not at all what I expected it to be. It was deeply profound while still maintaining the simplicity of moments of silence, grief, and emotionality. This is my first Ryusuke Hamaguchi film, but I doubt it will be my last.
While the film was amazing, I do not think it will win Best Picture. While Drive My Car was a film that I would recommend to anyone, I cannot confidently say that based on the other films selected to be up for the title, that Drive My Car will be the Academy’s favourite. It may just win Best International Feature Film, though. As it should.
King Richard
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard tells the tale of rising stars Serena and Venus Williams and their journey to the top of the professional tennis world, thanks to the stubborn determination of their father Richard. Taking place in Compton, LA – the Williams family is one riddled with determination and talent in several areas, most notably his daughters Venus and Serena in their rise to tennis expertise at only the ages of nine and eight. Will Smith plays a very convincing Richard Williams, really evoking that stubbornness that has the characters in the film and the audience alike frustrated with his determination for balance between his girls securing a spot as tennis superstars and having a normal childhood. As Richard’s eldest daughter Venus rises to stardom in her pre-teen years, he makes the tough decision to pull her out of Junior Tournaments – aka the one way ticket to professional tennis recognition. Despite the contrasting advice from tennis and business professionals, Richard sticks to his guns. Even with two separate multi-million dollar contracts, Richard remains certain about playing the game his way. Because of this hard work, Richard was able to help his two daughters become two of the most famous tennis players in history.
King Richard was an inspiring biopic that had me rooting for the Williams family all the way through, and really succeeds in showing its audience the amount of hard work that it takes to make it in the sports industry. In their consistent grapple with adversity in trying to come out on top of what was at the time a white-dominated sport, audiences are inspired by their determination to not let history get in the way of what was always in the plan for Richard Williams – even before Venus and Serena were born.
King Richard was enjoyable and Will Smith’s performance as Richard Williams was outstanding – but will it come out on top? In my opinion – no. Performance driven films don’t often take home the Best Picture title, so I don’t think it will be the winner this time around.
Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza opens in 1973 San Fernando Valley and shows the complex and extensive relationship between 15-year-old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and 25-year-old Alana Kane (Alana Haim) that began on a high school picture day. After convictions of muder, a failed waterbed company, and an overall denial of the love between the two young people with a ten year age gap – they finally reconcile in love by the end, running away into the night with Alana declaring her love for her long time friend. Gary ends up being right about his declaration early in the film that Alana was ‘the girl [he was] going to marry one day’.
Paul Thomas Anderson has done it again with a film that is playful, nostalgic, and has audiences rooting for an otherwise questionable relationship regarding their age gap. In his film, Anderson has curated a relationship that despite their differences, the two remain consistently connected. Through chaos, the bond between Gary and Alana holds strong and eventually buds into a love that could last a lifetime. No one puts it better than The Guardian’s Mark Kermode: ‘Like all the best evocations of times past, Licorice Pizza has no answers – only an enraptured sense of awe that makes Anderson’s joyous film feel like a very personal memory’.
So – will this ‘very personal memory’ enchant the Academy just as Kermode has said Licorice Pizza has enchanted its audiences? Is Licorice Pizza the best film of 2021?
I personally don’t think it was the best film of the year. Anderson’s flick is definitely up there when it comes to both popular opinion and mathematical statistics, but unfortunately it seems that there are other films in this collection more worthy of the sacred title of Best Picture.
Nightmare Alley
Guillermo del Toro revitalises the 1947 classic Nightmare Alley in his 2021 remake of the same name. In 1940s New York, Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) works as a carny alongside Pete (David Strathairn), Zeena (Toni Collette), Clem (Willem Dafoe), and others. Each of them run unique acts to catch eyes and obtain dough from unsuspecting carnival-goers. The film opens with Clem’s act, where he feeds a live chicken to his ‘geek’– a creature that he claims to be deemed neither fully man nor fully animal. In reality, the geek is a regular man that Clem and other carney’s lure into what they call a ‘temporary’ job, targeting alcoholics specifically and offering them drinks spiked with opium. Once they are debilitated, they are essentially trapped by Clem and tortured into madness until they eventually are too weak to survive (new geeks are sought out if one dies). The geek-feeding scene in addition to learning that they are in truth victims of kidnapping and tortue was extremely hard to watch for me personally. However, the atrocities done to the geeks and Stan’s relationship to their abuse ends up being more essential to the plot than first anticipated.
Stan decides to take up mentalism, being taught by the carnival’s mentalist Pete just before he passes away. An important note – Pete was an alcoholic, and it was Stan who gave him his last bottle. Consequently, Stan swears off drinking, takes everything he knows about mentalism alongside his lover/partner Molly (Rooney Mara), and takes on the world outside the carnival. After two years of success, a man with big dreams about mentalism is unable to distinguish fact from fiction through the veil of power and money.
I spent most of Nightmare Alley wondering where it was going. Even though I knew there was an interesting plot afoot, I was a little bored and unimpressed I admit – it didn’t have me hooked. However, in those final 30 minutes of Stan’s façade not just going belly up, but turning into a trail of murders that leaves him in such a chaotic state had me on the edge of my seat. Following being shot by Dr. Ritter and escaping law enforcement, a homeless Stan encounters a carny in a trailer in pursuit of work. The carny at first turns him away due to his run down disposition and noticeable alcoholism, which he picked up again toward the end of the film. However, the carny calls him back. Upon pouring him a drink, the carny offers him a different kind of job than the one he was looking for – the carnival’s geek. We close the film with him laughing, saying that he was ‘born to do this’. With this ending, del Toro invites his audience to understand how power can get to one’s head,and bring them down to the level they once only observed from afar. Stan looked at the geek in the beginning of the film with pity, and at the end, he is turned into one – just as any man can.
What’s the verdict then – will Nightmare Alley be Guillermo del Toro’s second win?
I personally don’t think it will win the title of Best Picture. The ending left me with my mouth fallen open, yes – but I think there are other films more readily equipped with the qualities of a truly great film in this year’s nominee selection.
West Side Story
The story of West Side Story already has a Best Picture win under its belt – but what about Spielberg’s ‘reimagination’, as he calls it? Will this modern Romeo and Juliet take home yet another win?
Rising star Rachel Zegler as Maria absolutely steals the show with her talent. Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the original West Side Story’s lyrics, remarked to Zegler the first time he heard her sing, saying that she sounded like a ‘nightingale’. Even better, this Maria, compared to Natalie Wood in the 1961 original classic, is actually Puerto Rican. So are the rest of the Sharks and other members of the Puerto Rican community in the film’s New York City setting (with the exception of Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the 1961 version and Doc in the 2021 remimagination – who has always been authentically Puerto Rican).
Additionally, for once in the past decade, a blockbuster movie musical has taken great care to cast proper singers and dancers – and it is incredibly refreshing. With the elite dancing and singing, it all unfolds with as much vibrancy and talent as much as there are big names. Speaking of these big names, I don’t think I can comment about this film without addressing Ansel Elgort, who plays the lead Tony, and his several sexual assault allegation that came out in late 2020. Although the film was casted and shot before these allegations were released, former fans can’t help but feel uneasy about the film. ‘[Ansel Elgort’s] presence in the film is a large deterrent for me, and while I love West Side Story, I didn’t feel comfortable or enjoyed the experience as much as I could have because of the allegations,’ says a former fan. The dark shadow of his allegations casts broadly over the amazing performances of Rachel Zegler, Ariana Debose, and Mike Faist. It is incredibly unfortunate, but it is something that as film watchers, we must consider in judgement.
Elgort allegations set aside – the 2021 reimagination of West Side Story is a film that I know I’ll watch again and again. I might even go so far to say that it is my favourite movie musical I’ve seen thus far.
What’s the verdict, then? Will this reimagined West Side Story claim the title for Best Picture of 2021? The film is fun, fresh, and enjoyable with some incredible performances by DeBose, Faist, and Zegler that will by no doubt get the recognition and rewards that they are owed – but I don’t personally think Spielberg’s rendition of the film classic will be deemed the Best Picture of 2021 by the Academy.
The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, as a film adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, narrates the tale of two cattle-ranching brothers in 1920s Montana: George (Jesse Plemmons), who cautiously seeks the fruits of love and life while walking on eggshells around his brooding, sarcastic, and seemingly maliciously motivated brother Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch). Tensions rise when George marries widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and also takes in her gentle, paper-flower-making teenage son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) into the Burbank household and ranch.
Phil decides to make things difficult for Rose when she arrives at the ranch – he constantly keeps a cold stare on her, makes sly comments, and generally stirs up a great amount of anxiety in her, which drives her to drink heavily. Things take an interesting turn as Phil pokes at and bullies Peter for his clothes, appearance, and demeanour; but after catching Phil in a moment of vulnerability, the two grow to become friends – or at least it seems this way. Rose is increasingly suspicious about Phil’s closeness with Peter after causing her and her family so much tension and trouble. After we learn more about Phil’s particularly special relationship with the deceased Bronco Henry, audiences become suspicious about what Phil’s intentions are with young Peter; Phil was Peter’s age when he entered into a private sexual relationship with the significantly older Bronco Henry. However, this is not the case. In their growing closeness and as Phil drops the ill-natured and destructive façade to reveal a soft, vulnerable centre, audiences are tempted to believe that all is for the better. Alas – no. By lining a rope that the pair made together with the DNA of a diseased animal, Peter successfully murders Phil, who dies ‘mysteriously’ of Anthrax.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance as Phil Burbank is successfully unsettling – every move he makes is followed by an underscore of dissonant french horn and suspicious cello plucking. Rose, along with the audience, is unsure about Phil’s next move all throughout the film or what his intentions are with young Peter. As we slowly learn about Phil’s repressed homosexuality, audiences are even led to believe that combined with his aggressive and overall malicious disposition, that such repression would be a weapon taken out on Peter. It is revealed instead to be his vital soft spot – the vulnerable nerve that when ticked, allows Phil to release all his burdens and relax into who he always wished he could be. Peter has no sympathy for such vulnerabilities, however. All he knows is that the actions of Phil were perpetuating his mother into alcoholism, and therefore he felt he had no choice. In the end, Peter saves his mother from what he believes is ‘the power of the dog’ – he saves his mother from Phil Burbank.
To read more on my thoughts about this film, check out my review on whether The Power of the Dog deserves the top spot in the Best Picture category here.
Therefore, do I think that The Power of the Dog will come out on top? Well, it is the current mathematical frontrunner for Best Picture. It would be safe to say for the sake of being right, that I believe it will win. But do I want it to win? Was it the Best Picture of 2021, truly?
Belfast
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast sets the stage in the late 1960s in the Northern Irish capital city, telling a tale of coming of age amongst a time of violence and uncertainty – showing the ways in which family bonds are vital for grounding during a crisis like the one that persisted in Northern Ireland from the 60s to the 90s.
In the film, Buddy (Jude Hill) is the youngest of two in a Protestant family amidst the beginning of ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. In Belfast, Buddy spends most of his days with his Ma (Caitriona Balfe), his brother Will (Lewis McAskie), his Pop (Ciarán Hinds), his Granny (Judi Dench), and his Pa (Jamie Dornan) – who is often away due to his work as a joiner being based in England.
Incredible performances by Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, Ciarán Hinds, Judi Dench, and even child actor Jude Hill – who stole the show with his innocence of neutrality amongst the violence and ability to take on the challenges at hand with clever pokes of comedy. In the film, periods of uncertainty in the family’s financial situation, the persistent urges of Billy Clanton (Colin Morgan) for Pa to join the violence against Catholics, and general troubles are often followed by blissful scenes of film. Whether it be Buddy watching films or family outings to the cinema and the theatre, film is a consistent escape in Belfast. In thinking about this in the context of its semi-autobiographical nature of director Kenneth Branagh, such cinematic diversions have all the more meaning to them. Branagh would grow up to attend the world famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (where he has served as its president since 2015), and eventually become one of the industry’s most widely revered actors, directors, and producers. To appeal to a period in history of such violence and subtly allude to the power that cinema holds to bring people together is genius – especially if you’re trying to win over the Academy, who loves films about film. They have over-exhausted this love for films about film in recent years, however – with key nominees such as La La Land, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Mank failing to take home the title. Belfast, however, is far less explicit in this cinematic expression, but it is definitely a detail that judges will not miss.
The emotionality of Buddy’s family deciding to leave Belfast cuts deep – for leaving everything they had known their whole lives in pursuit of safety and security in a foreign place is daunting, but when it came down to it, is what many people had to do in order to make it through The Troubles. The ending of the film is a sweet one, where the credits pay tribute to those who had to leave Northern Ireland, those who had to stay, and those who were lost to the violence that persisted for so long. With this, the film rounds up as a story of struggle, togetherness, growth, and moving forward.
And so, will Belfast win Best Picture?
I think that there is a possibility. I was so pleasantly surprised by this film, it’s hard not to root for it in the end. Also, if we take a closer look at the mathematical odds, they show that it is actually an incredibly tight race between The Power of the Dog and Belfast, with very very close runner up’s being Dune, West Side Story, and Licorice Pizza. However, based on the qualities of Branagh’s film, all maths set aside, I believe that the Academy will award Belfast for the Best Picture of 2021. Will I be right? Who knows. Only March 27th will tell.