Ever since I began writing film articles for my high school mag in 2020, I had this tradition of blitz-reviewing all the Best Picture nominated films for each year and predicting the winner. It is now irrelevant whether my previous attempts at cinematic clairvoyance were successful or not (they definitely weren’t) – what matters is that these are likely my favourite articles to write ever. Every year, I eagerly await that nominations list, guessing and wondering which films will be included on it and which won’t. This year, the list contained ten movies, from Hollywood blockbusters (among them both parts of the Barbenheimer phenomenon) to more niche European dramas. 

 

In this article, I will be reviewing all ten of the films from my least to most favourite one, and will be giving my final verdict on which film I want to win the Oscar, and which, in all likelihood, will. 

 

Barbie (dir. Greta Gerwig): 2/5 

Barbie is the film of the year, and, possibly very controversially, my least favourite film of the bunch. After watching it, I feel a little cheated by all the great press I’ve seen, both before and after its release.

 

The film follows Barbie the doll as she ventures out of the toy world and into the human world, discovering what it is like to be a human woman. While I found the film’s premise to be lovely, its execution left me questioning its necessity. While I think the acting was, admittedly, very good and enjoyable (America Ferrera! Margot Robbie! Ryan Gosling!), I found the characters and story to lack the depth they so desperately needed for the message to work.

 

While a good introduction to feminism for those who may not have encountered the ideas before, the film was too simplistic and, at times, felt more like an extended girlboss toy commercial rather than a serious exploration of femininity and the harm of patriarchy (and I wonder if it partly was so…). I believe this movie had potential, unfortunately, it was wasted in my eyes. Bummer!

 

Strong and necessary ideas – however, inappropriate presentation likely overshadowed by Barbie’s pre-existing IP and, to some extent, corporate greed.

 

American Fiction (dir. Cord Jefferson): 3/5 

I really hoped to like this one, truly. After watching the trailer, I had even predicted it to be in my top three. However, after watching the film, it left me with a desire for more (similarly to what I felt after Barbie). The film follows Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison, a literature professor, as he writes a satirical book mocking ‘Black fiction’ that ends up unexpectedly loved by everyone.

 

I found the trailer for the film misleading, as it only focuses on one part of the story. Turns out, half of the film is an unrelated family drama (ok, slightly related, as it juxtaposes the ‘Black family’ stereotype often found in the literature the main character critiques), and I found myself wanting more of the storyline concerning the book Monk writes. I think the film could have been better if it was longer, as this dual plotline took away from both narratives, making them both flatter and weaker than they could have been. 

 

Not bad, but not great. Could have focused more on either one of the two stories to make them stronger. 

 

Past Lives (dir. Celine Song): 3.5/5

Past Lives follows the story of two friends over twenty-four years as they separate and reconnect on multiple occasions while living their separate personal lives in two different countries. The film revolves around the Korean idea of inyeon, or ‘fate’, which dictates that if two people’s lives intersect it is because they have done so for many, many lifetimes before (for example: the film reveals that, to get married to someone in one’s current lifetime, the two people had to have interacted eight thousand times before in previous lifetimes).

 

The film is tender and loving as it approaches themes of separation and reconnection and the distance – both physical and spiritual – between people as they go through their lives and interact on specific occasions. 

 

The cinematography of the film is beautiful, minimal and fresh, and its minimalist score leaves an impression. Song’s debut film is a great one to watch when looking to explore concepts of relationships and their uncertain nature.  

 

Overall an enjoyable film; my rating is only lowered by my experience watching the film, as I had a difficult time immersing myself in it, perhaps because this is not my go-to genre for a film night.

 

Killers of the Flower Moon (dir. Martin Scorsese): 4/5

The execution of Killers of the Flower Moon is superb – it is a Scorsese film, after all – with outstanding performances from the main cast: Leonardo Di Caprio, Lily Gladstone (rooting for her Best Actress Oscar), Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons and all the other A-listers involved. The story is compelling and well-made for the screen. It presents the true events surrounding the Osage murders in 1920s Colorado. I had not heard of this story prior to watching the film and found it to be extremely interesting.

 

The only critique I have for this film is its slow-burn nature. Granted, a lot of viewers found this to be a positive, but I personally find I can only watch slow-paced films on certain occasions, particularly when at a cinema or with other people, which dampened my experience of the film as I watched it on my computer on my own. This is definitely an epic to be seen on the big screen, as it requires undivided attention only a cinema screen can ensure. After all, that’s how Scorcese would like you to watch it, famously asking viewers to “please, please [not] look at [my films] on a phone, please. An iPad, a big iPad, maybe.” (in an interview for The Guardian, 2019).

 

The Zone of Interest (dir. Jonathan Glazer): 4/5

For many complex and personal reasons that are way too long to get into in this short review, I avoid Holocaust fiction media. However, this article made me break my rule, and go watch Glazer’s new film that, though fresh in the movie theatres, has already had a fair share of discourse surrounding it. 

 

I was not disappointed. It is a chilling film tackling one of humanity’s worst feats to date, and it does so with remarkable subtlety, choosing to show neither violence nor any other shocking imagery but rather limiting it to backgrounds and sound. 

 

While I did not find this film to be of ‘Oscar’ quality, I can understand why it was nominated for it, as the subject matter it covers is as important as it is relevant – not only to today’s day, but to understanding evil and the human reaction to it in general. Through the frame of the Holocaust, the film presents the human psyche as a whole, and the nature of care and interest the ‘collective we’ have in each other’s struggles if they don’t touch us personally.

 

A heavy film, but well worth a watch. Possibly one of the most tasteful representations of the Holocaust I’ve come across to date.  

 

Maestro (dir. Bradley Cooper): 4/5

Maestro is a biographical feature about Leonard Bernstein, one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century. The film focuses on the relationship between Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre from their first meeting at a party to Felicia’s death. It uses a dual timeline to portray the changing feelings the couple experiences as they go through married life as well as career developments and childbirth. 

 

I struggled with this one, as, for a while after watching it, I did not know what to feel about it. On one hand, I find it problematic, both formally (re: Bradley Cooper’s ‘Jewface’) as well as narratively (is this a love story? praise? critique?). On the other hand, I profoundly enjoyed it and found it to be utterly lovely and stunning. 

 

Turns out, I really like it after all, and, while I cannot dismiss its apparent flaws and… questionable… artistic decisions surrounding it, I look back upon it with fondness, as it has truly carved out a place in my heart for itself.

 

Anatomy of a Fall (dir. Justine Triet): 4/5

The old-as-time tale of the trial of a woman guilty of her husband’s murder. Or is it?

 

In her film, Justine Triet creates a cerebral yet clean narrative of a trial and the nuances surrounding it. The film tackles societal as well as marital problems and themes that many can think on and reflect upon as they present themselves in its specific situation.

 

Anatomy of a Fall is a film that starts slow, but progresses into a gripping court drama the likes of I haven’t seen since The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020, dir. Aaron Sorkin). Despite its small cast and compact setting, the film manages to suck its viewer in and hold them until the credits roll. 

 

With phenomenal music choices (50 Cent’s P.I.M.P.’s instrumental version now lives in my head) and great performances from lead actors, the film creates a memorable and lasting impression. If you’ve not seen any French or Continental European cinema before and don’t know where to start, I would highly recommend watching Anatomy of a Fall, as it is a compelling piece of work that retains the authenticity and uniqueness of modern French cinema while being a strong competition to Hollywood court dramas and their exciting nature. 

 

The Holdovers (dir. Alexander Payne): 4.25/5

The new Dead Poets Society, the latest addition to the Christmas film canon, and a movie that will make anyone sob by its third act, The Holdovers is a gentle and tender exploration of loss, grief and the necessity of connection.

 

It is a beautiful story of a troublesome boy held over Christmas break at his private school in the seventies, chaperoned by a grouchy teacher and a grieving cook whose son just passed away in the Vietnam War. It is a coming-of-age story for all three characters, different yet united in their struggles, as they find comfort and warmth in each other during the cold New England winter. 

 

A great film to watch for days when you need a reminder of the power of human connection.

 

Oppenheimer (dir. Christopher Nolan): 4.5/5

We live in difficult times, in some ways similar to those in which Christopher Nolan’s newest epic, Oppenheimer, is set. The film follows Robert J. Oppenheimer as he invents the atomic bomb that will be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as his subsequent trial in which he is accused of having worked for communists.

 

The movie explores the morally grey character of its lead, as well as him grappling with the concepts of ‘right and wrong’ as he comes to terms with what he created. The film inspires a sense of dread in the viewer as it portrays the reality of war and sentiments that, while considered morally incorrect or despicable, as shared and propagated by those we have historically considered to be ‘the good guys’. Possibly one of my favourite ‘war’ films as of late (and I’ve seen a lot of them).

 

Bleak and grim, yet superb. The soundtrack is as Nolan-esque as it gets. BOOM BOOM BOOM BRRRRRRR…

 

Poor Things (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos): 4.5/5

I loved Poor Things with my whole heart. I saw it at the Lighthouse cinema and was left completely enamoured! Lanthimos presents a weird, soulful story set in an even odder world about life’s beauty and the necessity of experiencing all things good and bad it has to offer to truly understand it.

 

The film follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman who, after an unfortunate incident, gets her brain replaced with that of her infant daughter. The viewer follows Bella as she ‘grows up’, and learns about and experiences the world around her with all of its joys and its horrors, all while retaining a charming innocence and candidness in her outlook and actions throughout her development and adventures. 

 

I particularly enjoyed the whimsical and anachronistic look of the film: from its cinematography to its costuming, the movie immerses the viewer into a parallel reality with its dreamlike portrayals of European cities (London, Lisbon, Paris…) and the odd, strongly-charactered people who live in them and interact with Bella.

 

A movie to watch on the big screen, and to be followed up with a delicious pastel de nata, Bella Baxter’s beloved Portuguese pastry!

 

Conclusion: who will win?

 

Around 25 to 30 hours later, I now have tasted the best cinema that 2023 had to offer (if you ask the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences). My favourite part of this experience, as always, is knowing I can now continue retaining my title as blockbuster expert and commercial-success-in-film connoisseur, which I worked so hard to earn (just ask my Letterboxd account). 

 

In all seriousness, here is my prediction for the 2024 Academy Awards Best Picture Winner: Oppenheimer. Why, you may ask? Short answer: Christopher Nolan directed it. Longer answer: why wouldn’t the Academy (a US institution) reward a film that is about American history, has a billion A-Listers in it, and also is directed by one of the hottest and most relevant currently-working directors in the world? Besides, it is a great film. I do think it stands a high chance of winning this category. If not, it will definitely win about two other ones it got nominated for. 

 

However, if I was one of the voters for Best Picture (regretfully, I’m not… yet…) I would vote for Lanthimos’s Poor Things. I have enjoyed watching this film so much, and highly recommend it to those of you who love weird quirky movies and want to watch something that will fill you with a childlike giddiness for life and its marvels (and for those of you who don’t… seek advice elsewhere).

 

This Oscars season has strong contenders, and I cannot wait to see which film will take the prize! 

 

The Academy Awards Ceremony will take place on March 10th.

 

WORDS: Agne Kniuraite