Awards season is an interesting time for movie enjoyers. Taking place during one of the most holiday-dry periods of the year, many look forward to a little celebration of the most recognized films, shows, actors and creators of the year. This article will delve into my personal picks of the season, my predictions for winners– a guide of nominees one should see if they plan to enjoy the Oscars on March 2.

Nominations

To get an idea of what to watch before awards season, a good look at what’s nominated does wonders. 

For the Oscars, The most nominated film is “Emilia Perez” on Netflix, with a whopping 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best International Feature among others. “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” are both nominated for 10 awards, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for both films. “A Complete Unknown” and “Conclave” were nominated eight times each, both being nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay, among other nominations. Other nominated films include “Anora” with six Nominations, Dune: “Part Two” with five, “The Substance” with five, and “Nosferatu” with four. Along with these, “I’m Still Here,” “Sing Sing,” and “The Wild Robot” all received three nominations each, and “The Apprentice,” “Flow,” “Nickel Boys” and “A Real Pain” with two each. 

Lots of kids my age, including me, don’t have the time to watch all of these before the award season, so what’s worth the watch? 

“The Brutalist”

I predict that “The Brutalist” will win Best Picture. It stars Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody as a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the U.S. where he reconstructs his career and relationships, and a wealthy industrialist recognizes his talent in architecture. 

I’ll admit I haven’t seen this film yet, but based on casting and reception, this seems to be one of the best received films of the year. Being given 91% on Tomatometer and 4.1 / 5 by the notoriously stingy Letterboxd users, the talk is that “The Brutalist” is a modern masterpiece that’s worth the watch, especially due to being tied for second most nominations this year.

“Conclave”

I absolutely adored “Conclave.” Yet another incredible performance by actor Ralph Fiennes, this time playing the dean of the Vatican. After the death of the pope, all the cardinals of the Catholic church congregate for conclave, where they, completely isolated from society, vote on which of them should accede to the papacy. The film is very political, and stocked full of meaningful, poignant monologues and intrigue about the secret ceremony of conclave, as well as the power-hungry cardinals who fight for their views to become the views of the church. It was an incredibly intriguing film, and my favorite of all the Best Picture nominees that I’ve seen so far. 

“Wicked”

This film took me by surprise– when I saw trailers I wasn’t especially enthused, it looked like just another over-long blockbuster production of a popular Broadway musical. But the reviews were raving and the film was incredibly well received by audiences and critics alike, garnering a whopping 10 nominations. As many of the songs trend online, there will likely be many jokes and mentions in the Oscars about the movie as one of the comparatively lighthearted films in the Best Picture run. I haven’t seen this one yet, but plan to watch before the awards, because it has extremely promising prospects. 

“Dune: Part Two”

I was even more surprised about the nominations for the “Dune” sequel.  Based on the novel “Dune” by Frank Herbert, “Dune: Part Two” follows Paul Atreides’ rise of power and control of the people and resources of the planet Arrakis. I found this film revolutionary and on par if not better than the first film in filmmaker Denis Vilenueve’s adaptation, which got 10 nominations and six wins at the Oscars last year. Part Two only has five nominations. 

I believe it was completely snubbed. I might have a bit of recency bias for seeing “Conclave” just recently, but Dune Two was an absolutely astounding feat in visuals, themes, acting, and sound. It’s on par to be my favorite nominated film of the year.

“A Real Pain”

I highly enjoyed “A Real Pain.” Written and Directed by filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg, the film follows two cousins traveling to Poland to honor their recently deceased grandmother who wanted them to see the home she fled during WWII to immigrate to the U.S. It’s a quiet, emotional film that’s extremely focused on the characters and how their personalities interact. The photography and filming was incredibly warm and captured the summer in Poland in such a gorgeous way. 

Though it was somewhat snubbed for nominations, this was a quieter film that nonetheless caught my attention and was a lovely watch. Actor Kieran Culkin’s performance was absolutely stellar, the way he switches from incredibly laid back to emotional distress was very impressive. 

“Flow”

An international animated film, “Flow” is the first film coming out of Latvia to be nominated for multiple major awards. Nominated for Best International Film and Best Animated feature, this highly acclaimed film follows a cat and an array of other animals on a boat after a flood decimates their home. One strange and intriguing fact; there is no dialogue in the film. I have yet to see “Flow,” but the animation looks stunning and it’s been received extremely well by audiences and critics. This is one of my top priority films to see before the Oscars. 

“Nosferatu”

A feat for horror films in awards conversations, “Nosferatu” directed by Robert Eggers has been nominated 4 times at the Oscars. More often than not, even if it is one of the best films of the year, horror films are notoriously snubbed during awards season. “Nosferatu,” as a matter-of-fact, was in my opinion, one of the best films of the year and you can read my longer review here. It’s visuals, attention to detail, dialogue and acting performance all came together to create a haunting narrative inspired by but completely unique from the 1922 film. Though this isn’t up for any of the major awards (even though it’s worthy of many of them), it being nominated at all is wonderful for such a unique, genre film.  It’s definitely worth a watch before the Oscars, because I expect (and hope) it will win at least a few of those tech awards that it’s nominated for. 

For more information on how to watch the Oscars, read on the Academy’s webpage.