The Oscar nominations were revealed earlier today. Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, has the most, with thirteen. Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Barbie, with a meagre eight, round out the top five.
Four of the lesser-known movies that had gained popularity in recent weeks—American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, and The Zone of Interest—each received five nominations and did well in the main categories.
Major Snubs
Greta Gerwig – It seems like the pink procession had cooled off after Barbie’s lackluster showing at all of the prior awards earlier this month, but it’s still amazing that Gerwig did not receive a nomination. With two nominations for Best Director, Gerwig would have become just the second woman to do so, following Jane Campion.
Margot Robbie – The other major letdown of the day is that Barbie just does not function without Margo Robbie’s pivotal role as the archetypal Barbie. It’s literally one of the most fully formed performances we’ve seen in a long time, following her transformation from plastic to human. How can Barbie, who isn’t nominated for the title part, make 1.5 billion dollars and get eight nominations, including best picture?
Leonardo DiCaprio – Given the events of the past two weeks, Leo’s denial of a Best Actor candidacy appeared inevitable. Although he didn’t receive any recognition or a SAG Award nomination, the Academy is quite fond of him, so a nomination was still feasible. He will now have to settle for supporting Lily Gladstone in what could be the lone victory for Killers of the Flower Moon.
All of Us Strangers – With six nominations, Andrew Haigh’s poignant tale of love, grief, and solitary upbringings had a fantastic showing at the BAFTAs. Hot Priest Andrew Scott had a remote possibility of being nominated for Lead Actor, but the competition was already extremely competitive.
Saltburn – Saltburn was the eagerly awaited sequel by Emerald Fennell to Promising Young Woman, which won for Original Screenplay and was nominated for five awards, including Picture and Director. Though opinions on the class satire were divided at first, Rosamund Pike’s chances of winning Supporting Actress were not entirely lost.
Astounding estimations
America Ferrera – Finally, Ferrera had her just desserts when she won Barbie’s Best Supporting Actress award. It would be simple to distill Ferrera’s portrayal to that one line, but she pulls off the rest of the part as well, from the humorous introduction to the stereotypical Barbie to the amazement she experiences upon entering Barbieland.
American Fiction – With acting nominations for Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown, the race satire had a fantastic day. Although Brown is unlikely to win because Robert Downey Jr. has the supporting actor slot locked up, it is still an accomplishment to be nominated and acknowledged at this level.
Anatomy of a Fall – The French film, which explored the elusive nature of reality, won awards in the following categories: Picture, Directing, Original Screenplay, Lead Actress, and Editing. In keeping with the “there can only be one” tradition, Justine Triet replaced Gerwig as the Director nominee for the Academy Awards. Regretfully, practically all of these categories are already filled, and the Original Screenplay category, which the film has already won at the Golden Globes, offers the best chance for the film to actually win.