While the Academy Awards seem very different than other film award shows, such as the Screen Actor Guild (SAG) Awards or the Golden Globes, there is something special about the Oscars. Many consider them to be the most prestigious film awards, and Twitter goes berserk as frenzied cinephiles marathon and review the nominated films for their followers. Heated arguments break out at dinner tables when someone suggests that a particular actor should win an Oscar. And, of course, the question of which film will win Best Picture hangs over people’s heads in a cloud of anxiety. With about a week left before the Academy Awards take place, people have started to anticipate which films will walk away with statues and which will leave the night “robbed.”
The night concludes with the announcement of 2019’s Best Picture, and this final category always captures the most attention. To declare a single movie, out of hundreds released that year, as “the best” is a polarizing decision, as many people have different standards on what makes a film “good.” Those who rely on the prestige of long-time directors may root for Martin Scorese’s
Irishman
or Quentin Tarantino’s
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
. However, others might think that creative story structure makes for the best movie and consider Bong Joon-ho’s
Parasite
or Greta Gerwig’s
Little Women
the most deserving winners. Still others may value films that show the complex nature of humanity, (such as Noah Baumbach’s
Marriage Story
or Todd Philip’s
Joker
), those with unique perspectives that add nuance to certain film genres (such as Taika Watiti’s
Jojo Rabbit
), or those that offer thrillingly immersive experiences (such as Sam Mendes’
1917
or James Mangold’s
Ford v Ferrari
).
All of these films have earned many different nominations.
Joker
leads the pack with a whopping eleven nominations and is expected to win Best Actor and Original Score. Both Joaquin Phoenix’s hypnotic performance as the Joker and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir’s chilling music have gained praise from critics and audience members alike.
1917
,
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
, and
The Irishman
all wrestle for second place, with each of them having nine nominations. Roger Deakins’s beautiful cinematography and Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson’s sound mixing helped deliver the terror of a WWI battlefield to the screen, so it is likely that
1917
could get recognized by the Academy in those two categories. In contrast,
Once Upon a Time
and
Irishman
feature acting powerhouses playing characters of ambiguous morality, like Leonardo Dicaprio, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci — all veterans in the running for Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor. Indeed, most of the acting nominees feature familiar names, such as Laura Dern, Scarlett Johannsson, Tom Hanks, and Anthony Hopkins.
However, this year’s Oscars could also favor newer talent, especially Florence Pugh (
Little Women
) and Adam Driver (
Marriage Story
). Both films boast five nominations, but many have praised the performances of these two actors as the highlights of their respective films. Their roles are complicated — Driver plays a struggling divorcee and Pugh an ambitious 19th century woman — but both seem to have delivered outstanding performances, as critics have repeatedly mentioned that they deserve the recognition of Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. In addition, Saoirse Ronan has gained attention as a Best Actress nominee, with many considering her role as Jo March in
Little Women
the best performance of her career. Some even predict that she may win the Best Actress Oscar over veteran actresses such as Renée Zellweger and Charlize Theron. However, others have thrown their support in for Cynthia Erivo as 2019’s Best Actress, describing her performance as Harriet Tubman in
Harriet
as a powerful tribute to one of America’s most pivotal historical figures.
In contrast, it is difficult to predict which Best Picture candidates might take home awards for their storytelling.
Jojo Rabbit
’s darkly comedic narrative has been recognized by the Academy, as has the structure of Greta Gerwig’s
Little Women
, with its refreshing presentation of a story that has been adopted many times previously. Either film could go home with the title of Best Adapted Screenplay.
In the Original Screenplay section,
Parasite
held its audiences spellbound with a home invasion story that explores the insidious consequences of capitalism. Many consider it to be a narrative marvel, claiming that it incorporates multiple genres without wavering from its storyline warning against class divisions and discrimination. However,
Parasite
competes against the meticulously constructed story of
Knives Out
and the traditional drama narrative of
Marriage Story
, which the Academy tends to favor, making hard to foresee the Best Original Screenplay winner.
Out of all the categories, people are debating most prominently the films nominated for Best Director, arguably the Academy’s second-most recognized category next to Best Picture. Beloved auteurs Martin Scorese (
The Irishman
) and Quentin Tarantino (
Once Upon a Time
) compete against respected foreign directors Sam Mendes (
1917
) and Bong Joon-ho (
Parasite
), with Todd Philips (
Joker
) in the mix as a well-recognized blockbuster director. Judging from the diverse opinions on this section, the winner of Best Director may be a toss-up; the Academy typically favors big names like Scorese, but the sheer moviemaking talent of Bong and Mendes is hard to ignore.
Alhough the Academy officially decides its winners on Feb. 4, many people outside the judging panels will continue to make their predictions up until the night of the Oscars. But no matter who takes home a statue on Feb. 9, it is certain that viewers have much to look forward to at this year’s Oscars.
