Promising Young Woman. Photo courtesy of Vox.
Despite many COVID-19 restrictions still in effect across the country, the 2021 Oscars are happening. As opposed to the typical scheduled ceremony in late February or early March, the event this year was pushed back two months to April 25. This rescheduling coincidentally allowed for more films than ever to be considered for nominations, with the usual submission deadline extended all the way until the end of February. The event itself will take place in the usual Los Angeles Union Station and Dolby Theatre, and in-person attendance of the academy and nominees will be allowed.
Finishing and releasing a film in 2020 turned out to be much more complicated than anyone could have ever hoped, but even amidst a global pandemic, we were still gifted with an excellent slate of films over the past year. Overall, 41 feature films and 15 shorts (and their respective cast and crew) have been nominated. David Fincher’s
Mank
, a biopic covering the controversial writing conflict surrounding
Citizen Kane
, led the field with 10 nominations, followed by
The Father, Minari, The Sound of Metal, Nomadland, Judas and the Black Messiah, and The Trial of the Chicago Seven
receiving six nominations each.
Mank. Photo courtesy of NPR.
ll of these films mentioned above received a Best Picture nod, accompanied by Emerald Fennell’s black comedy thriller,
Promising Young Woman
, a dark horse candidate to win the top prize.
Nomadland
has been on a tear this awards season, taking home countless Best Picture and Best Director awards, leading it to be the heavy favorite to earn Oscar gold this year. Based on Jessica Bruder’s novel of the same name, Chloe Zhao’s film tells the story of a woman (Frances McDormand) who leaves her home to travel the American West. Many consider the Oscar to be
Nomadland’
s to lose, but I would keep an eye out for Lee Isaac Chung’s
Minari
, my personal favorite of the bunch.
Minari. Photo courtesy of The LA Times.
In the best director category, David Fincher (
Mank
), Lee Isaac Chung (
Minari
), Chloe Zhao (
Nomadland
), Emerald Fennell (
Promising Young Woman
), and Thomas Vinterberg (
Another Round
) received nominations. Out of these nominees, there’s much talk for Vinterberg’s
Another Round
to also win Best Foreign Film, a dramedy dealing with a group of middle-aged teachers looking to spice up their life by constantly being intoxicated. Given the watershed moment that was Bong Joon-Ho taking home Best Director last year, I would not be surprised to see the Academy give out another award to a veteran, and deserving, foreign film director. However, the Oscars made history again this year by having two women nominated for Best Director for the first time in history. Although this is a small step towards having a better sense of diversity and equality during awards season representation, it is nice to see more women getting the nod.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Photo courtesy of Den of Geek.
In the Best Actor category, we have a good mix of veteran and up and coming actors who earned nominations. Anthony Hopkins earned his 6th career nomination for his work in
The Father
, while Gary Oldman (
Mank
) earned his 3rd. Riz Ahmed (
Sound of Metal
), Steven Yeun (
Minari
), and Chadwick Boseman
(Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
) all earned their first career nominations. Many expect Chadwick Boseman to earn a posthumous win in this category, and it is long overdue, as his work in not just
Ma Rainey
, but in countless films over the years, have been some stellar performances. Ahmed’s performance in
Sound of Metal
, a drama dealing with a metal drummer going deaf and attempting to cope, along with Yeun’s performance in
Minari
, a film telling the deeply personal story of a Korean-American family trying to adapt to life in 1980s Arkansas, are both outstanding as well, and I am almost certain we will be seeing their names pop up in Oscar nominations for years to come.
Nomadland. Photo courtesy of Variety.
Moving on to Best Actress, we have another field of veteran nominees and newcomers. Andra Day (
The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
and Vanessa Kirby (
Pieces of a Woman
) each scored their first career nominations, while Viola Davis earned her 4th career nomination for her work in
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
, a musical play focusing on the titular Ma Rainey, an influential blues singer in 1920s Chicago. Carey Mulligan earned her 2nd career nomination for
Promising Young Woman
, while Frances McDormand earned her 6th for her lead role in
Nomadland
. McDormand is a favorite to win in this category, as her realistic portrayal of a Western American nomad is one that has left many viewers moved. A win here would earn her 3rd career Best Actress win (2nd in 4 years), moving her into a tie for second all time in career wins in the category.
Other notable nominees include the duo of Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya earning Best Supporting Actor nods. This is a controversial subject, as it leaves
Judas and the Black Messiah
, Shaka King’s excellent biopic on the murder of Fred Hampton, with no apparent lead role. Many have speculated that this categorization is simply done to make way for Boseman to take home Best Actor, but there is nothing to back that claim up. It would be highly surprising if neither of them wins, as both of their performances were electric. Youn Yuh-jung became Korea’s first Oscar nominated actress, and rightfully so, as her performance as a grandmother in
Minari
may just be my personal favorite of the year. Look out for the Academy to create another watershed moment by crowning her this year.
Judas and the Black Messiah. Photo courtesy of Variety.
Lastly, it would not be Oscar season if there were not any notable snubs! Films such as Kelly Reichardt’s
First Cow
, Charlie Kaufman’s
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
, Max Barbakow’s
Palm Springs
, Kitty Green’s
The Assistant,
and Spike Lee’s
Da 5 Bloods
, were all but missing from the nominations, despite being found at the top of many best of the year lists. Most notable to me were the exclusion of Delroy Lindo (
Da 5 Bloods
) and Jesse Buckley (
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
), both of whom’s performances were widely considered to be among the best of the year.
However, given the wide range of films, directors, and performers present at this year’s ceremony, we are guaranteed to be in for a much needed entertaining night. Congratulations to all the nominees!