Last year’s Academy Awards may have been pushed back a few months, but when the ceremony finally took place on April 25 it felt like a welcome return to celebrating some of the year’s best movies. The 8 films that received nominations for Best Picture ranged from historical dramas to thrilling revenge stories.
Two of the nominees, Promising Young Woman and eventual Best Picture winner Nomadland, were directed by women who earned nominations in the Best Director category. Chloé Zhao won the statuette, becoming the second female director to win at the Oscars.
Mank (3.32)
David Fincher earned the third Best Director nomination in his career for Mank, a biographical drama about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. Mank is also a behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the making of Citizen Kane, a film Mankiewicz co-wrote with Orson Welles.
At the 93rd Academy Awards, the film led with 10 nominations and won Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried earned acting nominations for their performances as Mankiewicz and actress Marion Davies. Both actors were also nominated at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globes for their work in Mank.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3.71)
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the historical legal drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 features a star-studded cast and the usual quick pace dialogue found in any Sorkin project. Among the stars are Eddie Redmayne, Jeremy Strong, Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Cohen earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his portrayal of Abbie Hoffman, a founding member of the Youth International Party.
The film follows a group of anti-Vietnam War protesters put on trial after being accused of inciting a riot at the 1968 Democratic Convention. The cast won the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture SAG Award. Chicago 7 received a total of 6 nominations at the Academy Awards.
Promising Young Woman (3.72)
Carey Mulligan earned her second Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her leading role as Cassie Thomas in Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman. A black comedy-revenge thriller hybrid, Promising Young Woman follows Cassie as she seeks vengeance against predatory men after the traumatic events of her past.
Promising Young Woman started generating buzz after its Sundance premiere in January 2020, thanks in part to Mulligan’s stellar performance. Much like fellow actress-director Greta Gerwig, Fennell earned critical acclaim and 3 Academy Award nominations for her feature directorial debut, winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
Nomadland (3.87)
Chloé Zhao’s drama Nomadland won half of the Oscars it was nominated for at 93rd Academy Awards, taking home the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress statuettes. Nomadland follows Frances McDormand’s Fern, a middle-aged woman who embarks on a cross-country journey in her van after losing everything in the Great Recession and embraces life as a modern nomad.
The film is based on Jessica Bruder’s nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century and features real-life nomads playing fictionalized versions of themselves. Nomadland also won 4 BAFTAs, 4 Critics’ Choice Awards, and a Golden Globe.
Judas and the Black Messiah (4.03)
After receiving a Best Actor nomination for his performance in Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya became an Academy Award winner for his portrayal of Fred Hampton in Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. The crime drama follows Bill O’Neal, an FBI informant played by Lakeith Standfield, who infiltrates the Black Panther Party and betrays Fred, eventually leading to the latter’s assassination during a police raid.
Along with Kaluuya’s Best Supporting Actor win, Judas and the Black Messiah also won the Best Original Song Academy Award for “Fight for You.” Kaluuya won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, and SAG Award for his outstanding performance.
Minari (4.10)
Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical film Minari became an award season darling thanks in part to its talented cast filled to the brim with charming, sincere performers. Following a family of South Korean immigrants who move from California to an Arkansan farm to chase the American Dream in the 1980s, Minari is a tender reflection on childhood and the perseverance of the generations before us.
Youn Yuh-Jung won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing Soon-ja, the Yi family’s unconventional grandma who eventually grows close to her grandson. Steven Yeun earned a nomination for Best Actor for his performance as Jacob, the family’s patriarch. For Minari, Chung earned a nomination for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Breakout star Alan S. Kim stole the show with his tearful acceptance speech after winning the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Performer.
Sound of Metal (4.13)
Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal earned 6 nominations at the Academy Awards, the drama winning the Best Sound and Best Film Editing Oscars. Riz Ahmed plays Ruben Stone, a recovering addict and metal drummer who begins losing his hearing while touring with his girlfriend Lou. When insurance won’t cover the cost of cochlear implants and doctors suggest eliminating exposure to loud noises, Ruben must choose between his health and musical passion.
Ahmed earned Best Actor nominations for his impressive work in Sound of Metal at the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globes. Paul Raci earned a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for playing Joe, a Deaf man and recovering alcoholic who becomes a mentor to Ruben when he arrives at Joe’s shelter.
The Father (4.24)
For his performance as Anthony, an elderly man battling dementia in The Father, Anthony Hopkins won the second Best Actor Academy Award of his career. Olivia Colman plays his daughter Anne, who’s hired multiple caretakers to monitor her father because she’s unable to visit daily. Anthony doesn’t believe he has memory problems and Anne is ultimately forced to choose what living situation is best for her father as his hold on reality is slowly unraveling.
Based on director Florian Zeller’s 2012 play Le Père, The Father is a heartbreaking look at how devastating memory loss can be to those affected by it and their loved ones. For their screenplay, Zeller and Christopher Hampton won an Oscar, BAFTA, and Satellite Award. Hopkins won the BAFTA for his performance and earned a nomination at the Golden Globes.
