Oscar Noms Analysis: Why ‘Emilia Pérez’ Dominated and Will Be Hard to Beat

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If there was any doubt that “Film Twitter” and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have different memberships, it was made clear on Thursday morning when the controversial Spanish-language musical film, Emilia Pérez, directed by a French filmmaker, received a leading 13 Oscar nominations. This number, which includes nods for Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, International Feature, Cinematography, Film Editing, Makeup/Hairstyling, Original Score, Sound and two for Original Song, broke the record for a non-English film (previously held by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma, each with 10 nominations) and is just one short of the all-time record for any film (All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land, each with 14).

Is Jacques Audiard’s Netflix movie considered flawless by all? Definitely not. In fact, there are numerous concerns about the film from various groups, including members of the Mexican and transgender communities who find it offensive, as well as critics and general audiences who believe it falls short artistically. The Rotten Tomatoes scores, for instance, reveal a split opinion with 76% approval among critics and only 33% satisfaction among the public.

Is Jacques Audiard’s Netflix production universally acclaimed? By no means. The film has garnered significant backlash from several quarters, such as the Mexican and transgender communities who find it offensive, critics, and general viewers alike who feel it lacks artistic merit (as reflected in its Rotten Tomatoes scores of 76% from critics and 33% from the public).

As a gamer, I’d say it like this: Five out of the nine games in the Best Picture category seem to have promising chances. A24’s epic VistaVision game, “The Brutalist,” earned ten nominations, including three for acting. Universal’s blockbuster musical “Wicked” was close behind with eight, though only 1932’s “Grand Hotel” has ever won Best Picture without directing or screenplay nominations.

Searchlight’s game about Bob Dylan, “A Complete Unknown,” and Focus’ “Conclave” followed closely, each earning eight nominations. However, Searchlight’s nominations for director James Mangold and supporting actress Monica Barbaro are a bit uncertain, while Focus missed a nomination for director Edward Berger. Lastly, Neon’s winner at Cannes, “Anora,” received six nominations, with four going directly to Sean Baker personally.

As a movie enthusiast, I find it fascinating that the film with the most nominations in its year doesn’t always win the Best Picture award. Out of the 14 films that have received 14 or 13 nominations (with exceptions being Gone With the Wind, From Here to Eternity, Mary Poppins, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Forrest Gump, Shakespeare in Love, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Chicago, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Shape of Water, and Oppenheimer), a surprising half have actually lost the Best Picture category. Films like La La Land, Mary Poppins, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were among those that didn’t take home the top prize.

However, an interesting point to note is that four out of the five films lost during the period between 1945 and 2009, a time when only five movies were nominated for Best Picture and the winner was chosen by popular vote. On the other hand, since the switch to the preferential ballot system, both daring, unconventional productions like The Shape of Water and Everything Everywhere All at Once, as well as more traditional films such as Green Book and CODA, have been recognized just as frequently.

Essentially, it’s been eight years since Amazon’s “Manchester by the Sea” made history as the first film distributed by a streaming platform nominated for Best Picture. Three years later, Apple’s “CODA” broke new ground by becoming the first to win this prestigious award. With nine previous Netflix nominees falling short, there’s a strong indication that the world’s most recognized streaming service could potentially claim its first Best Picture victory.

The acceptance of Emilia Pérez by the Academy holds considerable importance, not only in its own right, but also as a symbol of the growing globalization within the organization. Following the controversy surrounding the Oscars So White incident a decade ago, the Academy expanded its membership beyond just increasing the number of people of color and women, but also welcomed more individuals from outside America who are unfazed by subtitles. This shift in demographic opened doors for groundbreaking achievements, such as the historic Best Picture win five years ago by Parasite, along with Best Picture nominations for Roma, Minari, Drive My Car, All Quiet on the Western Front, Anatomy of a Fall, Past Lives, and The Zone of Interest.

This year, various nominations reflected diversity in languages beyond English. For instance, “Emilia Pérez” names were noteworthy, as were strong performances for Sony Classics’ Portuguese-language film “I’m Still Here”, which was nominated for best picture, best actress (Fernanda Torres), and best international feature for Brazil. Similarly, Sideshow/Janus’ dialogue-free film “Flow” received nominations for best animated feature and best international feature. In the category of best documentary feature, an unexpected trend emerged: four out of five nominees were entirely in languages other than English, with the fifth being partially. It is plausible that this year’s nominations might have been influenced to some extent by the ongoing wildfire crisis in the Los Angeles area, which has preoccupied many Academy members based in Southern California, causing them to prioritize matters other than Oscar voting.

Apart from the Best Picture category, there are numerous other competitive categories this year that warrant attention. Among them is the Best Director category, which for the first time in 27 years, features five nominees who have never been nominated before – veterans such as Audiard, Baker, and Mangold, alongside newer faces like Brady Corbet and Coralie Fargeat. Interestingly enough, these are the same five directors that the Directors Guild has nominated for its top prize. Although Brady Corbet won the Golden Globe and his story seems particularly compelling – given that he made the film for under $10 million – this award is still very much undecided due to recent controversies surrounding the movie’s use of artificial intelligence.

This year, there are several categories to watch out for aside from Best Picture, one of them being Best Director. For the first time in 27 years, five directors who have never been nominated before are up for this award – experienced filmmakers like Audiard, Baker, and Mangold, along with relative newcomers Corbet and Fargeat. These are also the same directors that were nominated by the Directors Guild for their top prize. Brady Corbet won the Golden Globe, but the outcome of this award is uncertain due to recent controversies surrounding his movie’s use of artificial intelligence.

The race for the Best Actor Oscar is extremely tight, with several talented actors vying for the title. Adrien Brody from “The Brutalist,” who at 29 became the youngest winner in the category and has since largely disappeared but recently made a comeback by winning the Golden Globe for Best Drama Actor, is one of them. Timothée Chalamet from “A Complete Unknown” is another contender. He is set to host and be the music guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend and could potentially break Brody’s record if he wins, as well as join Cate Blanchett in an exclusive group of people who have won an Oscar for playing an Oscar winner. Ralph Fiennes from “Conclave,” a highly respected actor who has never received an Oscar, is also in the running. Finally, Colman Domingo from “Sing Sing” is nominated again this year, making him the first person to earn Best Actor nominations in two consecutive years since Denzel Washington did so for “Fences” and “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” No one can accurately predict who will win with confidence.

The fifth spot was awarded to Sebastian Stan, impressing many with his bold interpretation of Donald Trump on The Apprentice. I’m thrilled to see him recognized, though it’s a pity that Daniel Craig missed out, as he gave some outstanding performances in Queer and didn’t receive the recognition he deserved.

This year, no category has been as challenging to predict as Best Actress. As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I found myself rooting for Marianne Jean-Baptiste, a previous Academy Award nominee who garnered major critical acclaim for her emotionally charged performance in “Hard Truths.” Similarly, Angelina Jolie, an esteemed past Oscar winner and Hollywood’s reigning A-lister, seemed like a strong contender for the biopic “Maria.” However, neither of these talented actresses managed to secure a spot among the nominees.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this:

In the recent nominations by the Academy, five leading ladies from the best picture-nominated films were recognized. Among them, Mikey Madison from Anora is the fresh face (she’s only 25, making her the ninth youngest winner ever in this category). Karla Sofía Gascón from Emilia Perez is breaking new ground (she’s the first trans person to be nominated for an acting Oscar). Cynthia Erivo from Wicked is just one Oscar away from achieving the coveted EGOT. Fernanda Torres from I’m Still Here, who won the Best Drama Actress at the Golden Globes, has a dedicated fanbase. However, I have a feeling that the captivating performance and compelling personal story of Demi Moore from The Substance will prove irresistible to Oscar voters, as it did when she was awarded the Best Musical/Comedy Actress at the Golden Globes.

As a movie enthusiast, I’ve got to say that the race for the best supporting actor seems to be taking shape. While I can’t rule out Edward Norton from “A Complete Unknown” or Yura Borisov from “Anora”, Kieran Culkin in “A Real Pain” remains a formidable contender. His Golden Globe win and knack for heartwarming acceptance speeches make him the one to watch, despite his film not making it to the best picture nominations.

In the supporting actress category, Ariana Grande from “Wicked” and Isabella Rossellini in “Conclave” both deliver stellar performances. However, Zoe Saldaña in her role in an unnamed film seems to be leading the pack. Her performance is even more impressive considering Selena Gomez was not nominated alongside her in this category.

For the first time, the top international film category features several movies that were also nominated for Best Picture, namely “Emilia Pérez” and “I’m Still Here”. One of these will undoubtedly emerge victorious. The Best Documentary Feature category is dominated by five films that many Oscar voters may not have seen or are unlikely to watch. Given this, I predict the winner will be one of the powerful documentaries addressing conflicts in the Middle East (“No Other Land”) or Ukraine (“Porcelain War”). Additionally, the best animated feature category includes two films, “Flow” and “The Wild Robot”, that have received nominations across categories, which boosts their chances. However, they face stiff competition from Disney’s highly successful “Inside Out 2”.

For the various music categories: The category of Best Original Score is a tight race between two musicals, Emilia Pérez and Wicked, as well as two powerful dramatic compositions in The Brutalist and Conclave (with Volker Bertelmann potentially winning for the second time in three years). Additionally, there’s The Wild Robot, though only one animated film has won this award this century. Any of these contenders could take the prize. In the Best Original Song category, we have two tunes from Emilia Pérez, with Golden Globe winner “El Mal” and “Mi Camino.” Previously, multiple song nominations from a single film didn’t lead to either tune winning, but this year it may result in neither winning. If that happens, the winners might be two-time past winner Elton John (and Brandi Carlile) for “Never Too Late” from the Disney documentary Elton John: Never Too Late or, after many nominations, Diane Warren, who has never won, for her 16th nomination, “The Journey” from Netflix’s The Six Triple Eight.

In just 38 days from today, we’ll be approaching the 97th Academy Awards scheduled for March 2nd. The final round of voting for the Oscars will take place from 9 a.m. Pacific Time on February 11th until 5 p.m. Pacific Time on February 18th. A lot can potentially change in this timeframe.

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2025-01-23 20:25