How Wide is the Best-Picture Oscar Race?

In a year when almost every award show has been strange and remote, “Minari” has produced two of the season’s most memorable, heartfelt acceptance speeches: When “Minari” took the Golden Globe for a foreign-language film, Chung’s The younger daughter fell to her arms and exclusive, “I prayed!” And when 8-year-old star Alan Kim won Best Young Actor at the Critics’ Choice Awards, he was overcome He broke down in tears. Many Oscar voters can root for “Minari” simply because its victory will guarantee a moment in the form of a film.

‘Nomadland’

If the Oscars were held today, “Nomad” Can certainly make the strongest case for the best picture: it Francis McDormand-Eld Drama has already garnered top honors from the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and Gotham Awards, to name just a few. courage Chloe Zhao Also become the first woman of color to win Best Director? Based on what we have seen so far, his prospects look good.

But the best picture race has proved fluid in recent years, and voters may prefer more and more political films to represent such a Tughlaqi year. With a budget of less than $ 5 million, “Nomadland” will also be one of the most moderately best-pictured chimps ever. Can this film maintain the position of its front runner through an award season over the course of two additional months?

‘Promising young lady’

Underrate “Promising young lady” At your own risk. This deep addict about sexual harassment is the only best-picture nominee aside from “Nomadland” to show the board’s strength in only four major categories – earning a best-director nomination for Emerald fennel; For a lead role, Carrie Mulligan; And nominations for screenplay and editing. On Oscar night, one or two significant wins could pave the way to the best picture: Mulligan has a strong shot to take the Best Actress Oscar, but even better would be a win for Fennell in the Shagun Original-Screenplay category.

It won’t be easy against Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin, who is re-nominated for “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, but “Promising Young Woman” is still daring enough to give him a chance. Even better, a win there would make history: if Fennel took the Oscar and Zhao victories in the customized-screenplay category, it would be the first time both screenplay races have been won by women who were the sole credit writers in their films.

‘Sound of metal’

The Toronto International Film Festival is often attended by major Oscar contenders, but when it does Riz Ahmed The play debuted in the fall of 2019, with little mention of its awards. Oscar campaign for “Sound of metal” Requires patience and effort that may not be possible in another year, when the film can be pulled out of big-budget competition: instead, in a par-down award scenario, a drummer working with the deaf This story of six Oscar nominations.