Hostiles showed in Telluride without a distributor but Indiewire reports that now the film has secured a distributor and will be screening in time for this year’s Oscar race. Hostiles is anchored by a brilliant performance by Christian Bale but is also a strong ensemble all around, including great work by Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Ben Foster, Adam Beach, Q’orianka Kilcher. The adapted Screenplay category is not as crowded as original which gives this one a pretty good shot at being considered there, along with maybe costumes, cinematography, supporting for Pike. All will depend on how much voters will be willing to embrace a sweeping epic western like one. Considering there aren’t that many, if any, epics in the race at all I would think it would do pretty well. Either way, Bale remains a strong contender for Best Actor.
Hostiles is really a film about transformation and awareness – what any American must come to terms with about our past cycled through the film’s main character, what he discovers along the way about our relationship with native Americans and the land that is rightfully theirs. It ends on a note of hope rather than hopelessness, which is why I think it might have a pretty good shot landing in the race.
