The Oscar season as we know it, seemingly every year, is always fascinating in months that are not concentrated on what is seen, rather what is being presented, and what ultimately might make an impact in the year of film. That was evident in the announcement of the Cannes lineup, with a number of films expected to be announced (primarily those of international origin) catching everyone’s attention. The full lineup can be found here.
Regarding what ultimately stands out from said lineup, one could argue that the most notable presence of the fest’s programming is a lack of films from America, or really, a total absence of any major blockbusters or major films from Hollywood directors. The French festival has always been known for a more highbrow taste, but this year, specifically, with little studio flair, seems to indicate just how auteur-driven festival programming has become in recent years.
As one saw last year with both Coogler’s Sinners and Anderson’s One Battle After Another making a conscious decision to either not screen at fests, or rather drive the conversation through independent, organic buzz. It’s a sign that, with or without a festival presence, a film can succeed if it has the passion to be singled out and present in the conversation throughout the entire year.
However, when looking at the slate of Cannes, if one were to single out two films that give off the aura as one to “look out for” regarding Oscar prospects, it would be that of Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord (starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve) which is dubbed as the well-respected, international veteran’s English Language debut, who is already known for his politically relevant and critically acclaimed projects (such as his Palme winner, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days). A film where the story seems to promise a level of scrutiny, and a level of relevancy in today’s times, in addition to being a Neon film that will undoubtedly have a level of push and support.
The other film to look out for is that of previous Oscar nominee (and director of international film winner) Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland starring previous Oscar nominee, Sandra Hüller who is having a banner year at this very moment between this film, Project Hail Mary, and Inarritu’s Digger coming out later this year. A film that targets a time period of great turbulence (the cold war specifically) it will deeply resonate with many, and could very well be the international feature film frontrunner.
Speaking of Best Actress, many agree that Reinsve and Hüller already make up (and lead) a list of contenders in an expectedly crowded category. In addition to them, I would add people like Juliette Binoche in Lance Hammer’s Queen At Sea, Cynthia Erivo in Susanna White’s Prima Facie, Mikey Madison in Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, and, my predicted winner (though its distribution and eligibility is currently up in the air), Allison Janney in Jim Rash’s Miss You, Love You. Screening in secret at this year’s Sundance film festival, the film was slated to be looking for distributors, an indie drama about a grieving widow simply talking to someone (portrayed by Andrew Rannells), though according to Scott Feinberg’s Emmy predictions found here the film has been picked up by HBO and is thus a TV movie, ineligible for Oscars. However, I have looked for other sources on the matter and have yet to come up with something concrete, so thus, it remains until confirmed. Given previous reports that Rash wanted the film to screen at Film Festivals, it would be quite the revelation if it were true that it would skip theaters altogether.
Alas, here are the 15 Best Actress contenders to look out for this year
- Allison Janney, Miss You, Love You (could be a TV movie)
- Sandra Hüller, Fatherland
- Renate Reinsve, Fjord
- Juliette Binoche, Queen At Sea
- Cynthia Erivo, Prima Facie
- Mikey Madison, The Social Reckoning
- Michelle Williams, A Place In Hell
- Cate Blanchett, Sweetsick
- Rachel Brosnahan, Saturn Return
- Julianne Moore/ Cara Buono Untitled Jesse Eisenberg Musical Comedy (either could be supporting)
- Ruth Madeley, Being Heumann
- Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sense and Sensibility
- Pénelope Cruz, Bunker
- Virginie Efira, All of a Sudden
- Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada 2 (cause why not)
For reference here is what the Award Expert Community thinks is the top 15.
With CinemaCon starting this week, and a lot of uncertainty, it’s hard to really know anything.
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