NextGen Oscarwatcher: Conversation amidst a perplexing Cannes Film Festival

It’s often difficult to discuss the Oscar race, let alone what is occurring in the film industry, when all eyes are set on reactions to a film festival where only a select few individuals are taking part in, the tastemakers, as some would call them.

Cannes has not always been a launchpad for Oscar contenders, though whenever one used to breakthrough, it was significant. Winning the Palme D’Or was a high honor, but, even still to this day, it was never about the competition; it was about the significance of the film that won. The Grand Prix, or the Jury Prize, or the Director award (and acting, etc), are all important, but winning the Palme trumps them all, and in this day and age, its importance is still present today.

What is perhaps most notable about this festival in particular, perhaps due to expectation, is that it’s very difficult to wrap one’s head around so far. Some films have landed, such as Pawlikowski’s Fatherland, which is akin to his past successful films, and Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, which seems to be as introspective as one would imagine. However, there have been divisive films, from Na Hong-jin’s bombastic Hope which just so happens to be a part one of two, Sorogoyen’s The Beloved, which boasts a strong performance from Javier Bardem, and on a more negative note, Asghar Farhadi’s Parallel Tales, which has been scorched since its release.

It’s a film festival that finds a delicate balance between being a major awards precursor and one with its own culture and reverence, evident by just how diverse and special the lineup is every year. The next week is likely to have major debuts that people are waiting for, including new work from Ira Sachs, Cristian Mungiu, Andrey Zvyagintsev, and Lukas Dhont

It’s not the calm before the storm, whether it is confusion in the midst of it, attempting to make sense and fill in all the pieces.

If there is one section that is blowing people away, it’s the Un Certain Regard, with two films in particular, Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid, both earning strong reviews and attention from the Critics at the festival. Club Kid, in particular, is a film one could punch in for a First-Time DGA nomination and a possible contender for a writing nomination, but that is all conversation for another post.

Updated Oscar Predictions

For this week, I have two changes to be made

• Due to Sandra Hüller clearly having a year, I have moved Rose into International Feature over Mimesis, off chance she pulls a double nomination in either acting category, but this really remains to be seen.
• Tangles in Animated Feature over Ray Gunn due to its strong reception at the Cannes Film Festival
• Behemoth! In Original Score over Digger due to no information on who is composing the music, or if there is any.

Best Picture

1. Wild Horse Nine
2. The Odyssey
3. Digger
4. Project Hail Mary
5. Cry to Heaven
6. Fjord
7. Dune: Part Three
8. A Place in Hell
9. Werwulf
10. Fatherland

(alts: Untitled Jesse Eisenberg film, The Social Reckoning, Minotaur, All of a Sudden)

Best Director

1. Martin McDonagh, Wild Horse Nine
2. Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey
3. Tom Ford, Cry to Heaven
4. Cristian Mungiu, Fjord
5. Paweł Pawlikowski, Fatherland

(alts: Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Digger, Andrey Zvyagintsev for Minotaur, Christopher Miller and Phil Lord for Project Hail Mary)

Best Actor

1. Tom Cruise, Digger
2. John Malkovich, Wild Horse Nine
3. Matt Damon, The Odyssey
4. Sebastian Stan, Fjord
5. Ryan Gosling, Project Hail Mary

(alt: Javier Bardem, The Beloved or Jafar Jackson, Michael)

Best Actress

1. Michelle Williams, A Place In Hell
2. Sandra Hüller, Fatherland
3. Renate Reinsve, Fjord
4. Juliette Binoche, Queen At Sea
5. Cynthia Erivo, Prima Facie

(alt: Mikey Madison, The Social Reckoning)

Best Supporting Actor

1. John Goodman, Digger
2. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Cry to Heaven
3. Steve Buscemi, Wild Horse Nine
4. Sam Rockwell, Wild Horse Nine
5. Jeremy Strong, The Social Reckoning

(alt: Paul Giamatti, Untitled Jesse Eisenberg Film)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Mariana Di Girolamo, Wild Horse Nine
2. Anne Hathaway, The Odyssey
3. Daisy Edgar-Jones, A Place in Hell
4. Noma Dumezweni, Prima Facie
5. Sandra Hüller, Digger

(alt: Frances McDormand, Jack of Spades or Penélope Cruz, The Invite)

Best Original Screenplay

1. Wild Horse Nine
2. Digger
3. Fjord
4. A Place In Hell
5. Queen At Sea

(alt: Untitled Jesse Eisenberg film or Club Kid)

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. Project Hail Mary
2. Cry to Heaven
3. The Odyssey
4. All of a Sudden
5. Dune: Part Three

(alt: Minotaur)

Best Casting

1. Wild Horse Nine
2. Digger
3. The Odyssey
4. Cry to Heaven
5. The Social Reckoning

(alt: Fjord)

Best International Feature

1. Fatherland
2. All of a Sudden
3. Minotaur
4. Coward
5. Rose

Best Animated Feature

1. Wildwood
2. Hoppers
3. Forgotten Island
4. Toy Story 5
5. Tangles

Best Documentary Feature

1. Once Upon a Time in Harlem
2. American Doctor
3. Nuisance Bear
4. When a Witness Recants
5. One in a Million

Best Cinematography

1. The Odyssey
2. Digger
3. Fatherland
4. Jack of Spades
5. Dune: Part Three

Best Editing

1. Wild Horse Nine
2. The Odyssey
3. Digger
4. Project Hail Mary
5. Dune: Part Three

Best Production Design

1. The Odyssey
2. Werwulf
3. Cry to Heaven
4. Project Hail Mary
5. Digger

Best Costume Design

1. Cry to Heaven
2. The Odyssey
3. Werwulf
4. Dune: Part Three
5. Sense and Sensibility

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

1. Digger
2. Werwulf
3. The Odyssey
4. Clayface
5. Resident Evil

Best Visual Effects

1. Dune: Part Three
2. Project Hail Mary
3. The Odyssey
4. The End of Oak Street
5. Avengers: Doomsday

Best Sound

1. Dune: Part Three
2. Project Hail Mary
3. The Odyssey
4. Digger
5. The Uprising

Best Score

1. The Odyssey
2. Project Hail Mary
3. Wild Horse Nine
4. Disclosure Day
5. Behemoth!

As always,

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