By Krish Lukha, Seb Zabarte, Charlie Bourne, Hugo Stelfox, William Bayne & Ayaan Bhagat

Estimated Reading Time: 10 Minutes

On Sunday 10th March, the 96th Academy Awards Ceremony (Oscars) will be held. At the end of the prestigious event, the award for Best Picture will be announced. Whilst Oppenheimer is expected to dominate the Oscars this year, 9 other films are also in the running for this coveted prize. These include Barbie, the other half of the famous Barbenheimer double feature.

10. Maestro – IMDb 6.6/10

Maestro follows Leonard Bernstein being interviewed in 1987 and follows him reflecting on his life and career. The narrative shifts to 1943 when the 25-year-old conductor makes his debut, quickly rising to fame. It takes us through his relationship with aspiring actress Felicia Montealegre which blossoms into marriage, resulting in three children. Despite their success, Leonard’s affairs and substance abuse strain their marriage. A Thanksgiving argument leads to a temporary reconciliation, but Felicia’s cancer diagnosis in 1978 ultimately brings tragedy. After her death, Leonard copes with grief, abandoning his lavish lifestyle. In 1987, he reflects on his enduring love for Felicia, still teaching and engaging in affairs. The film explores Leonard’s complex personal and professional life marked by love, success, infidelity, and loss. It stars Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, both of whom are nominated for Leading Actor and Actress respectively. Whilst both played incredible roles, the film can feel a little disjointed in places and I believe it is one of the weaker films on this strong list.

9. American Fiction – IMDb 7.6/10

Adapted from the 2001 novel Erasure, follows Monk who is an upper-class African American Professor and struggling writer. After years of rejection from publishing houses for not being ‘Black enough’, Monk finally caves in and decides to start playing into the stereotypical tropes that other more popular African American literature follow. The novel begins to build a significant amount of traction despite its deeply problematic roots and stereotyping, the book is highly praised and makes Monk an extremely successful writer, much to his dismay. 

American Fiction is a phenomenal comedy/drama film and a strong contender for Best Picture. Although the subject matter at the surface level seems to be too inaccessible potentially to people not of African descent, the absurdist humour presented turns out to be easily enjoyable by all audiences (that are of age of course). The plot is extremely clear and easy to follow whilst not becoming stale, mainly due to the great script and acting across the board.

8. Barbie – IMDb 6.9/10

Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ hit the big screens in July 2023 and was an instant success, earning 88% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and generating US$1.45 billion worldwide through box office sales. Barbie quickly became popular for its deep messages on feminism, combined with some humorous moments and an upbeat soundtrack. The story follows the ‘Stereotypical Barbie’ as she travels to the Real World, but in doing so opens up Barbie Land to the patriarchal ideals of the real world. This is spearheaded by the Kens who are fed up of being side-lined by the Barbies and take over Barbie Land, and we are left with a ‘battle of the sexes’ of sorts.

This film was highly acclaimed as an insightful and somewhat hard hitting commentary on the failings of our society in promoting gender equality, and of the struggles of women in today’s world. Although ‘Barbie’ was, to a certain extent, designed to be an over exaggeration of the difficulties of the modern-day woman in order to make a point, some criticise it for being too heavy-handed and not being an accurate representation of society. Despite this, the film won points for its extraordinary level of imagination, great acting from Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Will Farrell, and a brilliant soundtrack featuring top hits from Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish, making it a very deserving nomination.

7. Zone of Interest – IMDb 7.6/10

The Zone of Interest is set in 1943 and follows Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, who lives a seemingly idyllic life with his family in a home next to the camp. Despite the horrific activities within Auschwitz, Höss engages in family outings and approves the construction of a new crematorium. The film explores the stark contrast between Höss’s personal life and the atrocities committed under his command. As he receives a promotion and a new assignment involving the transportation of Hungarian Jews, the narrative delves into the moral and psychological toll on Höss. The story shifts between his daily life and the chilling realities of Auschwitz, building tension as he grapples with his role in the Holocaust. The film ends with a haunting moment as Höss, overwhelmed, descends into the darkness, reflecting the disturbing duality of his existence. The Zone of Intrest is a brutal masterpiece starring Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller, and though I would not say it is one of the strongest films on this list, it is a powerful and dark film.

6. The Holdovers – IMDb 8.0/10

In the winter of 1971, Paul Giamatti stars as a strict classics teacher, Mr Hunham, at a preparatory school in New England where he was once a pupil himself, who remains on campus during the Christmas break to babysit a few students and a grieving cook who have nowhere to go. He is an unmarried professor who lives at the school and is a stickler for discipline and academic standards. The film explores scenes of exquisite melancholia and cruelty whilst showing that Hunham is in the same mental state as his pupils. He apparently has no compassion for his students. As the Vietnam War and tragedy infiltrates the minds of students and the grieving cook, who recently lost her son in the war, the holiday season is even more challenging. Moreover, one of the students has been threatened with being sent to military school if his grades are mediocre. Hunham tries to give this student a fun and enjoyable holiday and sacrifices his career at the school to save him from his fate. The themes of race, class and toxic masculinity are prevalent ideas in this film. The exploration of these themes, combined with the plotline, make The Holdovers a great contender on this list.

5. Anatomy of a Fall – IMDb 7.8/10

The Anatomy of a Fall the is the Palm D’Or winning crime thriller sensation from director Justine Triet, and one of the nominees for the coveted best picture award in the Oscars.

Anatomy of a Fall follows the story of the novelist Sandra, who finds herself being accused of murder of her husband who had mysteriously fallen from their house. Being a legal drama with a runtime of 150 minutes, I did not expect myself to be that interested throughout the movie. However, besides from a few points in the film, I found myself completely engrossed.

While there was not a lot of action, the film was very psychologically tense at times and did not particularly bore me at all, despite my prejudices against the genre. It is hard to deny that the film is incredibly well made with excellent dialogue and cinematography. The standout was the stunning performances especially by the lead Sandra Huller who played the very demanding role incredibly well.

While there were some points the pacing was a bit off for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the film and would recommend it to all, whether fans of crime dramas or not. It is an excellent film with a strong claim in the Best Picture category, with my final rating being 85/101.

4. Past Lives – IMDb 7.9/10

‘Past Lives’ is arguably one of the more unexpected nominees for Best Picture. The film is loosely based on true events from director Celine Song’s own life. The film looks at two childhood friends in Korea who are separated when the family of one moves to Toronto. The two slowly grow apart over 24 years before they meet each other in New York City. The title is taken from the idea that people who are close to each other had previous interactions in previous lifetimes. The film was a commercial success, grossing $28.1 million against a $12 million budget and received a lot of praise from critics. However, it is worth mentioning that although the film is well-shot with strong performances, not a lot actually happens over the course of its 105 minute run-time. Having said that, it deserves the praise that it gets and is a worthy nomination for Best Picture (as well as Best Original Screenplay) at the Oscars.  

3. Poor Things – IMDb 8.2/10

Poor Things is about Bella Baxter who is on a journey of self-discovery after being resurrected through a brain transplant and leaving her with the mind of an infant. As her intelligence rapidly develops, she runs off with a lawyer and their journey takes them through Europe, encountering various experiences. Bella ultimately rejects her past life, exposes a violent suitor, and decides to pursue a career in surgery with Max and a newfound friend. It stars Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, both of whom are nominated for Actress in a Leading Role and Actor in a Supporting Role respectively. Emma Stone recently won Leading Actress at the Golden Globes for this role. While extremely weird both visually and in its storyline, Poor Things has received lots of critical acclaim and is a strong contender for winning best picture.

2. Killers of the Flower Moon IMDb 7.7/10 

Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is the sort of film that has Oscar nominations written all over it, so it’s no surprise to see it up for Best Picture. The events of the film take place in Oklahoma in the 1920s and are loosely based on a true story. The plot looks at the murders of various members of the Osage Community after oil was found on their tribal land. This oil is worth a lot of money, and whilst the tribe has the rights to it, a local political boss (played by Robert de Niro) plans to steal the wealth. The film was a critical success with almost all aspects receiving praise, although a major talking point was the 3.5 hour runtime which was criticised by some. As a result, the film does bore in places, which slightly ruins an otherwise brilliant film. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ grossed $156 million at the box office, which, considering its $200 million budget, would normally imply that it was a commercial failure. However, it was later released on streaming on Apple TV+, making this low income more understandable. ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is up for 10 Oscars in total this year. Lily Gladstone is nominated for Best Actress for her role as Mollie Burkhart, while Robert De Niro is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Martin Scorsese is also nominated for Best Directing – an award he previously won in 2007 for ‘The Departed’.  

Our Prediction: Oppenheimer – IMDb 8.4/10 

If there’s one clear favourite for Best Picture going into the ceremony, it is safe to say that it is Oppenheimer. It’s success being massively aided by the ‘Barbenheimer’ trend, which began in July. The latest Christopher Nolan blockbuster stormed into cinemas with a star-studded ensemble cast (with the likes of Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr) in July and grossed just shy of $1 billion dollars worldwide, making it the 3rd highest grossing movie of 2023 and the 2nd highest grossing R-rated movie of all time (behind Joker). While, it may not have come out on top in those categories, it looks highly possible that it may come out on top at the Oscars. This legendary biopic looks at the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the creator of the atomic bomb, focusing on his career and studies as well as his fall from grace and his traumatic past. The film deservedly received much praise from critics and general viewers alike who lauded its cinematography, music and performances. Whilst the 3 hour runtime has been criticised by a few, the film is generally able to avoid dragging making it a wonderful watch. ‘Oppenheimer’ is nominated for 13 Oscars in total, the most of any film at the awards this year, and it is in pole position to sweep having already won Best Film, among other awards, at the BAFTAs last month.