Nosferatu – Scene by Green

2024 in Cinema

Top 10 of the Year

1. Ripley	Steven Zaillian
2. Dune: Part Two	Denis Villeneuve
3. The Substance	Coralie Fargeat
4. Nosferatu	Robert Eggers
5. Nickel Boys	RaMell Ross
6. The Girl with the Needle	Magnus von Horn
7. The Brutalist	Brady Corbet
8. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	George Miller
9. Maria	Pablo Larraín
10. Queer	Luca Guadagnino

Best Film – Ripley

A television miniseries as the best film of the year? How is it so? Well with a stylistic vision as ambitious as Steven Zaillian’s and a formal dedication to patient, calculated storytelling, getting caught up on the structure of a cinematic work this brilliant is a mere triviality. It is far from the first time a miniseries has ended up in the top 10 of its year – just check out 2021’s The Underground Railroad and 2022’s Copenhagen Cowboy. It is however the first time that one has made it to the #1 spot, with similar masterpieces of auteur television like the Dekalog and Fanny and Alexander being slightly edged out in their respective years. Where most television falls flat in maintaining visual and formal ambition across multiple episodes, Ripley not only meets this benchmark but leaps over it, marking an enormous feat of filmmaking endurance akin to a seven hour epic. This is the third screen adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, and through Zaillian’s crisp black-and-white photography and location shooting, it masterfully narrows in on the notorious con artist’s dark, decaying soul.

Baroque interiors and weathered stonework displaying meticulous attention to detail, reflecting the darkness that Tom carries with him throughout Italy. Few television series in history look like this, but Zaillian draws on the expertise of cinematographer Robert Elswit to capture these magnificent visuals, making for some of their best work.

Most Underrated – Dune: Part Two

Ripley could just easily be the pick here, but I will give the critical consensus some leeway since it will likely take a while for them to accept it as a work of cinema. The disparity between Dune: Part Two sitting outside the top 40 of the year while Part One ranks at #6 in 2021 is strange, especially given that both were equally well received at the time of their release. Denis Villeneuve expands the scope and scale of his worldbuilding in this sequel with sweeping, ominous majesty, concluding Paul Atreides’ Messianic ascension to leader of the Fremen and setting his sights on Dune Messiah.

As tremendous as Denis Villeneuve’s epic achievement was in the first instalment of Dune, it is clear with the context of Part Two just how much of that was simply setting up Paul Atreides’ subverted monomyth, where we witness his evolution into one of cinema’s great antiheroes.

Most Overrated – All We Imagine as Light

Payal Kapadia’s Indian drama sits at #2 of the year on TSPDT, and doesn’t come terribly close to my top 10. It is very easy to settle into the muted, comfortable rhythms of All We Imagine as Light, as well as the soothing cool blues of Mumbai’s warm evenings. The lighting is often gorgeous as we confront the harsh realities of modern companionship, but ultimately none of this justifies at as the second best film of 2024.

Payal Kapadia’s narrative flows between these two flatmate’s stories with lyrical grace, not only seeking insight into their interior lives, but also the friction in their own relationship to each other. In this nocturnal urban environment, love flourishes without judgement, connecting souls in moments of sweet, uninhibited honesty.

Best Directorial Debut – Nickel Boys

In some years this category barely warrants a mention, but 2024 is a year I am glad to single it out. RaMell Ross makes the leap from documentary to narrative filmmaking in Nickel Boys, and his avant-garde instincts come fully formed in its first-person camerawork and impressionistic montages. It is also through these perspectives that he studies the relationship between two Black friends in a 1960s reform school – one being an idealistic advocate for social progress, and the other a cynic looking to keep his head down. What could easily be used as a gimmick instead melds beautifully with Ross’ evocative storytelling and cinematography, calling to mind Barry Jenkins’ distinctive combination of shallow focus and close-ups which similarly forge profound connections with ostracised characters.

It is fitting that RaMell Ross should ground his visual style in first-person perspectives, playing with camera angles, orientations, and movements that we are intimately familiar with in our own lives. During Elwood’s childhood, the camera stares up at towering environments and reveals his growing sense of self through reflective surfaces.

Gem to Spotlight – Flow

The 2020s have ushered in a Golden Age of animation which peaked in 2023 with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and this small but ambitious Latvian film proves that it is far from over. Starting with a tiny budget and relatively small crew, director Gints Zilbalodis decided to animate Flow in Blender – a free, open-source computer graphics program that Pixar and DreamWorks would never even think of touching. Instead of using storyboards or concept art, Zilbalodis created expansive environments within the software and explored how his animal characters inhabited the space. It is a stunning achievement of wordless visual storytelling, exploring a flooded, post-apocalyptic world in long camera takes through the eyes of a cat, and immersing us in the harsh and soothing cycles of nature.

Flow illustrates with breath-taking wonder that there is no perfect state of being in nature, besides that of a balanced ecosystem which resiliently oscillates between different phases. We float and soar through a world in perpetual transition, basking in the order and chaos of nature.

Best Male Performance – Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

Adrien Brody gives a raw, battered performance as Hungarian architect László Toth. He is a culmination of countless devastating experiences, each resulting in unhealthy coping mechanisms that only deepen his psychological wounds. The Brutalist is his platform to project both supreme confidence and dazed, drug-fuelled breakdowns, dealing with Holocaust trauma the only way Toth knows how – through compartmentalisation and addiction.

Dune: Part Two sees Timothee Chalamet take the Messianic saviour of Arrakis to ominous ends, mirroring Anakin Skywalker’s descent into darkness. By the time he is standing upon platforms and delivering rousing speeches to followers and enemies, his voice has shifted down to a deeper, gravelly register not unlike Baron Harkonnen’s, and he exudes a megalomania that leads us to mourn the humbler Paul Atreides we met in Part One. Chalamet may be the most promising actor of his generation, and this is one of the best cases to prove why.

*The Brutalist gives Adrien Brody a platform for his best performance and role in many years, playing that complex mix of guilt, trauma, and hope unique to Holocaust survivors.*

Andrew Scott delivers a sinister interpretation of the titular antihero in Ripley, especially when comparing him against previous versions performed by Alain Delon and Matt Damon. Scott is by far the oldest of three at the time of playing the role, applying a new lens to Tom as a more experienced, jaded con artist. He delivers each line with calculated discernment, understanding how a specific inflection or choice of word might turn a conversation in his favour, while his onyx, shark-like eyes patiently scrutinise his prey.

Elsewhere, Daniel Craig plays a fictionalised version of writer William S. Burroughs in Queer, giving one of his most layered performances as a man wracked with existential insecurities over his sexuality. Ralph Fiennes also anchors Conclave’s sacred assembly of cardinals in a weary apprehension, both disillusioned by the church and anxious that its leadership should fall into the wrong hands. He is restrained, subtle, and subdued – something which cannot be said for Chris Hemsworth, who snarls his lines with broad, nasally glee in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. His boisterous charisma is quite distinctive in this barren wasteland, styling himself in the fashion of a dystopian Roman emperor standing atop a chariot led by motorcycles.

Daniel Craig gives his most layered performance to date at the centre of Luca Guadagnino’s character study in Queer. He is an insecure, half-complete man torn between dualities – shame and indulgence, connection and independence, mind and body.

Finally, Bill Skarsgård delivers an acutely Slavic take on Count Orlok in Nosferatu, sporting a heavy fur coat, bushy moustache, and deep, Eastern European accent. His commitment to this otherworldly voice by training in opera and Mongolian throat singing is astonishing, and his naked physicality when latching onto victims is similarly unsettling as he pulses upon them like a pale, writhing leech. His face is often hidden by shadows, but when he does appear in dim light, he ravenously devours the scenery like he does his victims.

Ralph Fiennes’ performance anchors Conclave’s sacred assembly in a weary apprehension, both disillusioned by the church and anxious that its leadership should fall into the wrong hands. Worry lines crease his forehead, and we are often placed in his uneasy state of mind.

Best Female Performance – Lily-Rose Depp in Nosferatu

Lily-Rose Depp pays homage to Isabelle Adjani in Nosferatu, displaying total command over a deep-seated torment that is as psychological as it is physical. She swings wildly between emotional extremes, falls into demonic seizures, and embraces Count Orlok’s presence in her life with both blissful smiles and mortal terror. Depp does not play Ellen Hutter as the archetypal ‘pure virgin’, but rather a married, mature woman destined to play a far more active role in confronting the vampire.

A committed performance from Lily-Rose Depp, falling into demonic seizures and swinging wildly between emotional extremes. It is through these strong dramatic choices that Depp displays total command over Ellen’s deep-seated torment.

Hollywood’s past and present run up against each other in The Substance, with Demi Moore making a major comeback and Margaret Qualley capitalising on her excellent run in recent years. This body horror features both at their strongest as two sides of a woman simultaneously envying and revelling in her youthful glamour – and eventually pushing this complicated relationship to grotesque ends.

Much like Moore, Angelina Jolie also gives her best performance beyond the prime of her youth, proving that she has more than just raw star power in Maria. She inhabits the titular soprano as a shadow of herself, delicate and fragile in the final week of her life, while Mikey Madison alternately masks her vulnerability in Anora with a stubborn streak of independence. She is extraordinarily natural in this role, demonstrating savviness and resilience as a New York stripper who refuses to let her guard down, yet ultimately does for the wrong guy.

The Girl with the Needle sees Vic Carmen Sonne and Trine Dyrholm’s performances entwine in a disorientated haze – one a victim of abuse falling into guilty self-loathing, and the other masking incredible malice beneath a warm, maternal mask. Anya Taylor-Joy gets the final mention for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, not quite reaching the heights of Charlize Theron’s soaring take on the character, but nonetheless asserting a powerful presence onscreen as the silent, brooding action hero.

For industry veteran Demi Moore and rising star Margaret Qualley, The Substance displays both actresses’ strongest performances to date, playing two sides of one woman simultaneously envying and revelling in her youthful glamour.

Best Cinematography – Ripley

Film	Cinematographer
1. Ripley	Robert Elswit
2. Nosferatu	Jarin Blaschke
3. Dune: Part Two	Greig Fraser
4. The Substance	Benjamin Kracun
5. Nickel Boys	Jomo Fray
6. The Girl With the Needle	Michał Dymek
7. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	Simon Duggan
8. Maria	Edward Lachman
9. The Brutalist	Lol Crawley
10. Monkey Man	Sharone Meir
11. Flow	Gints Zilbalodis
12. Conclave	Stéphane Fontaine
13. Blitz	Yorick Le Saux
14. Queer	Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
15. Challengers	Sayombhu Mukdeeprom
16. Disclaimer	Bruno Delbonel, Emmanuel Lubezki

The visual majesty of Ripley is astounding, drawing on the symmetry of Italy’s Renaissance architecture and Robert Elswit’s immaculate framing. The mise-en-scène earns a comparison to Michelangelo Antonioni here, aptly using the negative space of vast walls to impede on his characters, while detailing the intricate textures of their surroundings with the keen eye of a photographer.

Best Editing – The Substance

Film	Editor
1. The Substance	Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, Valentin Feron
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	Eliot Knapman, Margaret Sixel
3. Nickel Boys	Nicholas Monsour
4. Dune: Part Two	Joe Walker
5. Monkey Man	Dávid Jancsó, Tim Murrell, Joe Galdo
6. Challengers	Marco Costa
7. Maria	Sofía Subercaseaux
8. Queer	Marco Costa
9. The Brutalist	Dávid Jancsó
10. Ripley	Joshua Raymond Lee, David O. Rogers
11. Disclaimer	Adam Gough
12. Conclave	Nick Emerson
13. Kinds of Kindness	Yorgos Mavropsaridis
14. Civil War	Jake Roberts

Coralie Fargeat directly references Requiem for a Dream in The Substance, comparing the processes of beautification to an uncontrollable drug addiction through aggressive, rapid-fire montage editing.

Best Screenplay – Nosferatu

Film	Writer
1. Nosferatu	Robert Eggers
2. Ripley	Steven Zaillian
3. Dune: Part Two	Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth
4. Disclaimer	Alfonso Cuarón
5. The Brutalist	Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
6. Kinds of Kindness	Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou
7. Civil War	Alex Garland
8. Queer	Justin Kuritzkes
9. Nickel Boys	RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
10. Anora	Sean Baker
11. Challengers	Justin Kuritzkes

Robert Eggers is not so much subverting horror conventions in Nosferatu than executing them with poetic flair, achieving a 19^th century stylisation in the dialogue which elegantly weaves macabre metaphors among other rhetoric devices. The only trace of modernisation may be in the freedom of its subtextual and explicit sexuality, edging us gradually closer to a full consummation of Ellen and Orlok’s sordid affair.

Best Original Music Score – Dune: Part Two

Film	Composer
1. Dune: Part Two	Hans Zimmer
2. The Brutalist	Daniel Blumberg
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	Tom Holkenborg
4. The Substance	Raffertie
5. Nosferatu	Robin Carolan
6. Challengers	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
7. Conclave	Volker Bertelmann
8. Nickel Boys	Alex Somers, Scott Alario
9. Flow	Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zaļupe
10. Monkey Man	Jed Kurzel
11. Queer	Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
12. Kinds of Kindness	Jerskin Fendrix
13. The Girl With the Needle	Frederikke Hoffmeier
14. Blitz	Hans Zimmer, Nicholas Britell
15. Ripley	Jeff Russo

Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune: Part Two intrepidly builds on the war cries and blaring electronic orchestrations from Part One, roaring towards a violent, devastating climax.

Year Breakdown

Auteur television has been on a steady rise through the 2020s with miniseries like Small Axe, Copenhagen Cowboy, and The Underground Railroad rivalling feature films in cinematic quality, and 2024 marks the peak of this movement towards episodic storytelling. Ripley is the first televised masterpiece of the decade, and Alfonso Cuarón’s psychological drama Disclaimer backs up the trend, cutting into the inherent subjectivity of storytelling through a mystery of conflicting perspectives. Of course, streaming services continue to dominate here, and credit must be given to Netflix and Apple TV Plus for producing such ambitious projects.

Zaillian is the creative genius behind Ripley, but Netflix deserves partial credit for this recent boom in auteur television. The streaming model blurs the boundaries between feature and episodic filmmaking, giving those directors with the ability to maintain cinematic ambition across multiple episodes a platform to show off their stamina.

Cuarón’s last film was for Netflix, and it seems he is sticking with streaming as he move to Apple TV Plus for Disclaimer. He unravels its layers of conflicting perspectives with great patience, keeping us from the reality of Jonathan and Catherine’s mysterious relationship until the final episode, yet the subjectivity of such divergent accounts is woven into the series’ structure from the start.

It is a relatively quiet year for the old guard of tentpole directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, held up only by Cuarón with Disclaimer and George Miller’s newest entry in the Mad Max franchise. Clint Eastwood’s film Juror #2 is not quite on the same level, but he is officially the oldest director to make an archivable film at the age of 93 – an incredible accomplishment in itself, and a testament to his lengthy, laudable career.

Mad Max’s anarchic dystopia of dictators, marauders, and vehicle chases is clearly where George Miller is most comfortable as a filmmaker, turbocharging him with raw, high-octane vigour, and expanding its world to far more expansive proportions than Fury Road’s tightly contained narrative. Quite miraculously, Furiosa sticks its landing with dynamic poise, giving us greater reason to admire the titular warrior as a force of undistiled willpower.

In place of long-established auteurs, 2024 instead sees the next generation down continue to flourish. Yorgos Lanthimos comes off the grand success of Poor Things with a far more alienating anthology film, Pablo Larraín completes his biopic trilogy with a surreal character study of opera singer Maria Callas, and Robert Eggers’ meticulous remake of Nosferatu offers ups one of the most haunting horror films in recent years. This decade has been a very fruitful period for Luca Guadagnino as well, but with both Challengers and Queer, he also achieves the rare, remarkable feat of delivering two top 10 quality films in a single year.

Pablo Larraín brings his trilogy of biopics to a close with Maria. This historic soprano is a woman of magnificent contradictions, and it is in the collision between extremes of soaring exhilaration and abject misery where the film’s disorientating, nostalgic surrealism takes form.

Yorgos Lanthimos returns to the deadpan bleakness of his earlier films in Kinds of Kindness, delivering an absurd anthology that studies love and abuse in all sorts of relationships. The style is more stripped back than Poor Things, yet wide-angle lenses and monochrome dreams continue to weave through his bizarre narratives.

*Art meets mass appeal in Dune: Part Two, delivering some jaw-dropping visuals – here with an overhead shot capturing the Fremen in their pale headdresses swarming Paul Atreides*.

Chief among these directors though is Denis Villeneuve, who tops his first Dune film with an even more grandiose sequel and simultaneously smashes the box office – though not quite enough to unseat Inside Out 2 from the top. With that said, Pixar’s artistic cache is still wavering, leaving Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis to pick up the slack and keep pushing animation forward in the beautifully minimalist Flow.

Speaking of which, Zilbalodis is one of many up-and-coming directors worth noting this year. Nickel Boys and Monkey Man are extraordinary debuts for RaMell Ross and Dev Patel, while Coralie Fargeat, Magnus von Horn, and Brady Corbet make their well-deserved breakthroughs in The Substance, The Girl with the Needle, and The Brutalist. After 2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave also marks the second time we have seen Edward Berger direct a film that nips at the edges of the year’s top 10, setting a healthy pattern that will hopefully continue into the future.

*One of the defining shots of 2024, flipping the Statue of Liberty upside down as László Toth emerges from the darkness of the ship to find his new home in America.*

*Dev Patel makes an incredibly admirable directorial debut in Monkey Man, transposing a John Wick-style narrative into modern-day India and drenching it in gorgeous lighting.*

Magnus von Horn’s bleak, black-and-white photography captures the dilapidated architecture of 1920s Copenhagen in The Girl with the Needle, adapting a chilling piece of Danish history with exceptional psychological tension.

At the Academy Awards and Cannes Film Festival, Sean Baker gets recognition for the remarkably consistent work he has been doing since 2015, with Anora winning the top awards at both. This is a feat accomplished by only three other films in history – The Lost Weekend, Marty, and Parasite.

Quite curiously, Anora is also part of a larger trend of films this year proving that Quentin Tarantino had an eye for casting in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Many of the young actors who played Manson Family members there have since launched into the celebrity stratosphere, this year taking on significant roles across a number of films. Besides Mikey Madison’s breakthrough in Anora, Margaret Qualley excels in The Substance and Kinds of Kindness, Austin Butler takes a villainous turn in Dune: Part Two, Dakota Fanning is led down a trail of lies in Ripley, and Maya Hawke is introduced as Anxiety in Inside Out 2. A new generation of talent is here, and Tarantino saw it before any of us.

*Anora was the big 2024 awards darling and another solid achievement for Sean Baker, continuing his admirable run which began in 2015 with Tangerine.*

Film Archives

Film	Director	Grade
A Complete Unknown	James Mangold	R
A Quiet Place: Day One	Michael Sarnoski	R
A Real Pain	Jesse Eisenberg	R
Alien: Romulus	Fede Álvarez	R
All We Imagine as Light	Payal Kapadia	R
Anora	Sean Baker	HR
Blitz	Steve McQueen	HR
Challengers	Luca Guadagnino	HR
Civil War	Alex Garland	HR
Conclave	Edward Berger	HR
Disclaimer	Alfonso Cuarón	HR
Dune: Part Two	Denis Villeneuve	MS/MP
Flow	Gints Zilbalodis	HR
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga	George Miller	MS
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1	Kevin Costner	R
I Saw the TV Glow	Jane Schoenbrun	R
I’m Still Here	Walter Salles	R
Joker: Folie à Deux	Todd Phillips	R/HR
Juror #2	Clint Eastwood	R
Kinds of Kindness	Yorgos Lanthimos	HR
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes	Wes Ball	R
Longlegs	Osgood Perkins	R
Love Lies Bleeding	Rose Glass	R/HR
Maria	Pablo Larraín	HR/MS
MaXXXine	Ti West	R
Monkey Man	Dev Patel	HR
Nickel Boys	RaMell Ross	MS
Nosferatu	Robert Eggers	MS
Queer	Luca Guadagnino	HR/MS
Rebel Ridge	Jeremy Saulnier	R
Ripley	Steven Zaillian	MP
Sing Sing	Greg Kwedar	R
Smile 2	Parker Finn	R
The Apprentice	Ali Abbasi	R/HR
The Brutalist	Brady Corbet	MS
The Fall Guy	David Leitch	R
The Girl with the Needle	Magnus von Horn	MS
The Substance	Coralie Fargeat	MS
The Wild Robot	Chris Sanders	R
Trap	M. Night Shyamalan	R
We Live in Time	John Crowley	R
Wicked	Jon M. Chu	R
Wolfs	Jon Watts	R

*Chromatic aberrations in Alex Garland’s cinematography for Civil War, visualising trauma and dissociation through deliberately distorted lenses.*

2025 Oscar Predictions and Snubs

Best Picture

Will likely win: Anora. After big wins for The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez at the Golden Globes, both have since fallen behind with controversies related to AI and some controversial past tweets. As a result, the path to victory for Sean Baker’s dramedy is clearer than ever, cleaning up at the Critics’ Choice Awards, PGA Awards, and DGA Awards. If Anora wins, it will join three other films to have clinched both Best Picture and the illustrious Palme d’Or – Parasite, Marty, and The Lost Weekend.

What should win: Dune: Part Two. There is some stiff competition here with The Brutalist and The Substance, but Denis Villeneuve’s epic sci-fi sequel is an accomplishment that tops even its first part. Paul Atreides’ character arc is brought to a resounding climax with some astounding visuals to match, crafting an insurmountable parable of fanatical hubris.

What’s been snubbed: Nosferatu. Robert Eggers’ remake of F.W. Murnau’s silent horror has four nominations elsewhere in Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup and Hairstyling. This is an achievement in itself given the Academy’s bias against genre films, but it still isn’t enough for what could possibly be Eggers’ strongest effort yet.

*Anora (Produced by Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker)*

Best Director

Sean Baker (Anora)
Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

Will likely win: Brady Corbet for The Brutalist. This is tougher to parse out – logically the winner of Best Director should also nab Best Picture, but it isn’t uncommon to see them split. In recent years, we have seen this split when the Best Director winner has possessed a far grander vision than the Best Picture winner, like The Revenant/Spotlight split in 2016 or the Roma/Green Book split in 2019. In this instance, Brady Corbet’s achievement in The Brutalist is far grander than Sean Baker’s, and is the far more traditional pick.

What should win: Coralie Fargeat for The Substance. Fargeat’s body horror brutally attacks Hollywood’s beauty standards with kinetic montage editing, gruesome practical effects, and a brilliantly inventive premise, but the Academy clearly appreciates its message more than its magnificent craftsmanship.

What’s been snubbed: Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two. This is a huge miss for one of our great modern auteurs working at the top of his game. Villeneuve pushes the limits of big-budget spectacle to extraordinary lengths, experimenting with a greater sense of visual wonder and terror than ever before.

*The Brutalist (Directed by Brady Corbet)*

Best Actor

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)

Will likely win: Adrien Brody for The Brutalist. Timothee Chalamet is on a hot run right now and could break Brody’s record for the youngest Best Actor winner ever, but Brody could very well hold onto his crown, placing another Oscar on his shelf. This is the best role he’s had since The Pianist over two decades ago, and the Academy knows it.

What should win: Adrien Brody for The Brutalist. Brody gives a raw, battered performance as Jewish-Hungarian immigrant László, oscillating between creative passion, supreme confidence, and soul-destroying despair.

What’s been snubbed: Timothee Chalamet for Dune: Part Two. A Complete Unknown isn’t Chalamet’s best performance of the year, even if the Academy believes otherwise. In Dune: Part Two he stands upon platforms and delivers rousing speeches to both followers and enemies, shifting his voice to a deeper register and striking a jarring contrast against his humbler performance in Part One.

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)
Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)
Mikey Madison (Anora)
Demi Moore (The Substance)
Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here)

Will likely win: Mikey Madison for Anora. Madison plays on Giulietta Masina’s performance from Nights of Cabiria as a jaded yet unexpectedly naïve sex worker. She is the darling ingénue of this awards season – energetic, charming, and incredibly talented.

What should win: Demi Moore for The Substance. Unlike her character Elisabeth Sparkle, there are no inhibitions or insecurities on display in Moore’s big Hollywood comeback. She is unabashedly committed to the extravagance of the part, literally transforming into a haggard old crone as she spirals into bitterness and self-loathing.

What’s been snubbed: Lily-Rose Depp for Nosferatu. Depp takes inspiration from Isabelle Adjani’s landmark performance in Possession, shifting wildly between emotional extremes and falling into convulsive demonic seizures. Again, the Academy’s anti-horror bias likely locked her out here.

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov (Anora)
Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)
Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)

Will likely win: Kieran Culkin for A Real Pain. His success has been relatively unchallenged through all the major awards shows, and it is unlikely the Oscars will break his streak. He somehow makes a difficult person incredibly likeable, revealing his joy, depression, and guilt in wild mood swings throughout the film.

What should win: Guy Pearce for The Brutalist. His performance as wealthy industrialist Mr. Van Buren is his best since Memento, played with a roguish allure that masks a deep-seated cruelty and narcissism.

What’s been snubbed: Chris Hemsworth for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Hemsworth breaks out from his typecasting as musclebound heroes, and takes a villainous turn as the boisterous, charismatic warlord of the wasteland, Dementus. He never really had a shot at being recognised by the Academy for this role, but it is a miss on their part nonetheless.

Best Supporting Actress

Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown)
Ariana Grande (Wicked)
Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

Will likely win: Zoe Saldaña for Emilia Pérez. This is a tight race with no clear frontrunner, but Emilia Pérez has a whopping 13 nominations – and if it is going to win for anything, it will be here.

What should win: Isabella Rossellini for Conclave. Rossellini plays Sister Agnes to stern, authoritative perfection even with her limited screentime, and is additionally crucial to Conclave’s overarching consideration of gender roles in the Catholic Church.

What’s been snubbed: Kirsten Dunst for Civil War. The Academy’s distinction between lead and supporting performances is not clearly defined, but if we consider Dunst’s role as secondary to Cailee Spaeny’s, then she should have surely earned a nomination here. She is world-weary, cynical, and earns an excellent shift in character in the final minutes.

Best Original Screenplay

Anora
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance

Will likely win: Anora. If it doesn’t win Best Director, then it will surely win for its screenplay. Its recent success at the Writer’s Guild of America Awards certainly points in this direction as well, and its charming, crowd-pleasing appeal shouldn’t be underrated.

What should win: The Brutalist. The flaws in Corbet’s screenplay pale next his spectacular triumph in epic storytelling, knotting together one immigrant’s relationships to both the United States and his homeland across thirteen years of his life. The character work is impeccable, closely examining the complex relationship between an artist and his benefactor.

What’s been snubbed: Civil War. Alex Garland’s gruelling wartime odyssey uses a modern civil war to further examine the struggles of objectivity in media. The journey that one small team of journalists takes from New York to Washington DC is a series of consistently superb and terrifying set pieces, held together by a pair of character arcs moving in inverse directions.

Best Adapted Screenplay

A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Will likely win: Conclave. Peter Straughan’s screenplay won this award at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAS, delivering a thrilling crowd-pleaser that probes the inner workings of the Vatican. It is pulpy and engaging, but it doesn’t probe terribly deeply into the conflicting philosophies at play.

What should win: Nickel Boys. RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes’ story of two friends at a segregated reform school in the 1960s packs a punch in its inventive formal structure, thoughtful character work, and use of the 60s civil rights movement to inform its internal debate between idealism and cynicism.

What’s been snubbed: Nosferatu. Eggers’ attention to historic, linguistic detail makes for hauntingly poetic dialogue, underscoring the 19th century European setting with Gothic flair. Dune: Part Two may be considered another major snub, and although television is strictly ruled out from Academy consideration, Disclaimer and Ripley both deserve shoutouts here.

Best Original Score

Will likely win: The Brutalist. Daniel Blumberg’s booming, four-note motif is undeniably powerful. While other nominees like Wicked rely heavily on existing material or feature downright terrible songs like in Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist’s score is grand, operatic, and excitingly avant-garde.

What should win: The Brutalist. Blumberg blends classical orchestrations with experimental sound design, positioning László as an artist caught between the Old World and the New. It is easily among the strongest scores of recent years.

What’s been snubbed: Dune: Part Two. Hans Zimmer’s score was controversially ruled ineligible to compete for Best Original Score at the Oscars due featuring too much music from the first film. This rule is inconsistent at best, especially considering that The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers suffered the same fate, while The Return of the King won the following year. We can at least take solace in knowing that Part One won this award in 2022.

*The Brutalist (Music by Daniel Blumberg)*

Best Original Song

‘El Mal’ from Emilia Pérez
‘The Journey’ from The Six Triple Eight
‘Like a Bird’ from Sing Sing
‘Mi Camino’ from Emilia Pérez
‘Never Too Late’ from Elton John: Never Too Late

Will likely win: ‘El Mal’ from Emilia Pérez. The Oscar for Best Original Song has extraordinarily weak competition this year – no ‘What Was I Made For?’, no ‘Naatu Naatu’, and no ‘No Time to Die’ to carry this category. Emilia Pérez has the passion of the Academy behind it, and ‘El Mal’ is the best song in a relatively weak soundtrack, so it looks like it will be the winner by default.

What should win: ‘Like a Bird’ from Sing Sing. Again, this wouldn’t be an overwhelming victory, but Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada’s folk-rock ballad is easily the best of the bunch. Its soothing, soulful vocals fit beautifully within Sing Sing’s tender prison drama.

What’s been snubbed: Nothing. This is a scant category to begin with, and there are so few original songs from 2024 worth awarding. Consideration was given to ‘Compress/Repress’ from Challengers and ‘Kiss the Sky’ from The Wild Robot, but neither are that far ahead of the nominated competition.

*‘El Mal’ from Emilia Pérez (Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard)*

Best Sound

Will likely win: Wicked. Movie-musicals tend to be well-represented in this category, and for good reason. Wicked in particular is a fan favourite that brings some big Broadway hits to the silver screen, smoothly weaving its numbers into longer sequences of action and dialogue.

What should win: Dune: Part Two. This could potentially threaten Wicked’s chances at Best Sound. The sprawling battles and gladiator fights feature some excellent sound design, but the use of deep, guttural bass notes in the sandworm riding sequence and Sardauker chanting is especially impressive, feeling like earthquakes in the cinema.

What’s been snubbed: The Substance. The ASMR sounds of Dennis Quaid tearing apart prawns with his teeth sets the tone perfectly in the opening minutes. From there, we sink into viscerally uncomfortable soundscapes that repulsively emphasise Elisabeth and Sue’s physical transformations.

*Wicked (Sound by Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson, and John Marquis)*

Best Production Design

Will likely win: Wicked. The task of translating this hit musical from stage to screen was no small feat. The intricate visual designs reimagine Oz beyond Dorothy’s dream, skilfully blending the steampunk aesthetics of the stage show with the Art Deco whimsy of The Wizard of Oz. Wicked may not be prestigious enough for the top prizes, but it will claim these smaller ones wherever it can.

What should win: Nosferatu. Eggers extends his extensive follore research into the architecture of 19th century Germany and Count Orlok’s 16th century Transylvanian castle. The result is nightmarishly beautiful, paying homage to expressionistic masterpieces such as the original Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

What’s been snubbed: The Substance. There is a severe, Kubrickian minimalism to Stanislas Reydellet’s production design, conforming wholly to unified colour palettes and strong geometric shapes. It is enormous fun watching its clean, sanitised aesthetic descend into putrid chaos.

*Wicked (Production design by Nathan Crowley, Set decoration by Lee Sandales)*

Best Cinematography

Will likely win: The Brutalist. Cinematographer Lol Crawley shot this in VistaVision – a high-resolution format that fell from popularity in the 1960s – and the Academy can’t help itself when it comes to big, ambitious swings that throw back to Hollywood’s Golden Age.

What should win: Nosferatu. Eggers’ regular cinematographer Jarin Blaschke goes all in with his expressionistic lighting, floating camerawork, and desaturated colours. This is his finest work to date, making for a daunting visual triumph of horror filmmaking.

What’s been snubbed: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. George Miller’s hyper-stylised visual storytelling pushes a young Furiosa to the brink in this surreal, malformed world. His silhouettes and rigorous blocking of actors are often admirable within still compositions, though the jerky movements of his visuals stand out even more, rushing vehicles towards the camera and dramatically hurtling the camera towards actors.

*Nosferatu (Cinematography by Jarin Blaschke)*

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Will likely win: The Substance. This shouldn’t be tough competition, yet Wicked is the dark horse threatening to steal what would likely be the most deserved win of the night.

What should win: The Substance. As admirable as Nosferatu is in this category, it isn’t close. Each time we think Fargeat has pushed her body horror prosthetics to the edge of sanity, she continues to reveal whole new levels of depravity that would make even David Cronenberg proud.

What’s been snubbed: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. You would be pressed to find a single cast member here that isn’t wearing some kind of greasy beard, fake nose, prosthetic teeth, or body paint. In this apocalyptic wasteland, everyone stinks of sweat and petrol, and the makeup artists do a magnificent job of rendering this visually.

*The Substance (Makeup and hairstyling by Pierre-Oliver Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli)*

Best Costume Design

Will likely win: Wicked. This Broadway musical adaptation is the favourite to win, and for good reason. Although based on existing material, Jon M. Chu’s visual design further builds out the world of Oz through whimsical school uniforms, robes, and gowns with well-defined colour palettes.

What should win: Nosferatu. Eggers’ dedication to historical authenticity extends to his characters’ period-accurate wardrobe as well, not only reinventing Count Orlok as a medieval Slavic nobleman, but also reflecting the class hierarchies of the 19th century German setting in the costuming.

What’s been snubbed: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. George Miller’s high-octane prequel is even more dedicated to its worldbuilding than Fury Road, introducing a whole host of new characters and gangs whose primitive, apocalyptic fashion calls back to Ancient Roman gladiators, Napoleonic soldiers, and Nordic Vikings.

*Nosferatu (Costume design by Linda Muir)*

Best Film Editing

Will likely win: Conclave. The slow-burn pacing is superbly executed, keeping the narrative tight and suspenseful. The odds are looking good here, even if Anora is close behind.

What should win: The Brutalist. This three-and-a-half-hour epic is masterfully and precisely structured, using both long takes and sharp, jarring cuts to create rhythms that take us inside the traumatised mind of a Holocaust survivor.

What’s been snubbed: The Substance. This snub wouldn’t be as shocking if this film hadn’t already defied expectations with nominations in many other categories. Fargeat wields precise control over her montages and parallel editing, using harsh cuts to underscore her gruesome body horror and paying homage to Requiem for a Dream. Just as shocking here is the Academy overlooking Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Dune: Part Two.

*The Substance (Edited by Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, and Valentin Feron)*

Best Visual Effects

Will likely win: Dune: Part Two. If this is the only award that Villeneuve’s sequel wins this year, then it will be a sad night indeed, but so far this seems to be a lock-in.

What should win: Dune: Part Two. No other competitors have a single scene which can match Paul riding the sandworm or Villeneuve’s largescale, futuristic battles. This is one of the finest uses of digital effects from the past few years, revealing incredible imagination while maintaining visual tactility.

What’s been snubbed: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. George Miller previously showcased a magnificent blend of practical and digital effects in Fury Road, and he continues to use these techniques to build out the vast deserts and fortresses of the wasteland in Furiosa, servicing a string of thrilling action set pieces.

A frontrunner begins to emerge in the three-way race between Anora, The Brutalist, and Emilie Pérez, while Nosferatu and Dune: Part Two compete below the line. — *Dune: Part Two (Visual effects by Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer)*

The Oscars Ceremony will be televised live (AEDT) on Seven and streaming live on 7plus nationally from 11am on Monday, 3rd March.