Best Actor:

It’s not every year that we see a category in Oscars where it is very difficult to argue against, and this year’s nominees for Best Actor are all, without a doubt, great in their respective roles. The highly creative Aaron Sorkin‘s Being the Ricardos earned Javier Bardem the nomination, which is his fourth Oscar nomination in total. The Power of the Dog – written and directed by Jane Campion– showed how Benedict Cumberbatch could take his acting to a whole new level in this Western drama. The very same could be said for Andrew Garfield for his performance as a theatre composer in the uniquely-named tick, tick…Boom!, which proved once again that Garfield is more than just a passing superhero films actor. Also earning his fourth Oscar nomination as his performance as Richard Williams in the tennis-centred biography drama King Richard, Will Smith is one of the names where one might think that he would have won an Oscar already. The legendary Denzel Washington is the final actor on the list as a nominee for his scene-stealing performance in Joel Coen‘s The Tragedy of Macbeth.

It is not out of place to suggest, as aforementioned, that it is high time that Will Smith got an Oscar, and King Richard might as well be the film that gets him there. It is quite obvious that whoever wins the Academy Award for actor in a leading role this year has definitely earned it, though Will Smith might be just a bit more likely of a choice than his fellow nominees this time. Nevertheless, we would have loved to see Benedict Cumberbatch win as well.

Prediction: Will Smith (King Richard)

Best Actress:

This year’s shortlist for Best Actress is not necessarily the most diverse, and also does not contain any names new to the Academy Awards in general. Jessica Chastain does a colourful job as a televangelist in Michael Showalter‘s The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which marks her third nomination in Oscars so far. Another returning name to the Academy Awards in this category is Olivia Colman, who aims for her second win as Leda in actress-turned-director Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s The Lost Daughter. Just like Colman, Penélope Cruz is also looking for her second win with her outstanding acting in Parallel Mothers, and so does Nicole Kidman for her success in Being the Ricardos. The only Oscar foreigner in the category is Kristen Stewart, who has earned the nomination as a result of her performance in Spencer. Neither Chastain nor Cruz would be surprising if they were to get the award, though Olivia Colman is one strong lead that might steal the award this year.

Prediction: Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)

Best International Feature Film:

Best International Feature Film is now a category that can play a significant role in the Best Picture race. Bong Joon-ho‘s Parasite achieved immense success winning both International and Best Picture awards; now, Ryusuke Hamaguchi‘s Drive My Car has the opportunity to do the same. Hamaguchi’s film is a tour-de-force of cinema, an adaptation of a Murakami short story like 2018’s Burning; the plot navigates a retelling of Checkov‘s Uncle Vanya. Yūsuke Kafuku works in theater as the lead actor and director while his wife Oto helps him write in a notably intimate fashion. Years later, traversing the aftermath of loss, Kafuku accepts a residency in Hiroshima, where he is assigned a driver, who, like himself, is withdrawn, isolated and torn by personal tragedy. Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car won three awards at Cannes last year and is difficult to look beyond in terms of International Feature Film. 

An always-exciting category for fans of auteur cinema, there are several strong contenders in this year’s nominations. The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier‘s romantic comedy was expected to perhaps pull in a nomination for its lead star Renate Reinsve; while failing there, it could be a potential winner here. Bhutan’s entry Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom returns this year after disqualification the previous year due to committee issues. Italy’s entry The Hand of God, directed by Paolo Sorrentino, an autobiographical tale of his youth in Naples, is also nominated. A film distributed by Netflix, a previous award winner in this category, could encourage non-English films to secure multi-territory distribution/streaming deals. Flee, the Danish animated docudrama nominated for Best International Feature Film, Best Animated Feature and Best Documentary Feature is the first film ever to be nominated in all three categories simultaneously. While Best International Feature Film has some exciting and outstanding nominations this year, one can’t help but feel Julia Ducournau‘s Titane should be amongst the nominees. The Palme d’Or winner is an explosive film that offers new ideas in body-horror cinema and is a genuinely original arthouse film experience.

Prediction: Drive My Car