With the 97th Oscars set to take place Sunday night, the rumor mill is turning and predictions are abundant. At this point, all that can be done is speculation, but there are few more qualified to do so than those who teach movies for a living.
Best picture
“My prediction is ‘Nickel Boys.’ It’s the only nominated film that felt like something I hadn’t seen before,” Brandon Colvin, an assistant professor in journalism and creative media, said in an email, speaking of the movie’s unique first-person cinematography.
“I think this will be ‘The Brutalist,’” Stefania Marghitu, assistant professor in film and television, said in an email. “‘Conclave’ lost its thunder and ‘Anora’ is sadly too wishful thinking for the Indie Spirit set.”
“I think it will go to ‘Anora,’ which I quite liked. I think it’s a very interesting film and it’s the only movie in the mix that actually deals with contemporary stuff in an interesting way,” said Alyxandra Vesey, an assistant professor in journalism and creative media.
Echoing Vesey’s sentiment is Teddy Champion, an associate professor in journalism and creative media. “I’d predict ‘Anora’ for its drama, humor, performances and timeliness,” he said in an email.
Best director
“I’d pick Sean Baker for ‘Anora,’” Colvin said. “I have mixed feelings about the film at a script level, but Baker makes many complex scenes feel elegant — a sign of great direction.”
While Baker is certainly the favorite to win, others believe that the race is not so clear-cut.
“My personal pick is Brady Corbet for ‘The Brutalist,’” Champion said.
“I’m stuck between Brady Corbet for ‘The Brutalist’ and Sean Baker for ‘Anora,’” Vesey said. “I’m going to say that the voters split it up by having Corbet win best director, while Baker gets to have best picture.”
Best actor
“Timothée Chalamet’s campaign has been very interesting, going on podcasts and whatnot, but I think it will still go to the favorite, Adrien Brody,” Vesey said. “It’s a great, emotional performance, and ‘The Brutalist’ kind of hangs on his shoulders, but Chalamet is playing Bob Dylan, so it’ll be neck and neck.”
Marghitu agrees that Brody will bring home the award: “Sorry to all my Chalamet stans, he will have to wait. Timmy will not dethrone Brody as the youngest winner in this category.”
“I’d pick [Timothée Chalamet] for ‘A Complete Unknown.’ Script and direction are not great, but I bought Chalamet the whole time,” Colvin said. “Portraying Dylan is an unforgiving task, but Timmy was clearly up for it.”
“I’d predict Colman Domingo for ‘Sing Sing,’ but Sebastian Stan is amazing playing Donald Trump in ‘The Apprentice.’ I don’t know if the Academy will reward his performance, but at least he was nominated,” Champion said.
Best actress
“Cynthia Erivo for ‘Wicked,’” Colvin said. “Hated this movie, but her performance is undeniable. She’s the only person involved with a real sense of vision for the character or the film as a whole.”
The consensus favorite in the category is Demi Moore for her performance in “The Substance.”
“Demi Moore seemed so brave when I was watching ‘The Substance,’” Champion said. “When it was over, I had mixed feelings about the film overall, but she is pretty amazing.”
“It’s going to be Demi Moore. She won the Golden Globe and then gave an iconic speech, so that narrative feels solidified,” Vesey said, adding that the movie is “a very beautiful and extreme take on the complexities and anxieties around older women aging, particularly female celebrities.”
Best supporting actor
“Yuri Borisov for ‘Anora.’ He’s the heart and soul of what works about this film, and he’s totally magnetic for every second he’s on screen,” Colvin said.
Despite the category being one of the most competitive early on, Kieran Culkin has become the runaway favorite for his performance in “A Real Pain.”
“It feels fairly clear at this point, it’s going to be Kieran Culkin,” Vesey said. “Some people feel that his performance is exasperated, that he was just playing Roman from ‘Succession’ again, but I think Culkin just knows how to play this kind of character. We need more films like ‘A Real Pain,’ and Culkin’s performance is great.”
Best supporting actress
“My prediction is Isabella [Rossellini] for ‘Conclave,’ but my personal choice is Felicity Jones in ‘The Brutalist,’” Champion said.
“Isabella Rossellini in ‘Conclave,’” Colvin said. “Rossellini’s performance is the only one of those nominated that doesn’t actively hinder the creative success of its respective film.”
While others seem confident in Rossellini to bring home the award, Vesey feels confident in another contender.
“This one has felt foregone from the jump, it’s going to be Zoe Saldaña,” Vesey said. “She’s won everything else, all the other precursor awards, although I will say I didn’t care for ‘Emilia Pérez.’ I think that her character and the script are kind of ridiculous, but from what I’ve seen, I guess it’s going to her.”
