With the 97th Academy Awards coming up on March 2nd, I decided to get in on the discourse and share my predictions for the awards alongside my general thoughts and musings on the nature of the candidates and appreciation for those artists who were not given the recognition I feel they should have been. I’m less interested in “snubs” and more interested in shining a light on work I felt was spectacular, so my notation of noticeable omissions isn’t meant to denigrate any of other nominees as much as it is to praise what I think is cinematically wonderful/artistically exceptional and offer a look into my own perspective.

For those looking to quickly parse the discussion for just the predictions, I have the winners BOLDED under each award category.

For any category where I haven’t seen a particular nominee, I will be marking them with an * next to the name of the respective film.

I will be skipping the following categories due to lack of familiarity with a majority of the nominees: Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Film, Documentary Feature Film, Live Action Short Film.

BEST PICTURE

FILM	DIRECTOR	PRODUCER(S)
Anora	Sean Baker	Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, and Sean Baker
The Brutalist	Brady Corbet	Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim, and Brady Corbet
A Complete Unknown	James Mangold	Fred Berger, James Mangold, and Alex Heineman
Conclave	Edward Berger	Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, and Michael A. Jackman
Dune: Part Two	Denis Villeneuve	Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe, and Denis Villeneuve
Emilia Pérez	Jacques Audiard	Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard
I’m Still Here	Walter Salles	Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira
Nickel Boys	RaMell Ross	Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Joslyn Barnes
The Substance	Coralie Fargeat	Coralie Fargeat, Tim Bevan, and Eric Fellner
Wicked	Jon M. Chu	Marc Platt

This year’s Best Picture nominees, from my perspective at least, feel like they’re split into three categories:

1-Ambitious in form and style with muscular filmmaking, utilizing writing and acting in service of the more technical elements to generate transcendent cinematic moments

2-Ambitious in terms of dramaturgy, with a focus on writing and acting wherein the other grandiose aspects of filmmaking are utilized in a subtler fashion to support the formal undercurrents of the writing

3-Heavily reliant on writing and acting to generate moments of poignant catharsis with less focus on the pushing the envelope of visual style or form.

This is not to say films in first group have worse scripts and/or poorer performances while films in the latte two group have nothing technically inventive to marvel at but merely serves as an internal schema I’ve adopted to partition the nominees into more discrete entities for the sake of discussion.

This first group is the one I prefer due to my own leanings and thoughts on what makes for “great” cinema and it consists of: The Brutalist, Dune: Part Two, Nickel Boys, The Substance. I would be happy with any of these films winning the prestigious Best Picture award.

The second group is one I appreciate even if I think the films are a half-step below the aforementioned. This group consists of: Anora, A Complete Unknown, Conclave

The third group consists of: Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, Wicked. Although some of these films seem to toe the line and could belong to the second group, I feel comfortable including them here.

Out of all the candidates, the film I believe is MOST LIKELY to win is Sean Baker’s Anora . The film’s great accomplishment is the manner in which it hides the subtlety of its titular character study beneath the veneer of a screw-ball rom-com which slowly fades away to a truly poignant ending. The film strikes the balance between popular appeal and indie endearment makes it feel like a more likely winner than any of the other candidates, but do not be surprised if another winner walks out with the prestigious award.

While I don’t think any film was “snubbed” so to speak, there are a few films which I felt exhibited the best aspects of cinema which I would have thoroughly enjoyed to see nominated, including but not limited to: Robert Egger’s Nosferatu, Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow, George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer and Challengers, Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada.

While some of these films would definitely not see an academy nomination due to their content, experimental tendencies, or genre leanings, I do believe they represent some of the very best of the year and wanted to shine a light on them alongside the aforementioned offerings.

DIRECTING

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

Out of the directing candidates, I think Sean Baker, Brady Corbet, or Coralie Fargeat winning would be wonderful.

I think that the MOST LIKELY winner will be Brady Corbet.
The sheer expanse of The Brutalist and what Corbet and his crew were able to accomplish feel like they’re too big for voters to ignore and it feels like this may be the “bone” given to the film for its efforts.

In terms of missing directors, the omission of Denis Villenueve is a glaring one but it makes sense given the seemingly general lack of award praise for Dune: Part Two in general at these Oscars. Still, for a film to be nominated for Best Film, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects to not be nominated for Best Director is perplexing. If the award is meant to recognize the director who put the relevant elements together, and those elements are recognized as excellent in their own right and cohesive enough to generate a picture worth nominating, it feels odd to not include that same director in this set of awards.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

FILM	DIRECTOR	COUNTRY
Emilia Pérez	Jacques Audiard	France
Flow	Gints Zilbalodis	Latvia
The Girl with the Needle	Magnus von Horn	Demark
I’m Still Here	Walter Salles	Brazil
The Seed of the Sacred Fig	Mohammad Rasoulof	Germany

I believe that Emilia Pérez is MOST LIKELY to win. Even with recent controversy, I believe the film still has the momentum to pick up the award. It’s go-for-broke vision and kinetic energy should be able to keep supporters in tow even if they aren’t fans of the behind-the-scenes drama.

Yet, this category is more interesting to discuss given what is not nominated.

India’s astoundingly poor decision to not nominate All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia should be noted here. If the Cannes Grand Prix winner was on the list of nominees, I’m certain it would have won this award and most likely been nominated for Best Picture.

In addition, seeing The Girl With the Needle amongst the nominees (my pick for best film amongst the bunch) reminds me of the omission of Rahul Sadasivan’s Bramayugam, an equally competent folk-horror bathed in black-and-white which warrants a mention due to its quality.

Of films which were submitted as their countries best, it is Norway’s entry, Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, which is noticeably not present. The film, which experiments with the boundaries of a chamber-drama, is gripping, existential and features a knock-out performance by Renate Reinsve.

But on a positive note, it is wonderful to see Flow nominated. It is rare to see an animated picture, even one with a robust cinematic quality, make it out of the Animated only awards and be recognized as cinema proper. One can only hope this is the start of a larger trend recognizing animated films as films that are animated instead of a wholly distinct category.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

FILM	DIRECTOR(S)
Flow	Gints Zilbalodis
Inside Out 2	Kelsey Mann
Memoir of a Snail	Adam Elliot
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl	Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham
The Wild Robot	Chris Sanders

Flow is MOST LIKELY to win. Its presence in the best International Films category makes this all but certain, and it is certainly a worthy winner of the prize. The manner in which it plays with scenarios that coalesce into something grander befitting what we could call “epic” is inspiring and something that cineastes need to experience.

While the other nominees range from “good” to “great”, there’s a dearth of qualified nominees which should’ve been present. As is custom with the Oscars, these are animated films from Japan. These omissions include Naoko Yamada’s The Colors Within and Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s Look Back. Both films feature stellar animation like the nominees, but experiment formally with the medium in ways that deserve recognition outside of just presenting a “great story.”

FILM EDITING

FILM	EDITOR
Anora	Sean Baker
The Brutalist	Dávid Jancsó
Conclave	Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez	Juliette Welfling
Wicked	Myron Kerstein

While I prefer the structure and methodical pacing of The Brutalist’s editing and would easily give Jancsó the award, I believe the MOST LIKELY to win will be Nick Emerson for his work on Conclave. His editing helps propel the the urgency embedded within the narrative and is apparent especially due to the manner in which the edit unfolds alongside the intense, cutting score.

Yet, this category is less clear cut and I would not be surprised to see Baker or Jancsó taking the award home.

In terms of omissions, Joe Walker’s work on Dune: Part Two and Marco Costa’s work on Challengers are most interesting. The former’s layering of the oneric and political is what makes the film as effective as it is while the latter’s is some of the most propulsive (especially during the kinetic action scenes) of the year.

In addition, Yorgos Mavropsaridis’s work on Kinds of Kindness (a film which seems to have missed awards hype all together), should be commended as it strikes the perfect balance between the aspects of its tryptich plotting and within each of the sections independently. Anthology films are always hard to pull off and such wonderful balancing between the stories such as to preserve a throughline is rare.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

FILM	DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The Brutalist	Lol Crawley
Dune: Part Two	Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez	Paul Guilhaume
Maria	Edward Lachman
Nosferatu	Jarin Blaschke

This is a category which is absolutely brimming with quality, and sans Emilia Pérez, is one where any of the winners are worthy due to the depth and beauty of their images.

Crawley’s work on The Brutalist helps the film ooze texture, and moments involving shadows hearken back to some of the best examples in the medium à la Gordon Willis’s work on The Godfather films.

Fraser’s work is just as good as his efforts on Dune and helps keep the two parts visually consistent with one another, affirming their status as complements telling one overarching story.

Lachman’s partnership with Pablo Larrain and Blaschke’s partnernship with Robert Eggers earns both cinematoraphers an additional well-earned nomition for their respective works. Blaschke’s accomplishments in rendering a near grey-scale image inspite of containing colors makes his work my personal pick for the award.

In terms of non-nominated works: Eric K. Yue’s work on I Saw the TV glow
keeps the film’s metaphysically dubious nature constantly prevalent as the lights and textures make it impossible for us to great a complete grasp on the reality of what’s transpiring; Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s work on Queer imbues the dreamscape with a lush haze that keeps the viewer fully engrossed even as the scenario gets increasingly surreal; Benjamin Kračun’s work on The Substance gives it an precise, clinical tactility that serves as the perfect backdrop to both the conspiratorial and gore-filled tendencies of the film; Simon Duggan’s work on Furiosa: A A Mad Max Saga which brings a new life to Miller’s fantastic wasteland and serves as a worthy follow-up while not directly aping John Seale’s stellar work in Mad Max: Fury Road.

That all said, I think that its Lol Crawley‘s work on The Brutalist that will MOST LIKELY take home top prize. It should appeal to traditionalist voters and more conventional ones with both its subtle close-ups and magnificent wides.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

FILM	NOMINEES
The Brutalist	Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
Conclave	Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
Dune: Part Two	Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
Nosferatu	Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
Wicked	Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

While my personal pick of these would likely go to the team behind Nosferatu for the wonderful creation of a gothic hellscape that oozes its shadows at every corners, I think Academy voters will MOST LIKELY be swayed by Wicked and its fantastical renditions of Oz which the dance-numbers certainly call attention to. This is also the “populist” pick amongst the voters and seems like one of the “consolation” awards of sorts given to Wicked due to its widespread Blockbuster appeal.

VISUAL EFFECTS

FILM	NOMINEES
Alien: Romulus	Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin, and Shane Mahan
Better Man	Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, and Peter Stubbs
Dune: Part Two	Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, and Gerd Nefzer
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes	Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, and Rodney Burke
Wicked	Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk, and Paul Corbould

While I think this batch of nominees is more than deserving of their selections (some more than others), the team behind Alex Garland’s Civil War deserves praise for the manner in which it transposes visions of violence onto the United States’ landscape in a viscerally upsetting, hauntingly grounded manner.

Yet, in spite of quality work on the part of the other candidates, this award is MOST LIKELY Dune: Part Two’s for the taking and it would be shocking if this was not the case. Helping to ground a wholly science-fiction world with this level of fidelity cannot be ignored.

COSTUME DESIGN

FILM	NOMINEES
A Complete Unknown	Jacqueline Durran
Conclave	Jacqueline West
Gladiator II	Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Nosferatu	Ellen Mirojnick
Wicked	Holly Waddington

As is the story for the Production Design award, I think Academy voters will MOST LIKELY be swayed by Holly Waddington’s work Wicked and the whimsical manner in which she brings to life the world of Oz’s characters.

My personal pick amongst the nominees would be Ellen Mirojnick’s work in Nosferatu. She ensures that the milieu of Egger’s gothic nightmare is historically grounded which allows the fantastical elements to stand-out in sharp, disturbing contrast. The work isn’t particularly showy, but is perfectly complimentary.

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

FILM	NOMINEES
A Different Man	Mike Marino, David Presto, and Crystal Jurado
Emilia Pérez	Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier, and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
Nosferatu	David White, Traci Loader, and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
The Substance	Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli
Wicked	Frances Hannon, Laura Blount, and Sarah Nuth

This award will MOST LIKELY go to Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli for their work on The Substance and deservedly so at that for the gonzo and astounding transformations character(s) go through. The committment to intertwining the stylings of the character with the visual effects makes the pronouncements of the former all the harder to ignore in spite of the genre bias the Academy has against horror. This is the film doing the most the best.

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

FILM	WRITER(S)
Anora	Sean Baker
The Brutalist	Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain	Jesse Eisenberg
September 5	Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum; co-written by Alex David
The Substance	Coralie Fargeat

The omission of Justin Kuritzkes work on Challengers is baffling given the films intense plotting and exuberant tit-a-tats between its leading triumvirate. This is the kind of screenplay it feels the Academy would’ve lapped up in years past making its omission amongst this years’s nominees all the more apparent. Alex Garland’s work on Civil War should also be mentioned as he creates a world filled with implications, hidden within the dialogue and story beats, that informs the harrowing nature of its journey from start to finish without overdetermining it.

Out of the nominees, both A Real Pain and September 5 are films that live-or-die based on their scripts and it is their scripts that make the films as good as they are, yet neither are particularly “special” in a way that marks them as something more than well-written and efficient. They’re missing that critical “X” factor which would differentiate them enough.

There is a world where Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold’s work on The Brutalist is given its “flowers”, but given the lack of voter interest in watching the film in its entirety ^[1]Davis, C. (2025, January 18). Oscar voting closes: Is “the Brutalist” underseen? could “juror #2” make a surprise best picture nom? – nine takeaways from Academy members. Variety. … Continue reading and the condemnation of the ambiguity and plotting in the second of the film, this would be a tougher sell ,even if it is my personal pick for the award.

While Fargeat’s script is nearly air-tight, I believe that voters will associate The Substance moreso with its gonzo visual designs and performances opposed to the masterful plotting of the narrative or the sardonic dialogue beats and will skip over commending it here.

Therefore, I believe that Sean Baker is MOST LIKELY to win for his work on Anora. He manages to achieve yet another indelibaly written screenplay with lived-in characters, quotable dialogue, and memorable scenes without missing those silent, poignant moments which serve as truly transcendent. His script is one which strikes a balance that should appeal to the most voters.

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

FILM	WRITER(S)
A Complete Unknown	James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Conclave	Peter Straughan
Emilia Pérez	Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys	RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing	Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley

Dune: Part Two is the glaring omission here, but that seems to be the story of this 95th Oscars. It should be reiterated the enormity of taking Frank Herbert’s seminal work and rendering it into a cinematically digestible work, let alone one which thumps with grandeur as this one does.

Kuritzkes work on Queer also needs to be mentioned. Taking William S. Burroughs work to task in screenplay form is an thankless, near impossible task, but Kuritzkes managed to do the same without missing out on the emotional beats which make the surreal, hallucinatory film accessible to those willing to let it penetrate.

Finally, Paul Schrader’s work in bringing Russell Banks’ Forgeone to the screen in the form of Oh, Canada warrants a mention if for nothing else than the unique sincerity of its emotional thrust; there has never been such a somber meditation on the meaning of art from an artist at death’s door and coming from Schrader, one of the form’s most underrated auteurs, its poignancy rings all the clearer.

Amongst the candidates themselves, I would pick RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barne’s work on Nickel Boys for the way in which they weave together their larger-than-life narrative through the eyes of two men, retaining a humanity while commenting on larger strucutral issues.


Yet, I believe that Peter Straughan will MOST LIKELY take home this prize for his work on Conclave. His script balances the urgency, mystery, and spiritual stakes of the film without compromising on any of those aspects and should have the most widespread appeal amongst the voters.

SOUND

FILM	NOMINEES
A Complete Unknown	Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey, and David Giammarco
Dune: Part Two	Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill
Emilia Pérez	Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz, and Niels Barletta
Wicked	Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson, and John Marquis
The Wild Robot	Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo, and Leff Lefferts

Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill‘s work on Dune: Part Two will MOST LIKELY win, especially due to the lack of particularly standout work from any of the other candidates.

Yet, it is the work of those responisble for Nosferatu’s soundscape that is glaringly missing. The crunchy, off-putting dissonances of the film were certainly the most visceral pieces of mixing I’ve heard in any film of the year and made the experience what it was.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

FILM	COMPOSERS
The Brutalist	Daniel Blumberg
Conclave	Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez	Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked	John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot	Kris Bowers

There is Daniel Blumberg’s work on The Brutalist and then the other candidates. His work makes the film thump and pound as it does, as he expertely layers his sounds to bleed the diegetic and non-diegetic elements of the soundscape. His triumphant score sets the tone for the film and its transformation throughout serves to formally align and juxtapose the films’ competing elements.

Even those who may not enjoy the film cannot help but be swept away by the operatic, grandiose quality of the score. Therefore, I believe that Daniel Blumberg is MOST LIKELY to win.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s work on both Challengers and Queer have been notibly omitted in spite of their vastly distinctive, yet equally evocatives dressing of their respective films. Neither of Guadagnino’s films are what they are without these aural textures, but given the exclusion of both of these works from any of the categories, it’s no surprise that the aural accoutrements of the works would get any recognition.

In addition, Kensuke Ushio’s work on The Colors Within is frustratingly missing in spite of the film’s explicit focus on music and the creation process that goes into the art-form. This is a score which features wonderful uses of the theremin amongst other instruments and its exclusion owes to The Academy’s general retience to acknowledge animated works outside of their animated qualities.

Finally, Robin Carolan’s operatic work on Nosferatu needs to be mentioned. The grandiose gothic leanings of the score transforms the represesed, dark vestiges it traverses into pockets of catharsis and generates beauty from the nightmarish.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

SONG	FILM	NOMINEES
El Mal	Emilia Pérez	Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; lyrics by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard
The Journey	The Six Triple Eight	Music and lyrics by Diane Warren
Like a Bird	Sing Sing	Music and lyrics by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
Mi Camino	Emilia Pérez	Music and lyrics by Camille and Clément Ducol
Never Too Late	Elton John: Never Too Late	Music and lyrics by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, and Bernie Taupin

El Mal will MOST LIKELY win the award and of the Emilia Pérez nominations this is certainly the one that I can get behind. The song is wonderfully choregraphed, featuring an absoltuely electric Zoe Saldaña who nails delivering the song with such finesse alongside with the electric camera movements that one can’t help but get into the rythm of the song as its use within its context.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

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

This is a race between Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet but I still believe that the former is MOST LIKELY to win the award due to his success at ceremonies during awards season.

However, the biggest omission from the performances is from Timothée Chalamet’s work in Dune: Part Two, which I think is a step above nominated work (which is absolutely wonderful). His range and transformation in Villeneuve’s work is absolutely transfixing.

Additionally, Justice Smith’s performance in I Saw the TV Glow is riveting and his calm, awkward, often self-abasing performance is filled with nuance and depth, sublmiating the film’s themes into facial expressions and physical ticks that devastate.

Gaudagnino’s leading men are also noticeably missing from recognition: Mike Faist absolutely serves in Challengers oscillating between competitive, hurt, horny, and complacent whenever the film needs; Daniel Craig’s somber longing makes Queer as melancholic and wistful as it is and showcases a depth which hasn’t been prevalent in his work up to this point.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

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

Given his absolute decimation of this category throughout the season’s award shows, it’s not a MOST LIKELY as much as it is an inevitability that Kieran Culkin will win the award for his emotionally compelling work in A Real Pain.

However, it is Guy Pearce’s performance in The Brutalist which should win. It is an immense performance filled with nuances that elude surface level analysis and his ability to go toe-to-toe with Brody’s lead performance is what makes The Brutalist as engrossing and devastating as it is.

Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Willem DaFoe’s performances in Nosferatu are notable omissions as the two men who play counter-roles in the context of their characters relation to the supernatural nature of the plot give it the depth it needs to be as resonant.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

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

This is a race between Mikey Madison and Demi Moore and while I would personally tip my hat more to Madison, especially due to The Substance’s reliance on a balancing act between Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, the momentum is fully behind Moore who I believe is MOST LIKELY to win the award.

However, the inclusion of Demi Moore’s work in a genre film makes the omission Lily-Rose Depp’s performance in Nosferatu all the more troubling. Depp goes into full hystrionics in a way that is incredibly dificult to pull-off without coming off as caricature and she is the heart and soul of Eggers’ dark masterpiece.

Additionally, Kristen Dunst needs to be mentioned for her emotionally vulnerable, subtle transformative work in Civil War. Her arc is that of the film and is the necesary feature which lets the ending hit with the intensity by which it does.

Finally, Maika Monroe’s performance in Longlegs needs to be noted. Her quiet, socially-awkward cuts new ground in the genre and serves as the perfect vehicle for the audience to delve into the darker underpinnings of the world the film examines.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

FILM	ACTRESS
A Complete Unknown	Monica Barbaro
Wicked	Ariana Grande
The Brutalist	Felicity Jones
Conclave	Isabella Rosselini
Emilia Pérez	Zoe Saldaña

Given her absolute decimation of this category throughout the season’s award shows, it’s not a MOST LIKELY as much as it is an inevitability that Zoe Saldaña will win the award for her emotionally compelling work in The Holdovers.

However, it is Felicity Jones’ performance in The Brutalist which would be my personal choice as her appearance in the film triggers the dominos that make its conlcuding moments as poignant and cathartic as they are. Her show-stopping scene near the film’s end is utterly mesmerizing and is the best bit of acting amongst all the nominated performances.

Marget Qualley’s performance in The Substance is the biggest omission and one that has baffled me since the start of the Awards Show season given how much her balancing act with Demi Moore makes the film. Focusing on one performance over the other feels antiethical to the point the film makes which makes the lack of praise for one actress and the overwhelming support for the other absolutely puzzling. If Moore deserves her kudos(which she does), then Qualley deserves the same equally so.