Oscars 2023 Best Picture Nominees, Ranked
It’s time for the 95th Academy Awards. Here’s a list of the ten films nominated for Best Picture ranked from worst to best.
Ten films vie for the most prestigious honor in cinema this weekend: the Academy Award for Best Picture. From Elvis Presley to Lydia Tár; fighter pilot to cruise captain; Jenny the Donkey to Bennie the Monkey; and hotdog fingers to severed fingers, the films nominated this year have charmed audiences with their larger-than-life characters and stories. As per how Academy members vote for this category — a preferential ballot — here’s my very own ranking of this year’s Best Picture nominees.
10. ‘Elvis’ (dir. Baz Luhrmann)
There is just simply no way of getting through awards season without the annual overhyped sappy biopic, and the honor this year goes to none other than Elvis — Baz Luhrmann’s biographical drama about the King of Rock and Roll. Known for his frenetic and theatrical style with films like Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, the Australian filmmaker cranks up his signature manic energy to dangerously turbulent levels, leaving the film to fight for itself amidst fast cuts and dizzying transitions. Unfortunately, Elvis seems more interested in Elvis’ enigmatic manager Colonel Tom Parker than in Elvis himself, and this framing of narrative ultimately becomes the film’s biggest downfall. Played by Tom Hanks in what must’ve been one of his worst performances yet, Parker needlessly looms over every scene like a cartoon villain, stifling Elvis even in his most glorious moments on stage.
Austin Butler settles comfortably into the titular role, so much that he apparently hasn’t been able to shake off Elvis’s voice years after filming. His performance is charismatic and largely faithful to the spirit of Elvis in all his sex appeal and stage presence. However, Luhrmann refuses to let Butler’s Elvis catch his breath for even a moment, making it difficult to critique his performance when there is just so much going on at once. It is only in the film’s final moments when Luhrmann takes his foot off the pedal and gives a minute to sit with real-life footage of Elvis. And strangely, that is when the film finally resonates.
9. ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (dir. James Cameron)
13 years after the first Avatar film became the highest-grossing film of all time, Oscar-winning director James Cameron makes his return to the cinematic world of Pandora. Branded with the subtitle The Way of Water, the blockbuster sequel follows the Na’vi as they face new threats on land and are forced to seek refuge with a seafaring clan. Amongst new faces joining the franchise to play the new oceanic comrades is Kate Winslet, who famously held her breath for over seven minutes while filming an underwater scene.
The Way of Water is a technical marvel, I concur. A simple web search on the film will return the same stories of triumphant breakthrough in underwater performance capture and visual effects. Though it’s also pretty much the only thing the film has to offer. In all honesty, The Way of Water is a sensory overload that blurs in the mind as quickly as it strikes. Cameron exploits the deep oceanic blue — it’s undoubtedly a fair excuse for a visual feast, but beyond the relentless waves of sanitized visuals, there is really not much to be passionate about in this sprawling film of 192 minutes. The plot is shockingly paper-thin, and the only character that really makes a lasting impression is Payakan, an outcasted whale that somehow conjures more affection and sympathy than everyone else put together.
It becomes ironic when the film repeatedly echoes the hackneyed line “The way of water has no beginning and no end,” because the same could be said about the film itself. And with two more sequels already on the way, this is definitely not the end for Cameron, his blue people, and his imperial complex for fleeting enjoyment.
8. ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ (dir. Edward Berger)
This year will not be the first time a film titled All Quiet on the Western Front was nominated for the Oscars, in fact, the 1930 film adaptation of the Erich Maria Remarque’s World War I novel won Best Picture at the 3rd Academy Awards. One may then question the purpose of yet another film adaptation, but the tremendous advancement of technology in cinema over the past 90 years seems to offer a sufficiently good reason. The end result is a harrowing anti-war epic by Swiss director Edward Berger with sharp technical precision and anchored by a highly affecting lead performance by Felix Kammerer in his screen debut.
Amidst a volatile political landscape, it’s certain that a film underscoring the senseless destruction of war will resonate. While All Quiet largely engages with the psychological examination of the soldier’s mind in battle, it’s sometimes muddled by its frivolous tendency to impress. The film’s striking excellence in technical craft becomes a double-edged sword, for its ever-realistic depiction of bloodied violence and battered brutality almost turns into a visual spectacle seeking to thrill audiences. The thundering three-note leitmotif is then the sinister wake-up call jolting us back to reality each time it echoes throughout the trenches, reminding us of the harsh realities of warfare and how it lingers, pervades, and destroys.
7. ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (dir. Joseph Konsinski)
Since the pandemic hit, cineplexes worldwide became apprehensive on whether the theatrical experience had been permanently altered, but one high-flying blockbuster last summer proves moviegoers are still keen to pay the cinema a visit after all. Starring Tom Cruise as the titular fighter pilot, reprising his role from the original 1986 Top Gun film, Top Gun: Maverick quickly became 2022’s biggest success story with its unprecedented word of mouth spread, sending moviegoers back to theaters in droves for a great amount of cinematic adrenaline rush. Its success was so astronomical that Steven Spielberg even told Cruise: “You saved Hollywood’s ass and you might have saved theatrical distribution”.
Not only does the film make the most out of Cruise’s irresistible movie star charisma, its ensemble cast of Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly, and more each deliver charming performances and add a lot of warmth to the action spectacle. With that said, it’s Val Kilmer’s reappearance as Iceman that will strike a chord with longtime fans, and Cruise’s brief exchange with Kilmer is one that really tugs at the heartstrings. While the first Top Gun offering flounders with its half-baked plot and lackluster action sequences, the action in Maverick is finely calibrated. Every scene is engaging, entertaining, and truly, Hollywood movie magic operating at full capacity. And when the film dials up to Mach 10, you’ll just have to surrender yourself to the high speeds and let the film take you on the craziest ride.
6. ‘Women Talking’ (dir. Sarah Polley)
Not only does Women Talking makes its presence felt in this roster of films with its electrifying ensemble of actresses, it’s also the only woman-directed film in the line-up of ten (Justice for Aftersun!). Helmed by Canadian actor-director Sarah Polley, the film tells the story of a group of Mennonite women who were sexually assaulted by men in their colony and now come together to decide if they should do nothing, stay and fight, or leave.
As the title suggests, Women Talking centers two very important things — womanhood and the power of discourse. Polley tackles the heavy subject matter with care, making sure to give each woman her own voice every time they convene in the barn. In some ways, the hayloft is a safe space for these women to express themselves, and a place where liberation is offered, even if fleetingly. Polley also makes an important change to the Miriam Toews book she adapts from. In Toews’ novel, the story is narrated by August, who appears to be the only male comrade of the women. Polley instead presents the film through the perspective of Autje, who narrates the story to Ona’s unborn child. This radical change shifts the focus from the male observer to the woman who lived through the incident, passing on her wisdom to the young girl of tomorrow. Thus, Polley emphasizes the importance of change that these women so gravely desire.
Actresses like Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, and Rooney Mara may be more familiar faces to the average viewer, and while they each deliver competent performances, Women Talking is so much more than a mere acting showcase for awards play. Its entire ensemble cast work amazingly together to fill the gaps of one another, striking a fine balance between affirming individuality and sisterly solidarity.
5. ‘The Fabelmans’ (dir. Steven Spielberg)
Often known for epic thrills like Jurassic Park and Jaws, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg looks inward with his latest offering The Fabelmans, a semi-autobiographical film loosely based on his own childhood. The protagonist is one Sammy Fabelman: a wide-eyed boy who discovers his love for cinema after seeing Cecil B. DeMille’s The Greatest Show on Earth in the theaters. As Sammy grows older, the cinephile in him flourishes, and soon enough he starts making his own films with his peers in the Boy Scouts.
The Fabelmans is a coming-of-age story crossed with intimate family drama, but more importantly it’s also a film about the value of retrospective discernment of the artist. In one pivotal scene, Sammy’s parents, played by the brilliant Paul Dano and Michelle Williams, erupt into an argument. Momentarily, Sammy imagines himself filming the scene, wishing to have captured footage of the event. This longing becomes a self-reflexive parallel for the present-day Spielberg, one where he reopens childhood wounds and recreates his trauma for this very film itself. Sammy’s guilt is evergreen and personal, while Spielberg’s remorse is informed by his being as a seasoned filmmaker. At this instance they collapse onto a single plane, allowing Spielberg to reconcile the personal with the professional. It’s in moments like these where Spielberg illuminates the tensions of the storyteller, where distinctions between trauma and fodder for art often get blurred. More than a love letter to cinema, The Fabelmans is ultimately Spielberg’s letter to himself.
4. ‘Triangle of Sadness’ (dir. Ruben Östlund)
Thanks to his divisive satires, Swedish director Ruben Östlund has quickly become one of cinema’s most polarizing filmmakers of recent times. His latest film Triangle of Sadness made a huge splash at Cannes last year, nabbing him a second consecutive Palme d’Or following his 2017 film The Square.
While The Square felt more smug and heavy-handed in its satire and condemnation of the insular art world, the more universal approach of Triangle of Sadness lends itself sufficient broad appeal. With its crass humor and rowdy comedic style, it’s a film that is likely to play well with a huge crowd regardless of political inclinations. Subtlety has never been Östlund’s brand, but the obvious messaging actually works well here, for it pushes characters of privilege into unsettling circumstances and prompts viewers to align with respective characters to confront their privilege on the spot. Östlund examines power structures of gender, class, and race, though he is less interested in taking down the privileged than to construct a world for people of different backgrounds to interact.
The three-act film keeps audiences on their toes with a series of wacky scenarios, but it’s in the final act where the film really turns on its head. Power structures are subverted when a luxury cruise is shipwrecked and the guests find themselves stranded on a remote island. This is when Filipina actress Dolly de Leon emerges as Abigail, the thankless cruise cleaner who quickly rises to the leader position with her impeccable survival skills. While de Leon is absent for most of the film, even that alone is a commentary in itself, where service staff are often sidelined and left to fend for themselves on the margins. And when a literal shipwreck topples hierarchy, de Leon’s Abigail can charge to the foreground and steal the whole film with her unapologetic and commanding presence. Truly, an Oscar nomination robbed for de Leon.
3. ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (dir. Martin McDonagh)
14 years after his feature film debut In Bruges, a boisterous two-hander black comedy starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, writer-director Martin McDonagh reunites with the same duo for his new tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin. In this intimate tale set on the fictional remote island of Inisherin, an unassuming spat between two friends played by Farrell and Gleeson slowly spirals into a bleak but poignant examination of the human condition.
Besides Farrell and Gleeson, the film also spotlights underappreciated Irish actors Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan — the former being a frequent collaborator of McDonagh since his humble playwright days; the latter as a breakout star since his role as Druig in Marvel’s Eternals. All four actors land their first Oscar nomination with Banshees, a testament to how strong an acting showcase the film was from beginning to end. Indeed, the four actors all have a good amount of material to work with and the film’s insular quality helps to magnify the actors’ performances and allow viewers to zero in on the characters’ nuances and idiosyncrasies.
For Farrell, Banshees is undoubtedly a career high, and yet another bright spot on the leading man’s impressive acting resume. His Pádraic is so beautifully layered and intricate, right down to a single eyebrow twitch, and his sublime performance serves as the gateway to examine the unsettling complexities of mortality. Gleeson is reliable as always as the film’s pseudo-villain, but it’s the sublime turns from Condon and Keoghan that will surprise viewers and drum up a lot of sympathy for their characters. In particular, Condon’s Siobhán is the perfect audience surrogate, deriding the absurd antics of the men on the island, while at the same time, also plagued with loneliness and nihilism herself.
Inisherin may not be real, but the film’s Irish physicality is as authentic as it gets. From the charming Celtic fiddles and hilarious Irish slangs to the ominous backdrop of the Irish Civil War looming offshore, McDonagh positions Banshees as a proud Irish export, unashamed to bask in full Irish spirit. It’s feckin amazing.
2. ‘TÁR’ (dir. Todd Field)
The first thing my friend did after watching TÁR was to look up “Lydia Tár” on the internet, only to realize the film is not a biopic at all. She’s not alone for this blunder; many people have also mistakenly thought that Lydia Tár was a real person. This amusing gaffe is a strong testament to the genius mind of writer-director Todd Field, having crafted such an elaborate and layered character from scratch.
Cate Blanchett plays the titular character: a world-renowned maestro fearlessly committed to her art. Field wrote the role specifically for Blanchett, and it’s clear after watching the film why he wanted the Australian thespian to play this towering character. Tár is indeed a lot of things—she’s ambitious, self-absorbed, obsessive, and paranoid. It’s a role that demands the actor to channel all they’ve got into their craft. Given her repertoire of complex female characters, it doesn’t seem like a stretch to envision Blanchett playing Tár. Nonetheless, she delivers a performance for the ages; never once does she falter in Field’s unwavering character study spanning over 158 minutes.
TÁR is as highbrow as it gets amongst this year’s slate of nominees. Operating in a distinguished realm of the elite, Tár’s esoteric references may be hard to decipher at times, but that establishes a distance between us, the common folk, and Tár, in all her power and ego. This distance further emphasizes the film’s interest in power dynamics, something that is remarkably explored through Tár’s relationships with her subordinates. From her wife and first chair Sharon, to her assistant Francesca, to young blood Olga, each connection is different yet the same — Tár finds a way to exploit each of these women for her own benefit.
Since the film’s premiere at Venice, Lydia Tár has become an iconic figure in pop culture, being the subject of memes and even a parody Twitter account. While she suffers from a tragic fall from grace in the film, her legacy only looks to strengthen with each passing day in real life. Long live Lydia Tár.
1. ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (dir. Daniels)
Tipped as the hot favorite to win the top prize this Sunday, A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once has come a long way since its frontrunner status. The indie comedy-drama had a relatively muted premiere at SXSW almost an entire year ago in March 2022, then slowly began to pick up buzz with a wide theatrical release in April. Audience ratings were noticeably high and word began to spread about this absurdist film with a wildly original premise that traverses genres and demographics.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, otherwise known as Daniels, the film is a gigantic swing at the multiverse concept, telling the tale of a middle-aged Asian-American immigrant Evelyn who suddenly discovers parallel versions of herself. Evelyn is played by the sublime Michelle Yeoh, whose performance is an instant all-timer. It’s a multifaceted role tailor-made for her and combines all her strengths as an actress, demanding her to not only tap on her dramatic chops, but flair for physical comedy and martial arts. Through a whirlwind of preposterous events, Evelyn faces head on with lofty themes from existentialism and nihilism to generational trauma and immigrant identity, but one thing remains consistent: the Daniels grounding the film in family and love.
Since its release, the film has taken on a life of its own, not only having insane legs at the box office but also its endless clout on social media. At one point, it was the top-rated feature film of all time on Letterboxd, and remains at a respectable 20th place. With its genre-bending quality, Asian-led cast, and overtly millennial humor, Everything Everywhere All at Once couldn’t be anything further from the typical Oscar bait film. It’s been almost a year since the film changed my life when I first saw it, and I still cannot believe it is now the Best Picture frontrunner. For it to win Best Picture would signal a legitimate shift in the Academy’s demographics and voting patterns, and prove that the Academy isn’t as close-minded as before unlike what many have imagined. Fingers crossed for the big night.
