95th Academy Awards | Who will be favored by the Academy?

Everything Everywhere All at Once (Everything, everywhere, all at once) is the production that has the best chance of winning statuettes at the next Oscars night. Quoted 11 times, will this film by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, as delirious as it is bursting, obtain the favors of the members of the Academy? Or will they prefer to devote a more “traditional” production like The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans Where In the west, nothing is new ? Five observations about the list of finalists unveiled on Tuesday.

Hot competition among performers

There were already favorable rumors around most of the actresses and actors in the running in the interpretation categories. Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Paul Mescal (aftersun) and Bill Nighy (Living) will engage in a fierce battle. If, on the women’s side, Cate Blanchett’s performance in Tar seems to be above the fray, it remains only the enthusiastic affection that Michelle Yeoh arouses, formidable in Everything Everywhere All at Once, could shuffle the cards. If the presences of Ana de Armas (Blonde hair) and Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) were also expected in this category, it is quite different from that of Andrea Riseborough. The British actress is the headliner of To Leslie, a film absent from the major festival circuit and which, unless I’m mistaken, has never been released here. Directed by Michael Morris, it is however offered on the platforms. In the supporting categories, Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) go favorites.

German production in an excellent position

All Quiet on the Western Frontcompeting in nine categories, including best film of the year, is the international title ofIm Westen nichts Neues. This third film adaptation of the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque has the distinction of having been produced entirely, unlike the other two, in the country of origin of the author. Under the leadership of Edward Berger (Jack, Germany 83), supported by a technology which obviously did not have its predecessors (the most famous version, made by Lewis Milestone, was released in 1930!), In the west, nothing is new becomes an immersive experience, intended to plunge the viewer into the horror of the First World War trenches. Broadcast by Netflix, the film is a finalist in the categories reserved for best film, best international film, adapted screenplay, cinematography, makeup and hairstyles, musical score, art direction, sound and effects. visuals.

France absent

A major surprise marked the announcement of the finalists in the category of best international film. One of the big favorites to get one of the five places available was Saint Omer, the French candidate. Alice Diop’s excellent film, Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival, has however been dismissed. In this category, the German entry All Quiet on the Western Front seems unbeatable, simply because it was also selected in several other categories (including Best Film of the Year). That said, one should not overlook Argentina, 1985, which recently won the Golden Globe for best film in a language other than English. The fight will be all the tighter since two films launched at the Cannes Film Festival last year are also in the game: the moving CloseBelgian Lukas Dhont, who won the Grand Prix, and the amazing EOby the Polish Jerzy Skolimowski, Jury Prize. The Quiet Girlby the Irishman Colm Bairéad, winner of the Grand Prix in the Generation Kplus section in Berlin last year, completes the selection.

The return of boy club ?

After the successive triumphs of Chloé Zhao (nomadland) in 2021 and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) last year, the directors are this time excluded from the category of the best realization, which has only five finalists. Sarah Polley could perhaps have hoped for a selection since Women Talking is one of the 10 productions in the running for the Oscar for best film, but the members of the Academy who are part of the filmmakers branch have decided otherwise. They instead set their sights on Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin), Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans), Todd Field (Tar) and Ruben Ostlünd (Triangle of Sadness). This is the ninth citation in this category for Steven Spielberg, who had already won in 1994 (Schindler’s List) and in 1999 (Saving Private Ryan). If ever the honor went to the “Daniels”, it would be the first victory for a tandem since the coronation of Joel and Ethan Coen in 2008, thanks to No Country for Old Men.

A disappointment and an outstretched hand…

Since the release of his wonderful Pinocchio, Guillermo del Toro takes advantage of all the forums available to him to assert that an animated film is cinema in its own right. His message, however, does not seem to have been heard by members of the Academy. Apart from an – expected – citation in the category of best animated film, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio conspicuous by its absence everywhere else, including in the category of the best original song (Ciao Dad). Furthermore, it will be interesting to see if the selections of major popular productions such as Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick, both selected in the category of best film of the year in particular, will bring viewers back to their small screen to follow the ceremony. Presented by Jimmy Kimmel, the 95^e Oscar Party will be held on March 12 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.