Oscar Volley: How do you choose only 15 finalists for "Best International Feature"?

Team Experience will be discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here’s Elisa Giudici and Abe Friedtanzer…

Argentina, 1985

ELISA: Abe, have been handed one of the toughest Oscar volleys of the year. The Best International Film category is maddening: more than 90 possible contenders, the majority of whom are still unavailable. My first impression this year is that no movie has already locked up a nomination. There is no Parasite, no Another Round, no crystal-clear, 100% sure contender who can sleep tight until the nomination morning. Do you have the same impression? 

There are of course some strong contenders in the category, such as Argentina, 1985. I saw this movie in Venice and underestimated its crowdpleasing power...

It is enjoyable, sure, but far too simplistic in how it depicts Argentina after the dictatorship. In the movie it's always easy to tell the good people from the bad ones. Courtrooms become utopian spaces in the movie, as lawyers fight for the truth and are always prepared with the appropriate one-liner joke to assert their strength. That's a limitation artistically, for me, but it is probably the strategic strength of this title: giving The Academy a movie that's so black and white about history when everything right now feels gray and unredeemable. Also, who can resist the amazing Ricardo Darín portraying the heroic Julio César Strasser?

Saint Omer

As we speak of Venice and courtrooms, a powerful film like Saint Omer stands out as an unsure bet, despite the stellar reviews. The effect of the movie is the opposite, exploring the motif and the hidden truth of a young woman accused of being a modern Medea. Alice Diop presents us with a woman portraying herself as a villain, but who also possesses all the characteristics of a victim. All the subtlety and moral ambiguity that Argentina, 1985 lacks is at the very heart of Diop's first non-documentary film.  

Do you think the early availability of a title on streaming services can help its race in this category? Argentina, 1985 is not the only strong contender in this position…

ABE: I also think Argentina, 1985 is a good bet for a nomination since it's easy to like even if not that many people love it. That likely won't lead to a win, but it should be enough for a nomination. I don't think that Saint Omer is quite as safe, but it should be able to make the finalist list of 15.

ELISA: Do you think the early availability of a title on streaming services can help its race in this category? Argentina, 1985 which is streaming on Amazon Prime is not the only strong contender in this position…

All Quiet on the Western Front

ABE: The film that to me stands out as the current frontrunner both for a nomination and a win is All Quiet on the Western Front, from Germany. Not only is it based on the same source material as the Best Picture winner from just over a century ago, but it also happens to be a terrific and very powerful film. On the note of accessibilit, I do wonder if All Quiet being available on Netflix will actually do it a disservice. I was fortunate to see it on a big screen at TIFF, and it strikes me as something that may not have the same power when watched at home and interrupted by pauses. That said, I imagine most voters watch screeners on their TVs anyway, so maybe that doesn't play into it at all.

I don't think there are any other locks, but there are a few solid bets to at least make the finals that I want to highlight before I offer an FYC for a few of my favorites that I would definitely call underdogs. Close, from Belgium, is a powerful drama from Lukas Dhont that is far less problematic than his first feature, Girl, which received a Golden Globe nomination but didn't make it to the Oscar nomination. Corsage (Austria) and Bardo (Mexico) benefit from having recognizable people associated with them - actress Vicky Krieps and Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, respectively - and will surely siphon votes even if I'm not sure either can go the distance. EO (Poland) stars a donkey and people (our own Cláudio included) love it. Holy Spider (Denmark) is a very well-made story tying together serial murders and religion, and Decision to Leave (South Korea) is an intriguing entry from Park Chan-wook. It would somehow be only the second-ever Korean film nominated in this category if it goes the distance.

Close

Are there any strong contenders that you think we haven't covered yet?

ELISA: I think you are right in crowning All Quiet on the Western Front as the probable frontrunner, at least for making the final shortlist. Not so sure about victory though. I think some titles - such as Corsage, Close, Holy Spider, and Decision to Leave - have plenty of time and room to grow in terms of buzz and voter love. All Quiet on the Western Front is the early frontrunner: this is not always a blessing.

Bardo

The most difficult movie for me to predict is Alejandro González Inárritu’s Bardo. Since I saw it in Venice with the old, longer edit, I don't have the energy or interest to watch the updated, shorter one. It is clear that he is by far the most well known contender in the category and being Hollywood-Famous is a clear advantage. Voters will probably prioritize viewing Bardo just because of the man behind it. On the other hand, Bardo offers a lot to see and experience, but not always in a pleasant way.

Having so many contenders at this point in the race, I’d like to ask you if you have a particular favorite. I do: Corsage and Decision to Leave are two of my favorite movies of the year, so I'm rooting for them.

ABE: I do indeed have a few favorites, though my enthusiasm doesn't necessarily translate into nominations or the finalist list. The least likely to make the cut among my favs is Muru from New Zealand, that I saw at TIFF. In addition to its home country never having been nominated, it's a compelling, powerful story about violence against a native population that I think deserves to be seen.

Eternal Spring

Two other small films that really wowed me are Eternal Spring, from Canada, and Return to Seoul, from Cambodia. The former is a creative look at a daring media heist in China to get the word out about a banned faith practice re-envisioned through animation. Like Flee last year, it will be eligible in three separate categories, Animated Feature, Documentary Feature, and International Feature. The latter is a moving portrait of a woman who grew up in France after being adopted at a young age from South Korea who meets her adoptive father for the first time as an adult. I'm not sure either has a great chance, but they're both terrific.

Girl Picture

The last film I want to champion is Girl Picture, which I know Nathaniel and Ben love, too. This film about the intersecting lives of three teenage girls features three fantastic performances. I had assumed incorrectly that Finland had been warmly embraced by Oscar voters in this category like the rest of Scandinavia, but it's actually only ever received one nomination, way back in 2002. Compartment No. 6 did make the finals last year, and I think Girl Picture can do the same this year. Hopefully it will make the final five!

In between these e-mails, I had the chance to see two other films that are noteworthy because of where they're coming from and what's going on in those places. One is Joyland, from Pakistan, which was briefly banned in its home country (more on that here). In addition to being a great film, it's possible that the attempted censorship of its content will compel Oscar voters to give it more attention. The other film is Klondike, from Ukraine, a very depressing showcase of a married couple whose home is partially destroyed as war begins and Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 is shot is down by Russian forces. While it depicts a conflict from nearly a decade ago, it could easily have been made now. It will resonate will voters sympathetic to the plight of the Ukrainian people, and supporting their film industry will likely feel like a positive step.

Joyland

Are there any other films we should mention, or should we wrap up by each predicting which 15 films will be shortlisted?

ELISA: Final recommendations from me: Utama and Alcarràs. The first is Bolivia’s entr and it is a must-see for people interested in movies dealing with ecological crises. I would describe it as Haneke’s Amour but with adorable lamas and impending catastrophe, with a touch of Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. Alcarràs, the winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin, is a striking tale of agriculturaorthodoxy. In it, a family faces the possibility of losing their farm and the enemy they are fighting against is… renewable energies!? Now that I am writing this, I realize Utama and Alcarràs are a perfect double feature.

Alcarràs

As for predictions, here are the titles I am most confident will make the 15 wide finalist list, in alphabetical order:

• Argentina - Argentina 1985
• Austria - Corsage
• Belgium – Close
• Bolivia – Utama
• Cambodia – Return to Seoul
• Denmark - Holy Spider
• France - Saint Omer
• Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
• Mexico - Bardo
• Pakistan – Joyland
• Poland – EO
• South Korea - Decision to Leave
• Spain – Alcarràs
• Sweden – Cairo Conspiracy
• Ukraine – Klondike 

ABE: I haven't seen Utama but I did have a chance to see and speak with the director of Alcarràs, which I found very compelling. I feel like the shortlist often has some real surprises, but it's hard to see those coming. It looks like we’re actually on the same page about what films are likeliest to show up, with 13/15 of the same choices!  My predictions replace Bolivia's Utama and  Sweden's Cairo Conspiracy in your list with...

• Australia - You Won't Be Alone
• Finland - Girl Picture

Decision to Leave

Readers, do you agree with our takes, and what major contenders are we missing?

RELATED:

Best Cinematography - with Eric and Chris
Best Makeup & Hairstyling - with Nathaniel & Elisa 
Best Film Editing - with Ben & Nick
Best Costume Design - with Cláudio & Elisa
Best Production Design - with Eurocheese & Nick
Best Original Song - with Eurocheese & Baby Clyde

Nathaniel's Oscar charts for Best International Film

Comments

[Edwin]

Despite (or perhaps because of?) the lack of a clear frontrunner, this category has the potential to be one of the best lineups in recent memory. There are at least three films that I could see being the eventual winner, and that’s not even taking into account that sometimes they throw a curveball at the end by going for a nominee most people didn’t even consider as the most likely spoiler in their predictions (2009 springs to mind).

The huge increase in attention paid to South Korean cinema and TV over the past few years thanks largely to Parasite and Squid Game makes me feel much more confident about Decision to Leave than I would have been in 2018, but I still have this strange suspicion that it has “surprise snub” written all over it. But then again, if it fails to make the list of finalists, that might actually work in its favor for a possible Screenplay or maybe even Director nomination since we’ve seen in past examples that controversial snubs by the committee can lead to a profile boost with the larger Academy membership.

[Kris]

I have only seen exactly half of the 92 so far, but out of these 41 and of those that you don't mention in your conversation, but I think have a fighting chance to get on the half-finalists list of 15:
Ireland - Silent girl
Norway - War sailor
Estonia - Kalev
Iceland - Beautiful beings
Iran - World war III
Iraq - The exam
Taiwan - Goddamned Asura
And my personal favorite of all the 92, that I've seen so far... premiered in Sundance 2021:
Thailand - One for the road

But to comment your bets:
Argentina - Argentina 1985 (should get nominated)
Australia - You won't be alone (no way this is getting on the list of 15 and it is not worth it either)
Austria - Corsage (should get on the list)
Belgium – Close (should get, but not in my personal TOP15)
Bolivia – Utama (I personally loved this film and maybe that's what makes me specially afraid they will pass this)
Cambodia – Return to Seoul (not on my personal TOP15...and I think it's not that safe to bet on this to academy's 15 either... although possible)
Denmark - Holy Spider (should be nominated)
Finland - Girl picture (loved this film and I hope it gets in)
France - Saint Omer (have not seen yet, but the buzz is strong)
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front (should get nominated
Mexico - Bardo (have not seen yet)
Pakistan – Joyland (kind of mixed feelings about this film... it's on my 15 favorites barely, but maybe it's more about the buzz than the film itself)
Poland – EO (should get among 15)
South Korea - Decision to Leave (should get nominated)
Spain – Alcarràs (not in my personal TOP15 and I hope they will pass it.. but I guess they won't)
Sweden – Cairo Conspiracy (have not seen this yet, but have a strong hunch this could get in)
Ukraine – Klondike (if this gets in, it's not because of the film itself, but because it's a film from Ukraine)

I also wonder how good are the films from Morocco, Colombia, Czech Republic and Algeria...have not seen these, but reading about the films, any of them can surprisingly get on the list also.
My guess for the 15 would be:
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Bolivia
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Mexico
Norway
Pakistan
Poland
South Korea
Sweden
Thailand

[Lucky]

I’ve heard great things about Colombia’s Kings of the World and I think it deserves a mention.

[Travis C]

Thanks for mentioning MURU, JOYLAND, KLONDIKE and YOU WON'T BE ALONE, which would all be in my five nominees if I had the privilege of picking the nominees. My fifth one would be Ireland's wonderful entry THE QUIET GIRL.

If any (or, heaven allow, all) of these got to the shortlist, I will be ecstatic. All of the frontrunners mentioned are solid (although I haven't seen ARGENTINA 1985, CORSAGE or SAINT OMER yet), but not as good as those five. (And, if any lose a spot to the self-indulgent BARDO..., I will be disappointed.)

[Kris]

Darn, my math is so bad :)
PS. just got to 42, but there's another 4 to go to get to "half"...
Phiewww :)

[Jone Martin]

Definitely, the Oscar team is looking to the acting that they did with purity and checking out the pubic views.

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