The BAFTA nominations are here!
Thursday, January 19, 2023 at 9:01AM
Cláudio Alves in Aftersun, All Quiet on the Western Front, BAFTA, Elvis, Everything Everwyhere All At Once, Punditry, The Banshees of Inisherin, Tár

by Cláudio Alves

Despite four nominations, this was a sad day for "Aftersun" | © A24

In the last two years, BAFTA managed to distance itself from the precursor norm, asserting an individual identity separated from the affairs of predicting the Oscars. Well, it seems such idiosyncrasies were a short-lived fad if this year's nominations are to be trusted. The weirdest thing about their latest slew of nominees is how much they align with expectations and repudiate the very possibility of weirdness. All Quiet on the Western Front leads the pack with 14 nominations, having been recognized in all possible categories apart from Best Actor. Next, we find The Banshees of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once, with ten each. Those are the only titles whose bounty amounts to double-digit nods.

Come discover the complete list of nominees, after the jump…

 

"TÁR" | © Focus FeaturesBEST FILM

The Fabelmans underperformed in the longlists, so its absence isn't surprising. Top Gun's lack of recognition is more shocking, though that shouldn't indicate any fragility on Oscar nomination morning. Elvis keeps getting stronger and stronger, as does All Quiet on the Western Front. With five nominations, TÁR is the likely fifth-placer among the bunch.

 

BEST DIRECTOR 

Park Chan-wook and Gina Prince-Bythewood are two smashing surprises, while the rest are relatively unexciting choices. The saddest exclusion is certainly Aftersun, whose good longlist presence made it seem like it was more of a hit with the BAFTA's voting body. Justice for Charlotte Wells!

 

"Good Luck to You, Leo Grande" | © Searchlight Pictures BEST LEADING ACTRESS

Williams misses, underlining how much the British Academy didn't care for The Fabelmans. Still, after SAG also ignored her, her spot in the Oscar lineup feels increasingly unsecured. This is an excellent get for Deadwyler, who felt like she was fading in the race, while Ana de Armas continues her surge to a nomination. Emma Thompson is a delightful addition too, but the competition is still a death match between Blanchett and Yeoh.

 

BEST LEADING ACTOR

McCormack's nomination was the day's most pleasant surprise, while Mescal's nomination elicited a breath of relief. Farrell will likely triumph here while Cruise's chances at an elusive Best Actor Oscar nomination dwindle. One wonders if the Aftersun star can get in for such an understated performance, but hope is everlasting, and this is a lovely boost to the young thespian's campaign.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

I wonder if Bassett can continue her televised awards sweep with BAFTA or if another contender will rise to the top. Dolly De Leon nabs another major precursor, while Carey Mulligan probably benefits from some home-turf advantage. Film Twitter is surely aflutter with outrage for Curtis' nomination over Hsu.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 

Schuch and Ward are the more idiosyncratic picks, while Redmayne surges. It should be noted that Oscar nomination voting ended before this announcement, so they won't influence the final results. However, since BAFTA's membership overlaps with the Academy, their choices might reveal where the industry's attention is focusing. It'll be interesting to see if Ke Huy Quan can continue his sweep or if one of the Banshees actors will triumph here instead.

 

BEST CASTING

On the one hand, Aftersun making this lineup is fairly hilarious, considering it only has two roles of prominence. On the other hand, considering it got so little love in other categories, let's not complain about this honor. The Banshees of Inisherin not making the cut may indicate a slight preference for Everything Everywhere All At Once in the major categories where the two titles are in direct competition.

 

"The Banshees of Inisherin" | © Searchlight Pictures

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

This is The Fabelmans' only BAFTA nomination, a curious place to honor the film all in all. Truth be told, I expect this to be a perfect replica of the eventual Oscar lineup.

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A major miss for Women Talking, which got zero nominations from BAFTA. The Whale scores here after getting zilch from the USC Scripter, while The Quiet Girl is a brilliant addition that won't affect anyone's Oscar predictions. It would have been wonderful if these lists were filled, top to bottom, with such oddball choices instead of the usual suspects.

 

"Elvis" | © Warner Bros.

BEST EDITING

I can only laugh at The Banshees of Inisherin's nomination, or else I might cry.

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Is this our Oscar lineup? It wouldn't surprise me, though one shouldn't discount a last-minute surge for The Fabelmans and/or Avatar: The Way of Water.

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

That Pinocchio nomination is sublime and a rare celebration of stop-motion scenography. The rest are the expected titles, give or take the Avatar snub.

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The All Quiet on the Western Front and Amsterdam nominations hurt my heart. I get the former, though you'll never get me excited for movie wardrobes singularly made up of military uniforms recreation. It's interesting to note that all of these are 20th-century set period films. Usually, you get either fantasy or earlier historical styles in contention. The last time something comparable happened was in 1990, though Pretty Women is no period film but the rare contemporary narrative nominated for Costume Design.

 

"Everything Everywhere All At Once" | © A24

BEST MAKE UP & HAIR 

Curious that Amsterdam made it into costumes but not makeup. However, it should be noted that Matilda is not among the Oscar finalists, having been left out of the shortlist.

 

BEST SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Once again, we find four Oscar-shortlisted titles, plus another title. This time, it's Everything Everywhere All At Once, underlining the British Academy's love for the weird sci-fi epic melodrama.

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE 

Another tragic miss for Women Talking. In other news, the possibility of Son Lux being Oscar nominees is delightful to me.

 

BEST SOUND

The pattern continues here, with TÁR being the odd man out. But, honestly, I'm rooting for it, if nothing else, because it'd be the most chaotic choice possible.

 

"All Quiet on the Western Front" | © Netflix

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

It's refreshing, if not necessarily pleasant, to see one of these lineups exclude RRR. The biggest beneficiaries of that absence are Corsage and The Quiet Girl. Nice to see that more than half of the nominees are also represented in other categories.

 

BEST ANIMATED FILM 

Since the Academy has five slots to fill, instead of only four, I assume The Bad Guys will be added to this quartet. Pinocchio is the only nominee with additional nominations (Production Design + Score).

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Fire of Love and Moonage Daydream continue to amass Best Documentary honors. Let's see if they can keep this momentum with the Academy, whose branch is famously resistant to films made chiefly from archival footage.

 

"Blue Jean" | © Magnolia Pictures

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM 

As someone who thinks The Wonder is one of 2022's most unfairly underrated gems, I'm overjoyed to see it recognized here. In any case, The Banshees of Inisherin has this in the bag.

 

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER 

Rooting for Aftersun while also yearning to finally see Blue Jean. I can't believe I'm this excited about a film centering on a PE teacher.

 

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM

An Irish Goodbye is also shortlisted for the Oscars.

 

BEST BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is also shortlisted for the Oscars

 

The EE Rising Star Award nominees were previously announced and represent the only category where the public chooses the winner. With his Best Actor nomination, Daryl McCormack is the only "rising star" celebrated outside of that specific lineup. 

What were your favorite BAFTA nominations? What were the most egregious snubs?

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
See website for complete article licensing information.