The Film Experience

Team Experience is discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here's Ben and Abe to talk Film Editing...

The Trinity Explosion editing from Oppenheimer

BEN: Abe, it's time for another talk about one of the most confounding categories at the Oscars...Best Editing!

Last year, I talked about this category with Nick Taylor and we talked specifically about how non-Best Picture nominees don't show up in this category, no matter how special their editing might be. Last year, they went 5/5 again. They even went with a nominee (The Banshees of Inisherin) with relatively unremarkable editing.

Why do you think the Academy is so apprehensive to care about the craft of the actual editing process?...

ABE: It’s a shame, since we’ve gotten interesting nominees like Baby Driver and I, Tonya in the past but then missed out on possibilities like Knives Out which looked solid. In this age of an expanded Best Picture field, it’s getting harder to find any non-BP nominee across most of the technical categories. And I think that’s because it’s easiest to feel like a strong, coherent film had to be well-assembled.

For this year, I feel like two of the frontrunners should also contend for Most Editing. Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan have made long films in the past, but Killers of the Flower Moon and Oppenheimer both feel particularly epic. It’s hard to imagine either of those missing out. Maestro also seems like a solid bet. After that, however, is anyone’s guess. Lighter fare like The Holdovers and American Fiction doesn’t seem likely to be rewarded here, and I don’t see The Color Purple showing up either.

There are two films I think could get nominated but I’m not secure about either - Poor Things and Anatomy of a Fall. What do you make of their chances?

Poor Things looks to be in good shape for a Best Editing nomination

BEN: I don't see a world where Oppenheimer, KotFM, and Poor Things miss. All three are locked‐in Best Picture nominees and expect double-digit nominations with tech mentions across the board. That being said, Avatar: The Way of Water and All Quiet on the Western Front both missed this category last year. I am fully expecting the three nomination front-runners to show up here, but I also won't be surprised when one misses.

I like the inclusion of Anatomy of a Fall, as it feels like the "actually, this film has the best editing" film. I am a big fan of that film's editing, so you won't hear me complain. Past Lives also falls into that realm, but it certainly needs support elsewhere. I don't know how receptive the Academy would be to things like Barbie or Maestro in these categories.

That non-BP potential is interesting. Ferrari seems like the easiest inclusion, with Ford v. Ferrari actually winning in 2019 still being relatively fresh in their minds. It's not the same level of craft, but it seems like something they would do.

Conversely, where is your personal passion? What would you LOVE to see in this category?

ABE: I'm not sure about Ferrari's potential here since I don't think it will be as warmly received as Ford v. Ferrari and it has a bigger romance plot than the action that was most prominent in that 2019 film.I would be particularly excited to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse here since I saw it very late and was still very wowed. There's so much going on and it's all put together in a masterful way.

But no animated film has ever been nominated here, so I'm not sure it's likely.For the win, I think I'd be most passionate about Poor Things. It's a wild ride that takes you to so many different places, each more intoxicating, and never lets up. Its pacing is extraordinary and elevates it to something different from what the incredible Yorgos Lanthimos has done in the past. I do think Maestro is also very well-done and wouldn't mind that winning.What's your top choice?

BEN: Past Lives and Anatomy of a Fall are neck-and-neck for me. Both play with memory in wildly different, but extremely effective ways. I am a big fan of MOST of the editing of Oppenheimer when it comes to the tension, but the cross-cutting between timelines doesn't work for me. That being said, I can live with it as a potential victor.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is probably wishful thinking for a nomination

LOVE LOVE LOVE your Spider-Verse feelings and couldn't agree more. It would be an awesome Hoop Dreams-like nomination. My fervent wish for this category is to branch out just a bit. Gone are they days of nominations for Top Gun, Die Hard, RoboCop, Se7en, and Crimson Tide. Frankly, making this category a bit more populist couldn't hurt.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. What are your predicted five, and give me a dark horse alternate.

ABE: I think I'll go with...

ANATOMY OF A FALL
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
MAESTRO
OPPENHEIMER
POOR THINGS

Dark horse is The Zone of Interest, which I think may show up in a big way across multiple categories. What about you?

BEN: OPPENHEIMER
POOR THINGS
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
ANATOMY OF A FALL
BARBIE

I love Past Lives as a dark horse, but it's probably wishful thinking.