by Eric Blume
Will THE BRUTALIST's "big bold vision" secure Brady Corbet his first Oscar nomination?
While The Film Experience writers gear up for their own Oscar predictions, I (probably like you) spend my time on several other industry sites to see what the current predictions are.
This is a super fun time of the year, because nobody is out with citations or nominations, so it's not yet thuddeningly predictable. Which makes it all the more surprising is that everywhere I read, almost ALL the forecasters seem to have the same five names listed as our nominees for the Best Director Oscar:
- Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
- Sean Baker, Anora
- Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez
- Ridley Scott, Gladiator 2
- Edward Berger, Conclave
I can barely find a site predicting anyone else. On the fringes sit Mohammad Rasoulof, Coralie Fargeat, RaMell Ross, Pedro Almodóvar, and maybe Robert Eggers.
Things will probably change over the next month or two, but it's very strange to see this category fall into agreement so early.
Corbet seems to have the "big bold vision" energy behind him. Baker has his fans for his smart spin on genre and commanding unknown actors to ace performances. Audiard has the "nobody else would have made a movie that looks and feels like this" vote. Scott is the veteran they've never awarded. Berger is the up-and-comer, oh-sorry-we-skipped-you-for-All-Quiet guy.
These are four extraordinarily talented men, and they would make a pretty strong quintet all-in-all.
How are you feeling about this race? Who are the underdogs you're rooting for?