As promised, the debate about category placement shall continue to encompass new releases as we all head into the awards season proper. This year seems especially ripe with category fraud, so there's a lot for us to discuss – there's a world of possibility where no supporting performance gets nominated at the 97th Academy Awards. In any case, let's think back to the first round of voting. Last time, when deciding if a given performance was lead or supporting, you deliberated on various titles that have become more widely available since. So, feel free to go back and cast your vote if you have just now seen such pictures as Emilia Pérez, Blitz, and A Real Pain. I also have some campaign updates from my purview as a Golden Globe voter. It turns out that at least one of these category fraud cases changed to lead…
That would be Jesse Plemons in Kinds of Kindness. Initially, the Yorgos Lanthimos' Cannes prizewinner was placed in the Drama races where only Emma Stone campaigned as a leading actress. However, when the voting ballots were finally distributed to Globes voters last week, a couple of changes had taken place. The original FYC submissions void, Kinds of Kindness now competes as a comedy and Plemons will now be recognized in the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical race. It seems that either the Globes authorities or the distributors thought like 73% of TFE readers, that Plemons tryptic performance shouldn't be deemed supporting.
Moving on, the big release of the past few weeks is Wicked, without a doubt, and it brings a juicy case of category confusion to discuss. In this adaptation of the musical's first act, is Glinda a lead or a supporting character? Where should Ariana Grande compete? While one could argue that Wicked is fundamentally Elphaba's story and that the Maguire novel never centers the "Good Witch" to such an extent that these discussions could be justifiable, I think Glinda is an obvious co-protagonist. The movie starts with her, it's framed as her remembrance, and the visual idioms of the thing keep privileging the character's reaction, both to shape tone and keep her at the center of the narrative.
Ariana Grande delivers a phenomenal performance, but seeing her compete for Supporting Actress gold feels dishonest. Strategically, it makes sense. She will outshine anyone in an actual supporting role, and this way, Universal can avoid internal competition and vote splitting. On stage, there have never been any doubts that Glinda is a role on par with Elphaba, but that also means that it's been impossible for both the show's stars to take home accolades in the absence of a tie. Famously, Kristin Chenoweth lost the Tony to Idina Menzel. That won't happen with Cynthia Erivo and Grande, but it doesn't feel fair. Not to me, at least. What about you?
The Piano Lesson is another stage-to-screen adaptation with high hopes of a Best Supporting Actress nomination. However, like with Grande in Wicked, one could argue that Danielle Deadwyler belongs more rightfully in the Best Actress race. After all, in August Wilson's play, Berniece is presented as a rhetoric opposite to her brother, Boy Willie, and their diverging opinions on the matter of legacy propel much of the play. Their conflict is the text's backbone on a thematic and structural level to such an extent that it seems silly to deem one a protagonist and the other a side character. Screen time-wise, Deadwyler has around three minutes less than John David Washington, so, even on the base of such dubious criteria, she seems like a lead.
That being said, the original Berniece, S. Epatha Merkerson, ran as a featured player in the 1990 Tony season. However, the Drama Desk Awards nominated her as a lead. For the 2013 Off-Broadway revival, Roslyn Ruff won plaudits as a lead actress, while Danielle Brooks was considered supporting for the 20222 Broadway production. To complete this look at historical precedent, one should mention the 1995 TV Movie that saw many of the original cast members reprise their roles. Alfre Woodard took over Merkerson, however, and was nominated for the Emmys as a leading lady. She also won Best Actress awards from SAG and the NAACP.
Next we have Queer, another recent release with Oscar hopes. However, those golden wishes center around Daniel Craig's sweaty abstraction of William S. Burroughs, re-imagined by the author as Lee in his semi-autobiographical novel. The rest of the film will need major critical support to figure into the broader awards season. That includes Drew Starkey as Craig's object of desire cum obsession, an addictive beauty whose gravitational pull shapes much of Queer's narrative. Is that enough to consider him a co-lead, or is A24 right to run him as a supporting actor?
Mohammad Rasoulof's latest drama is bound to figure in the Best International Film Oscar race, representing Germany. That said, there's no reason its awards season impact should be restricted to that category. It wouldn't be surprising if Rasoulof got some love from the director or the writer's branch of the Academy, for example. The film's actors are less likely to make a dent in most voters' ballots, but that's not reflective of any lack of merit. The Seed of the Sacred Fig's ensemble is exemplary and worthy of much acclaim. For campaign purposes, NEON has categorized Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani as leads – they play the father and mother of the family around which the story revolves – while Masha Rostami and Setareh Maleki go supporting – they are the couple's daughters. Does this division make sense to you?
All those previous films are in theaters, but it's also worth looking at some titles making their way to streaming and PVOD. Consider Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 and Titus Kaphar's Exhibiting Forgiveness, both of which will have their digital premieres this Tuesday now that their theatrical runs are over. Both films have one clear lead, but one may argue about the existence of co-protagonists. Watching Juror #2, I was surprised at how much Toni Collette's prosecutor is on par with Nicholas Hoult's titular juror in terms of narrative weight, culminating in one of the year's best finales and strongest moral conundrums.
In Exhibiting Forgiveness, the story hinges on a painter's relationship with his abusive father. André Holland is being rightfully campaigned as a lead, but so is Andra Day as the artist's songwriting wife, though her part feels much smaller on almost every base, including its structural influence on the film's shape. John Earl Jelks would be a more rightful candidate for co-lead status, playing the patriarch whose past misdeeds haunt the entire family. The picture's climax involves father and son as its central players and the whole thing could be summarized as a two-hander between two men who can't resolve the tension between them. So, is he a lead like Holland?
Next time, it'll be time to discuss such films as September 5 and Nosferatu, among other older releases that might factor in critics' awards. For now, please vote on these polls and argue for your position in the comments.