Oscar Volley: Best Original Screenplay is the Battle of the Auteurs

In this Oscar Volley, Eric Blume and Cláudio Alves discuss the Best Original Screenplay race…

HARD TRUTHS, Mike Leigh | @ Bleecker Street

ERIC BLUME: Hi Cláudio, I put us together on this one because I love arguing with you.  Hope that's okay.  Plus, I am curious to get your takes on some of these films and scripts.

Best Original Screenplay has a lot of strong contenders this year.  What I find particularly interesting is that eight of these feature scripts written by their directors - Seed of the Sacred Fig, A Real Pain, The Substance, September 5, Anora, The Brutalist, All We Imagine as Light, and Hard Truths.  That has to be some kind of record? 

CLÁUDIO ALVES: With the growing connection between the big European film festivals and the awards season, auteur cinema is on the rise as an Oscar gold magnet. And many of those selections favor director-forward productions, often where the folks in the director's chair also penned the script. Indeed, from the octet you mention, only A Real Pain and Hard Truths premiered outside Cannes or Venice. And with Mike Leigh's latest, it wasn't for a lack of trying on his part…

I'll never understand how Fremaux and Barbera rejected the great British cineaste, but I imagine the Oscar will be kinder to him. After all, that writers branch sure loves him. Even when his leading ladies failed to nab a much-predicted nomination, both Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year found a spot in this category. So, even if the Golden Globe-snubbed Marianne Jean-Baptiste is out – which I feel is a premature conclusion – her writer-director might still be in. Do you agree?

ERIC: Agreed on Mike Leigh getting in.  The writers absolutely "get" how special (and how difficult) his artistry is, because it's not some free-for-all that actors invent, but rather always shaped by him in terms of structure, form, and beats.  (For what it's worth, I think Jean-Baptiste could very well be in the Actress quintet at well...there's lots of time for people to discover the film).  And sadly, we don't have many Mike Leigh movies left...he's a true original.  I don't think he's a lock, but end of day, I think he'll make the slate.

A REAL PAIN, Jesse Eisenberg | © Searchlight Pictures

To me the two locks are Sean Baker for his Anora script and Jesse Eisenberg for A Real Pain.  I think both are incredibly strong screenplays, in turn executed very well by their helmers.  Personally, I prefer A Real Pain, which I think is tackling a bunch of really interesting and actually profound things in a script which feels very "now" in terms of the American psyche, all of us very lost while being the biggest privileged babies in the world.  The script perfectly captures the anxiety and fear of knowing how great life actually is, but being unable to FEEL it.  Plus he wrote Kieran Culkin a truly killer role, a kind of appalling human that we all have known in our life, alternately glorious and repellent.

I'm a bit softer on Anora, which is a film I deeply admire...I see the levels it's working on, and it's filled with fantastic elements.  But I do think the script is overly long and a bit a repetitive, and the big "abduction" scene in the middle of the film drones on forever, despite being so well-directed by Baker.  I do love the film's commentary on power dynamics and marginalization, and nobody could have done more for that Baker script than Baker the director, that's for sure.

What are your thoughts on those two screenplays?  Do you agree they are locks?  Any other locks in your opinions?  Or other leading candidates?

ANORA, Sean Baker | © Neon

CLÁUDIO: Those two feel like the only two locks to me, too.

Indeed, I share a lot of your praise for both screenplays, but I'd also co-sign the sentiment that Baker is a better director of this material than a writer. I don't want to merely repeat what I already said in my TIFF review, so I'll just say the title character is my main issue with that script, how nebulous she feels and how the structure tends to privilege the men's perspective of Ani once they break into what she assumed was her new home. Though the direction and Madison's performance do a lot to compensate for these textual fragilities, they are still there.

Regarding A Real Pain, it sometimes feels a tad too neat and tidy, too stuck on narrative efficiency and clarity to engage with its complex themes at a deeper level than the average American indie. In other words, I strongly dislike that mid-movie monologue. I got much more out of the moments constrained by social niceties and pseudo-brotherly camaraderie. The rock business is fantastic, as is the push and pull of the group regarding Culkin during their tour-like activities. There's a lot of great stuff there, and I'm not surprised by its triumphant awards run so far this season.

THE BRUTALIST, Brady Corbet | © A24

I am, however, a bit surprised that we both seem to agree that, while a strong contender, The Brutalist is no lock. It's a very prickly text, bracingly political in a way Oscar-anointed cinema rarely is, and culminates in an ending that's a bit like a Rorschach Test. Then again, the writers branch is often more adventurous than folks give it credit for – remember 20th Century Women and last year's May December? Love their lone nominees.

ERIC: Ah Cláudio, stop making me fall in love with you.  So many smart words.  I think the script for The Brutalist will get in for exactly the same reason as May December did:  the writers will understand what a special script it is, and marvel at how it found a director who knew how to bring its very specialness to life.  What Todd Haynes saw in that screenplay last year was singular, and even though Brady Corbet is a co-writer, it's a perfect example of "prickly text" that finds exactly the tone and visual voice it needs.  I think it's third in line, but maybe it's *too* good for a nomination? 

It's probably worth a beat to discuss Coralie Fargeat's screenplay for The Substance, which surprisingly(?) won at Cannes.  I think I read somewhere that the script has less than 50 lines of dialogue or something crazy like that?  And that it was written in very graphic, extreme detail that was then relayed identically to the filming?  I thought The Substance was a blast, and its presence in the awards conversation is this season's glorious perversion, but I see it struggling to a nomination from the writers. 

From an industry perspective, horror is the only genre getting easy greenlights these days, and there is an incredible prejudice upon it, no matter how well executed.  And even if you're a fan of the film, I think it's more of a directorial triumph than a writing triumph.  That said, perhaps the opposite argument could be made.  I remember in 1997 when Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman wrote that article about the criticisms of the dialogue in Titanic:  he pointed out that dialogue is in many ways only a portion of good screenwriting, and that many other elements come into play.  Still, The Substance is also (like Anora) overlong and redundant, and even as a fan, I felt the movie said everything it had to say in the first reel...the fun is really in the gross-out and in watching Demi keep going...and going.

THE SUBSTANCE, Coralie Fargeat | © MUBI

CLÁUDIO: Folks can sometimes be too precious about "correct" screenplay formats and standard styles. The Substance makes for a bizarre read in script form, full of florid descriptions of gross visuals, like someone tried to turn a Brian Yuzna flick into prose. Personally, I don't have a problem with that and find Fargeat's film to be one formidable exploration of self-hatred. It's the kind of visceral plunge into the abyss of human insecurities that's easier to do under the guise of genre theatrics than straight drama. When I first watched it at TIFF, I could understand the Cannes win but thought it had no chance of Oscar glory. Now, things have changed a great deal. The guilds are loving the most disgusting movie of the season - a compliment, mind you - and that love might translate to one of the weirdest Best Original Screenplay Oscar nods in living memory. The Academy has changed a lot in the past decade, and mayhaps The Substance is just what the new AMPAS wants to honor.

Saturday Night has also made quite an impression with the early guild honors, after a couple of weeks of getting completely shut out by the critics. September 5 is another ensemble piece based on actual events that appears to be a better fit for industry honors than critical ones, though it has nabbed some editing honors from some regional groups. I'm not fond of either script and find both movies' strengths lie elsewhere. Yet, that means nothing when it comes to awards potential. To be perfectly honest, I think Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum may be closer to the nomination than something like The Brutalist.

ERIC: I personally would be happy seeing Binder/Fehlbaum nabbing a slot for September 5.  I'm a bigger fan of it than you are I guess, and as a screenwriter I was impressed with the amount of extreme detail they loaded in there without making it cumbersome, and they even included nice touches like the casual sexism of the time.  I also think the script is well structured in driving to the big 60-minute mark when they realize that the "technology" they're so proud of has caught up with them, and the terrorists are able to watch what they're airing.  I'd love to see September 5 fare well with a few surprising nominations, as I think there's no fat on the film, something we don't see often nowadays.

SEPTEMBER 5, Tim Fehlbaum | © Paramount Pictures

CLÁUDIO: You say it's got no fat. I say it's lean to the point of insubstantiality. Yes, the rare film I think would do better with a much larger runtime.

ERIC: Jason Retiman is sometimes liked by the Academy, and other times not liked.  Saturday Night could sneak in, but I think moreso because it's comic and light, with such well-known subject matter, so it will be watched.  But unlike September 5, which feels very much to be playing out in "real time" on a clock, you never quite believe the pacing of Saturday Night, which supposedly takes place in 90 minutes, but then several sections feel so padded...with characters outside of 30 Rock moments before broadcast...that I think voters will skip it. 

What do you think the chances are for the two leading foreign films in this category, All We Imagine As Light and Seed of the Sacred Fig?  Neither are on view here in the US, so right now there is no heat on them...but perhaps they can gain some momentum in the next few weeks?

CLÁUDIO: I am still trying to figure out what to do about All We Imagine as Light and The Seed of the Sacred Fig. In terms of Oscar punditry, I mean. My love for both pictures has only solidified since I first watched them at TIFF. I would argue that, in both cases, their directing is even more impressive than the scripts, but it's hard to argue against the beauty of that perfect ending Kapadia came up with, or the sense of urgency underpinning Rasoulof's film. For now, I'll say Germany's Oscar submission seems ahead in this particular race. And yet, the critics rallying behind All We Imagine As Light might just tip the scales by bringing more eyes to it.

ERIC: I'm hoping one of the two big foreign films ends up nabbing a slot, because they deserve it and because to your point, the films get more eyeballs when they're up in additional big categories like this.  It was really thrilling to watch Anatomy of a Fall win last year.

CHALLENGERS, Luca Guadagnino | © Amazon MGM Studios

CLÁUDIO: From world cinema to Hollywood glitz, let's talk Challengers. Guadagnino's sporty melodrama has been doing immensely well with the guilds, which might indicate a groundswell of industry support. Could that catapult Justin Kuritzkes' needlessly complicated structural gambits to the Oscar race? Stranger things have happened. 

ERIC: I don't see Challengers doing well with Oscar this year.  I enjoyed Challengers tremendously, but I think its triumph is what Guadagnino gets out of the three actors, and how they fill the spaces in the screenplay.  Not that the film isn't well-written...it is...but I think the lovely ambiguities come more from how the actors play their roles.

I guess it's time we make our early predictions and wrap this up.  At this time, my five predicted Oscar nominees would be: 

• Jesse Eisenberg, A REAL PAIN
• Sean Baker, ANORA
• Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, THE BRUTALIST
• Mike Leigh, HARD TRUTHS
• Tim Fehlbaum and Moritz Binder, SEPTEMBER 5

I think at end of day, the writers won't rally behind The Substance.  Too many writers in the industry are being told horror is the only thing that sells, and I think they'll bristle against the film at this time. 

CLÁUDIO: Oh, I'm always so rotten at predicting these things I don't even know how to proceed. I guess it'll be on gut instinct, so I'm going with these five, in order of likelihood: 

• Sean Baker, ANORA
• Jesse Eisenberg, A REAL PAIN
• Tim Fehlbaum and Moritz Binder, SEPTEMBER 5
• Mike Leigh, HARD TRUTHS
• Justin Kuritzkes, CHALLENGERS 

That last one is a big swing, but a "no guts, no glory" prediction feels like a nice addition to the rest. Challengers will also benefit from a WGA nomination (with so many top contenders ineligible, it's a likely nominee) and some added exposure among writers. As I've stated in my review and this volley, the structural plays in the movie are entirely too convoluted for their own good. That said, I also imagine some voters will be impressed by that very element. My alternates would be The Brutalist, The Substance and The Seed of the Sacred Fig, in that order.

As ever, it's been lovely to discuss the Oscar contenders with you. Any final thoughts?

ERIC: I'm all volleyed out!

THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG, Mohammad Rasoulof | © Neon

Other Oscar Volleys: 

• BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS with Baby Clyde and Eurocheese

Comments

[Frank Zappa]

I enjoyed Challengers tremendously, but I think its triumph is what Guadagnino gets out of the three actors, and how they fill the spaces in the screenplay.

And I would say its triumph is in the cinematography, editing and score. So, all told, it can be considered a triumph of direction and production.

[Fabio Dantas Flappers]

I'm also extremely surprised. Isn't "The Brutalist" a lock?

It think these 4 are in:

Jesse Eisenberg, A REAL PAIN
Sean Baker, ANORA
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, THE BRUTALIST
Justin Kuritzkes, CHALLENGERS

And the others will fight for the 5th spot...

By the way, today is me birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! ✨️🥂🍾
And Happy Birthday to Jake Gyllenhaal! ✨️🥂🍾 #December19