Whereas this yr’s Oscar race continues to be mired in questions and perhaps some controversy, it might appear foolish to look forward a complete yr and surprise what could possibly be in retailer for the Academy Awards in 2024. However, we wish to be foolish, and we’ve a contemporary batch of movies from Sundance to investigate as potential contenders. Right here’s a breakdown of what we noticed in Park Metropolis over the past week—or, at the very least, the movies that appeared to have a selected awards-y glow about them.
A Stunning Breakout
Probably the most lauded movie on the pageant this yr was Celine Music’s beautiful Previous Lives, a poignant and delicate drama in regards to the bond between two childhood associates because it ebbs and flows over twenty years. Leads Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are terrific, as are all of the movie’s lush but understated technicals. Music’s writing is sharp and particular, her directorial hand remarkably regular for a first-timer. (Or for a tenth-timer, actually.) The movie might be launched by A24, which had an enormous nominations haul this yr, for films small (Causeway) and fewer small (All the pieces In all places All at As soon as). Regardless of all these belongings, may Previous Lives nonetheless be too intimate, too softly spoken to register with an Academy that tends to love a bit flash? Given the precise marketing campaign, I don’t suppose so. If Aftersun managed to get a nomination this yr, Previous Lives may actually discover traction in 2024. No matter its Oscar futures, Previous Lives is a must-see, an insightful and humorous movie whose heat was significantly appreciated amid all that Utah snow. —Richard Lawson
An Appearing Marvel
As aspiring bodybuilder Killian Maddox in Journal Desires, Jonathan Majors delivers the form of efficiency that will get caught in your head for days afterward. Sure, there’s the physicality of the position, with Majors fully plausible within the position because of his bulked-up physique (he says he ate 6,100 energy and labored out 3 times a day). However it’s the commanding and devoted portrayal of a person obsessive about legacy however simmering with rage that makes this efficiency some of the talked about of the pageant. The darkish character research from writer-director Elijah Bynum is unsettling and can want the precise distributor to navigate a tough awards season run, however Majors’s efficiency so clearly deserves to be part of the lead actor Oscar dialog that we hope it will probably make that journey. It’s a efficiency that feels once-in-a-lifetime, however with Majors we’re certain there’s rather more to return. —Rebecca Ford
Lucha Lustre
That Roger Ross Williams’s candy, assured biopic Cassandro, in regards to the groundbreaking homosexual Mexican wrestler Saúl Armendáriz, takes on a comparatively acquainted form ought to work in its favor come awards time. The director’s narrative-feature debut provides a clear construction for lead Gael García Bernal to tug off the form of poignant character arc that voters usually reply to, and on this case, the actor finds a ton of nuance inside that template to take it the additional mile. The Y tu mamá también breakout has maybe by no means had such a wealthy big-screen showcase as an grownup, and makes good on it with one thing very particular—an impassioned portrayal of a person defiantly discovering himself, subverting literal stereotypes inside probably the most macho of worlds. Amazon Studios introduced this title into Sundance, and based mostly on the broad acclaim popping out of the premiere, hopefully has its eyes on a push for the movie’s star. —David Canfield
The Massive Purchase
After Chloe Domont’s debut characteristic, Honest Play, premiered at Sundance, phrase was that upwards of seven distributors had been jockeying to accumulate the movie. Netflix emerged the victor, paying a reported $20 million for the compelling office/relationship thriller starring Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich. The movie shouldn’t be typical Netflix awards bait—it’s a imply little film, and isn’t from a longtime Nice Auteur. However the streamer’s success with All Quiet on the Western Entrance—a large film, however not one from a world-famous director—may change their marketing campaign methods some. May Honest Play, such a buzzy Sundance success, benefit a push within the appearing and screenplay classes? Dynevor and Ehrenreich’s performances actually pop within the movie, significantly in loud argument scenes skillfully staged by Domont. Netflix already spent a ton of cash on Honest Play, so why not spend a bit extra (or, I suppose, much more) to get their new prize within the hunt? —RL
A Grand Reunion
In You Harm My Emotions, indie stalwart Nicole Holofcener’s first directorial effort since 2018, we’re launched to Beth (performed by Holofcener’s Sufficient Stated star Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a author whose novel is sort of completed when she finds out that her husband (Tobias Menzies) hasn’t been precisely truthful about his emotions on it. As she so usually does, Holofcener sticks a needle proper into the intestine of very relatable relationship points, this time exploring the explanations and methods we mislead our family members. Whereas this humorous, and generally heartbreaking, story deserves to be within the screenplay dialog, we may additionally see some buzz for 11-time Emmy winner Dreyfus, who’s at her finest because the self-involved however relatable Beth. —RF
The Supporting Stunner
It’s going to be laborious for any distributor to know what to make of Eileen, Willaim Oldroyd’s fashionable, divisive adaptation of the Ottessa Moshfegh novel. Its slow-burn build-up takes a jarring third-act flip that delighted some critics however turned off others, and feels destined to go away a nasty Cinemascore in its wake. (A crowdpleaser this isn’t.) However there’s a lot to reward about this artful slice of New England noir, mainly Anne Hathaway’s explosive spin on the femme-fatale, taking part in Rebecca, the enigmatically glamorous psychologist who takes the misanthropic Eileen (a beautiful Thomasin McKenzie) beneath her wing—to bloody ends. It’s a masterclass of scenery-chewing that, with the precise marketing campaign, may experience a slew of critics’ awards to an underdog Oscar nom. —DC
The Subsequent Nice Irish Hope
This yr, the Irish are in every single place, from The Banshees of Inisherin fivesome, to Paul Mescal, to The Quiet Woman. Maybe that nationwide momentum will proceed with John Carney’s Flora and Son, one other of the As soon as director’s wistful music-tinged romances. This one stars a dynamic Eve Hewson, taking her first lead movie position and working with it. She could possibly be a contender if Apple, which purchased the movie for a big sum, performs its playing cards proper. (At this level Hewson’s a shoo-in for a Golden Globe nomination.) As may two of the unique songs that characteristic prominently within the movie. Carney has not had a lot awards success since As soon as, however Flora and Son could comprise simply the correct mix of sweetness and chew to catch the Academy’s consideration. (It helps that it’s principally about grownups, in contrast to Sing Road.) On the very least, Hewson and her co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt may carry out a beautiful duet on the ceremony, guitars in hand. —RL
Sizzling Docs
Simply how pivotal is Sundance on the subject of the Oscar race for finest documentary? For six years working, a majority of the Academy’s alternatives premiered in Park Metropolis, main lengthy lives on the arthouse circuit earlier than getting the coveted nomination a yr or so later. There are all the time the plain breakouts—2020’s Summer time of Soul, final yr’s Hearth of Love—in addition to many who sneak up on campaigns earlier than making the ultimate minimize. So who amongst this yr’s crop has the products? Apple TV+ will possible give a push to its Michael J. Fox portrait Nonetheless, following a really heat reception, particularly because it comes from an Academy favourite in director Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Fact). An awards push is already deliberate through MTV Documentary Movies for The Everlasting Reminiscence, the acclaimed examination of a pair dwelling with Alzheimer’s from Oscar-nominated Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent). Nice critiques have additionally are available in for The Disappearance of Shere Hite, which may go far with the precise distributor. Lastly, preserve a watch out for The Deepest Breath, a Netflix title that met some combined essential reception however may discover an viewers (recall the streamer’s current upset winner, My Octopus Trainer), and Justice, the polemical Brett Kavanagh documentary from Doug Liman that upset by way of new revelations—the director has indicated it’ll be up to date after receiving new suggestions, so the following minimize may land stronger and make actual some noise. —DC
The Potential Sleeper
All the best way again in 2005, Amy Adams burst onto the scene in Junebug, a unusual dramedy from author Angus MacLachlan that earned the actor a particular jury award at Sundance and, later, her first Oscar nomination. This yr, MacLachlan headed to Park Metropolis with a extra established star, David Strathairn, to debut A Little Prayer. It’s a quiet film, a few man, thoughtfully performed by Strathairn, who discovers that his son is dishonest on his spouse (a beautiful Jane Levy). Like Junebug, A Little Prayer is a modest character drama that offers its actors house to present refined, delicate performances. The movie was purchased by Sony Photos Classics, who know learn how to run campaigns for smaller films, so we should always preserve it in thoughts as we glance towards the Spirit Awards and, sure, the Oscars. A robust case could possibly be made for Strathairn being overdue, ditto for Celia Weston (who was additionally nice in Junebug). Although the excitement for A Little Prayer was muted in Park Metropolis, any time the movie was talked about to me, it was solely in fawning phrases. That could possibly be an indication of one thing. —RL
