In the final installment of this series, we settle the biggest category: Best Picture. Across this Oscars special, I’ve outlined the standout films of the last 12 months without the influence of big-budget awards campaigns. My selections roughly mirror many actual Academy choices, though I’ve expanded and rebalanced where I felt films were overlooked.
So far, among the films most frequently nominated across the ten categories covered here are:
- The Favourite – 6 nominations in this selection
- Cold War – 5
- If Beale Street Could Talk – 5
- You Were Never Really Here – 5
Following the Academy’s own rules for Best Picture, this list allows up to ten films rather than the five used for other categories.
Best Picture
1. Beautiful Boy
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Beautiful Boy is anchored by strong performances and a finely tuned script. Timothée Chalamet’s work attracted awards-season attention, and while the film missed the Academy’s Best Picture ballot, it remains one of the year’s most affecting dramas about addiction and family.
2. BlacKkKlansman
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman blends entertainment and provocation while confronting racism and history. The film deserved its Best Picture nomination for offering fresh, challenging perspectives with wit and force.
3. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Oscar Nominated? – Yes (acting and screenplay recognition).
This sharply written and well-acted true-story drama deserved wider acknowledgement. It balances humor and melancholy while exploring loneliness, integrity and the odd intimacies of friendship—qualities that make it a strong Best Picture candidate.
4. Capernaum
Oscar Nominated? – Yes (Foreign Language Film).
Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum is a powerful, humane story anchored by riveting performances. While the Academy confined it to the foreign-language category, the film’s emotional scope and narrative ambition place it firmly among the year’s best.
5. Cold War
Oscar Nominated? – Yes (Director, Cinematography, Foreign Language).
Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War is a visually striking, emotionally precise love story. Its artistry—composition, performances and direction—makes it a standout and a deserved Best Picture contender.
6. The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Yorgos Lanthimos’s courtly dark comedy excels across direction, performances and design. Its bold tone and technical mastery make it one of the most nominated and talked-about films of the year.
7. First Reformed
Oscar Nominated? – Yes (Original Screenplay).
Paul Schrader’s First Reformed is a quietly devastating character study. Written and directed with precision, it’s a challenging film whose thematic depth earns it a place among Best Picture hopefuls.
8. If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar Nominated? – Yes (several craft nominations).
Barry Jenkins’ adaptation is poetic and deeply felt—an intimate, lyrical portrait of love, injustice and community. Its cinematography, score and performances make it a powerful Best Picture candidate.
9. Roma
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma is a personal, formally inventive work that blurred the boundaries between cinema and memory. It’s a milestone that helped put streaming platforms on the awards map and a rightful Best Picture nominee.
10. You Were Never Really Here
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Lynne Ramsay’s terse, intense thriller features an extraordinary lead performance and rigorous direction. Overlooked by the Academy in many major categories, it nonetheless ranks among the year’s boldest and most singular films.
Honourable Mentions: Black Panther, First Man, Leave No Trace, Shoplifters, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Notable Omissions from some ballots: Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book, A Star Is Born, Vice.
Browse the sections below for my choices in directing, acting, cinematography, screenwriting, song and score.
Directing
1. Alfonso Cuarón — Roma
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Cuarón’s complete authorship—direction, cinematography and writing—shaped Roma into a meticulously crafted, profoundly human film. His control of tone and image made the picture an awards-season anchor.
2. Barry Jenkins — If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar Nominated? – No (for Best Director).
Jenkins creates cinema that moves like poetry. His direction brings a luminous intimacy to the source material, balancing social urgency with tenderness and lyricism.
3. Yorgos Lanthimos — The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Lanthimos’s distinctive vision, theatrical rhythms and tonal daring made The Favourite an exceptional display of directorial control and invention.
4. Paweł Pawlikowski — Cold War
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Pawlikowski’s austere style and formal precision turned a personal story into a visually unforgettable film—a modern art-house classic.
5. Lynne Ramsay — You Were Never Really Here
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Ramsay’s lean, visceral approach crafts a highly original thriller. Her omission from Best Director ranks among the year’s most perplexing snubs.
Honourable Mentions: Debra Granik (Leave No Trace), Nadine Labaki (Capernaum), Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), Steve McQueen (Widows).
Cinematography
1. Alfonso Cuarón — Roma
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Cuarón’s black-and-white images, long takes and painterly compositions make Roma one of the year’s most visually stunning films.
2. James Laxton — If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Laxton’s radiant palette and fluid camera movement turn Jenkins’ film into an immersive, intimate experience—cinematography that feels like another character.
3. Robbie Ryan — The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Ryan’s use of period lighting, candlelit interiors and selective lenses gives The Favourite its distinctive, immediate visual identity.
4. Thomas Townend — You Were Never Really Here
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Townend’s camera work amplifies Ramsay’s atmospheric noir, creating visual textures that heighten the film’s emotional and psychological stakes.
5. Łukasz Żal — Cold War
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Żal’s timeless black-and-white compositions and 4:3 framing evoke classic cinema while serving Pawlikowski’s intimate story with elegant rigor.
Honourable Mentions: Sean Bobbitt (Widows), Alexander Dynan (First Reformed), Chayse Irvin (BlacKkKlansman).
Actress in a Leading Role
1. Yalitza Aparicio — Roma
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Aparicio’s debut performance is quietly luminous. Her naturalism and emotional clarity anchor Roma and earned deserved recognition.
2. Glenn Close — The Wife
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Close delivers a commanding, stage-grade performance translated to film with nuance and intensity—one of the year’s most powerful portrayals.
3. Toni Collette — Hereditary
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Collette gives a ferocious, layered performance in a horror film that demands emotional extremes. Her work is both terrifying and heartbreaking.
4. Olivia Colman — The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Colman’s blend of vulnerability and unpredictability is central to the film’s success—an award-worthy lead turn.
5. Joanna Kulig — Cold War
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Kulig’s magnetic, emotionally honest performance carries Cold War and provides the audience’s emotional entry into the film’s decades-long story.
Honourable Mentions: Sakura Ando (Shoplifters), Jessie Buckley (Beast), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Leave No Trace), Rachel Weisz (Disobedience).
Actor in a Leading Role
1. Zain Al Rafeea — Capernaum
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Al Rafeea’s raw, heartbreaking performance brings devastating immediacy to Capernaum. His portrayal lingers long after the credits.
2. Steve Carell — Beautiful Boy
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Carell offers a restrained, devastating turn as a father confronting his son’s addiction—one of the actor’s finest dramatic performances.
3. Ethan Hawke — First Reformed
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Hawke delivers a sustained, interior performance that anchors Paul Schrader’s austere, morally charged film.
4. Tomasz Kot — Cold War
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Kot brings complexity and quiet passion to a role spanning decades, matching the film’s rich emotional texture.
5. Joaquin Phoenix — You Were Never Really Here
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Phoenix’s intense, haunted performance fuels Lynne Ramsay’s thriller and stands among his most unforgettable work.
Honourable Mentions: Christian Bale (Vice), Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born), Lakeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You), John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman).
Original Screenplay
1. Alfonso Cuarón — Roma
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Cuarón’s script balances sweeping cultural moments with intimate human detail, creating a deeply personal and universal story.
2. Deborah Davis & Tony McNamara — The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
The Favourite’s razor-sharp dialogue and tonal dexterity turn period conventions into something fresh and thrilling.
3. Janusz Głowacki & Paweł Pawlikowski — Cold War
Oscar Nominated? – No.
The screenplay’s taut structure and elegant restraint let emotion accumulate and land with powerful clarity.
4. Hirokazu Kore-eda — Shoplifters
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Kore-eda’s sensitive, humane script examines family, survival and social values with subtlety and grace.
5. Paul Schrader — First Reformed
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Schrader’s disciplined, provocative screenplay explores faith, despair and moral urgency with uncompromising honesty.
Honourable Mentions: Michael Pearce (Beast), Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), Gillian Flynn & Steve McQueen (Widows).
Adapted Screenplay
1. Nicole Holofcener & Jeff Whitty — Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
The writers balance sharp comedy and genuine pathos in a true-story adaptation that humanizes flawed, unlikeable characters with empathy.
2. Barry Jenkins — If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Jenkins’ adaptation captures the original’s heart while using cinematic language to deepen emotion and social resonance.
3. Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel & Kevin Willmott — BlacKkKlansman
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
This writing team transforms a wild true story into a sharp, contemporary commentary on racism and power.
4. Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Oscar Nominated? – No.
The screenplay pairs inventive worldbuilding with heartfelt character work, making the animated film emotionally satisfying as well as visually bold.
5. Lynne Ramsay — You Were Never Really Here
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Ramsay’s lean, economical adaptation layers mood and character with exceptional discipline—a masterclass in economy of storytelling.
Honourable Mentions: Luke Davis & Felix Van Groeningen (Beautiful Boy), Sebastian Lelio & Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Disobedience), Gus Van Sant (Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot), Jane Anderson (The Wife).
Best Song
1. “Friction” — Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Imagine Dragons’ driving track mirrors the film’s adrenaline, working both in context and as a standalone action anthem.
2. “Hearts Beat Loud” — Hearts Beat Loud
Oscar Nominated? – No.
This song is central to the film’s emotional core, encapsulating a father-daughter relationship and the film’s optimistic heart.
3. “The Place Where Lost Things Go” — Mary Poppins Returns
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
A tender, memorable ballad that balances accessibility for children with genuine emotional depth—classic family-movie songwriting.
4. “Pray For Me” — Black Panther
Oscar Nominated? – No.
The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar craft a track that echoes the film’s themes and character journeys with cinematic potency.
5. “Shallow” — A Star Is Born
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
An instantly recognizable duet that anchors the film’s musical and emotional arc—one of the season’s most talked-about songs.
Honourable Mentions: “Ashes” (Deadpool 2), “I’ll Never Love Again” (A Star Is Born), “All the Stars” (Black Panther), “Can You Imagine That?” (Mary Poppins Returns), “Requiem for a Private War.”
Original Score
1. Terence Blanchard — BlacKkKlansman
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Blanchard’s score mixes period textures and urgent motifs to amplify the film’s emotional and political punch.
2. Nicholas Britell — If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Britell’s melancholic, intimate score becomes the film’s heartbeat, weaving tenderness and sorrow into a singular musical voice.
3. Ludwig Göransson — Black Panther
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Göransson blends African instrumentation with contemporary production to create a bold, memorable superhero score.
4. Jonny Greenwood — You Were Never Really Here
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Greenwood’s unconventional, often unsettling textures heighten the film’s psychological intensity and creative ambition.
5. Justin Hurwitz — First Man
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Hurwitz’s expansive, atmospheric score evokes the grandeur and isolation of spaceflight in haunting, memorable ways.
Honourable Mentions: Alexandre Desplat (Isle of Dogs), Matthew Herbert (Disobedience), Johann Johannsson (Mandy), Anne Nikitin (American Animals), Marc Shaiman (Mary Poppins Returns), Hans Zimmer (Widows).
Supporting Actress
1. Claire Foy — First Man
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Foy’s quiet but emotionally pivotal performance provides the human center of a film often focused on technical spectacle.
2. Regina King — If Beale Street Could Talk
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
King’s layered, empathetic performance anchors many of the film’s most powerful moments and merits its award recognition.
3. Yordanos Shiferaw — Capernaum
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Shiferaw delivers a heartbreaking, lived-in performance as a struggling young mother, one of the film’s emotional pillars.
4. Emma Stone — The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Stone’s range—comic timing and tragic vulnerability—helps define the film’s emotional trajectory and earned her a spot among the nominees.
5. Rachel Weisz — The Favourite
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Weisz’s fierce, controlled performance complements the ensemble and adds depth to the film’s power dynamics.
Honourable Mentions: Elizabeth Debicki (Widows), Marina de Tavira (Roma), Rachel McAdams (Disobedience), Margot Robbie (Mary Queen of Scots), Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy).
Supporting Actor
1. Mahershala Ali — Green Book
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Ali gives a nuanced, deeply felt performance that elevates Green Book and makes his character one of the film’s moral centers.
2. Timothée Chalamet — Beautiful Boy
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Chalamet’s fragile, urgent portrayal of addiction’s grip is one of the year’s most compelling male performances.
3. Ben Foster — Leave No Trace
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Foster’s subtle, heartbreaking work anchors a tender father-daughter drama and stands as a career highlight.
4. Richard E. Grant — Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Oscar Nominated? – Yes.
Grant brings warmth, humor and heartbreak to a supporting role that balances charm with pathos.
5. Alessandro Nivola — Disobedience
Oscar Nominated? – No.
Nivola’s restrained, emotionally complex performance explores loyalty, faith and forbidden love with sensitivity.
Honourable Mentions: Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman), Colin Farrell (Widows), Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), Jonathan Pryce (The Wife).
This completes my selections for what should have been nominated. These choices aim to highlight films and performances that, in my view, deserved wider recognition across the Academy categories.