EO - 1 nomination

Best International Feature Film

Poland

Oh goodness, friends, this one really killed me. EO follows a donkey who is taken from the Polish circus and the trainer who loves him under the guise of animal protection and his adventures in the world when he escapes his "protectors." Sometimes he finds beauty and kindness in the world with people who give him care and joy, and sometimes he encounters the absolute worst of humanity. I SOBBED at this film. Now to be fair, my dog had died just a few days before I saw this film, but it is not for the faint of heart. The cruelty with which people can treat the animals with the sweet and vulnerable face is astonishing. I'm neither an animal rights activist nor even a vegetarian. But this film killed me.  I'm not sure it deserves to be in the Top 5 of the International Feature films nominated, but this movie touched my heart... and it will touch yours unless you are actually made of stone.

 

Close - 1 nomination

 

Best International Feature Film

Belgium

Leo and Remi are the best of friends. They live at each others' houses, or really Leo practically lives at Remi's house. When they start at a new middle school, the other kids see how close they are and wonder if they are a romantic couple which they are not. Interestingly, I did not observe that the kids who asked this question did so with judgement, just curiosity. Remi doesn't think much of it but it really bothers Leo, and he begins to distance himself from Remi, and as he does, they both find their own sets of friends separate from each other (but not totally apart). This has a devastating impact on Remi and leads to terrible tragedy. Leo then struggles to find his path in the wake of the incident, and to find peace when he believes himself to be at fault for what happens with Remi. (trying my best not to do spoilers!)

This is a heartbreaking film and is the winner of my Hidden Gem award. (The Hidden Gem is a film I hadn't heard of or known about prior to being nominated but turns out to be one of my favorites of the Oscars season.) Eden Dambrine who plays Leo gives a performance that is on the level of any nominated actor or actress this year.  You have to see this one, but bring all the tissues.

Argentina, 1985

 

Best International Feature Film

Argentina

This extraordinary film follows Julio Cesar Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo as the lead prosecutors of the 1985 "Trial of the Juntas," Argentina's last military dictatorship. It is imperative that they win this trial to bring a sense of justice to the people of the country. This was the first major trial held for war crimes since the Nuremberg trials, and earning a win was just as difficult. It is estimated that the trial invited over 800 witnesses to testify against the unjust policy of simply "disappearing" political dissidents and intellectuals - anyone deemed an enemy of the state. The film is a tribute to the idea of "Never Again."

For Americans who perhaps aren't familiar with this part of Argentina's history, it is an especially fascinating look at the history (and of course, don't forget that narrative movies are not documentaries, so if you really like the film, check out the real events in other venues), and is a fantastic courtroom drama in the style of Philadelphia, The Verdict, and A Few Good Men.  Very much worth your time.

Animated Shorts - 5 nominations

 

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse

Best Animated Short Film
Matthew Freud
Charlie Mackesy

A small boy is traveling the meadows and Forrests and he is lost. Along the way, he meets a sweet mole who befriends him and they decide to travel together. Soon, a fox joins their entourage as does a beautiful horse, and their friendship propels them all the way to a town where the boy hopes to find a home. A little cheesy but a nice little film especially for kids.

The Flying Sailor

Best Animated Short Film
Amanda Forbis
Wendy Tilby

This was a bit of a snooze. It portrayed the true story of a sailor who was thrown into the air after an explosion at the wharf and he then flew 2 kilometers until he landed and actually lived. That sounds like an exciting story, but it was literally an entire movie of a body just flying through the air.

Ice Merchants

Best Animated Short Film
João Gonzalez
Bruno Caetano

If you're afraid of heights, this is not the story for you. A man and his young son live in the heights of a crazy high mountain, they make ice, and then skydive down to the town to sell it. Eventually, they come back by motorcycle and have a pulley system to get them back up to their home in the clouds. When an avalanche threatens their lives, they make the best of it. Weirdly heavy for what begins as a cute film.

My Year of Dicks

Best Animated Short Film
Sara Gunnarsdóttir
Pamela Ribon

My Year of Dicks follows the quest of one 15 year old girl to lose her virginity and the boys she tries to do it with. A funny story of friendship and sex and it's nice to have the occasional funny one among all of these Oscars films.

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It

Best Animated Short Film
Lachlan Pendragon

Here's your typical office worker and telemarketer who begins to notice some strange things at work. People's mouths fall off, they don't have lower body halves, and he doesn't actually know what's going on. We see that he is being filmed and sometimes we see a huge human hand reaching in to manipulate the on-screen happenings.  A fun film with a cute punchline (that I won't spoil!).

Empire of Light - 1 nomination

 

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Roger Deakins

Hillary Small is the duty manager at the local movie-house and leads a relatively lonely existence. She is sleeping with her boss and managing her bipolar disorder.  When young Stephen joins the team, Hillary makes a new friend.  They bond and Hillary confides that she has never seen a film in the theater. Stephen shares his struggles as a target of severe racism by skinheads in the town. They begin an affair and feeling overwhelmed with joy, Hillary stops taking the meds that help control her disorder.  As her mental health deteriorates, the theater is awarded with a prestigious honor, the premiere of the film Chariots of Fire. Hillary's illness comes to a breaking point and she is institutionalized. During a terrible skinhead riot, Stephen is beaten and taken to hospital where Hillary visits.  Eventually, Stephen confides in Hillary that he has decided to return to college, and Hillary actually sees the brilliant "Being There" in the theater.  There is a final goodbye before Stephen goes to college, with the promise of maintaining their friendship in the future.

I can't express enough how much I loved this film. Yes, there is an element of appreciation for the movies (and you know I'm on board with that!), but the characters are so beautiful and fragile in their own ways, they find solace in each other, they live and love and struggle, but with the care that only two people who genuinely appreciate each other can do.  This is truly one of the films that you should take the time to see if you can only squeeze in seeing a handful of Oscars nominees.  Beyond beautiful.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris - 1 nomination

 

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Jenny Beavan

Ada is "just" a simple housekeeper who treats her clients with the greatest of respect, even when they don't return the favor. She falls in love with a Dior dress that one of her employers owns, and decides to save up and work toward the dream of flying to Paris and purchasing a Dior dress of her own. When she finally gets there, she faces many challenges and twists and turns, but through the kindness of others she makes her way into the judgy world of haute couture. But not just that, she endears herself to (almost) the entire staff of Dior who do everything they can to deliver the most exquisite dress she has ever seen.

I won't say more about the details of the film but can tell you that this was one of the most delightful films of the year. It may even make my top 10 list because the fashion is phenomenal and the story is even better. It warms your heart and promotes the notion that kindness will be repaid, that people should be good to each other, and that nothing beats having the perfect dress when times are hard.  See it, you'll be enamored with this lovely film.

Documentary Shorts - 5 nominations

The Elephant Whisperers

Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

This film follows Bomman and Bellie who devote their lives to raising orphaned baby Elephants in South India. These darling creatures just capture your heart! It's not the most exciting and action packed film, but honestly those darn elephants are just so cute, and their relationships with their humans are so loving, and well what can I say? Call me Verouca Salt because I want one now! (How do we think an elephant would adapt to living in Los Angeles? Really well, right?)

Haulout
Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev

Haulout follows a marine biologist who tracks the annual migration of walruses in the Russian arctic. When they come on shore, he estimates approximately 90,000 or more walruses on this patch of land, which is greatly reduced year over year as the ice patches in the ocean melt. When walruses don't have places to rest as they migrate, they die or they arrive on shore dehydrated, hungry, bloated, and die on shore.  Hundreds of walruses die while on shore, in far increasing numbers every year - too many to be statistically insignificant.  But sure, climate change is a Chinese hoax. (Still, it's a bit of a sleeper, and the movie probably wouldn't have made my top 5 choices for Documentary short.)

How Do You Measure a Year?
Jay Rosenblatt

My favorite of the films, Jay Rosenblatt interviews his daughter every year on her birthday.  He asks the same set of questions like "how do you feel about our relationship," and "what is power," and "what do you want to be when you grow up?" The result is a charming, loving, heartbreaking, wonderful film (and darn it, why didn't I think of that???)  Girl dads everywhere will break down in tears whether your daughter is 2, 12, or 42.  Highlight moments include 13 (last week was my bat mitzvah) and 18 (I'm off to college and I'm really going to miss doing this because I like rituals.)

The Martha Mitchell Effect
Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison

Martha Mitchell was married to John Mitchell, a prominent member of the Nixon administration. She campaigned for Nixon, she was celebrated on talk shows for her audacious personality, and became a media darling which she used for Nixon's benefit and the benefit of the Republican Party. When the Watergate scandal comes to light, she begins to unravel who was involved and calls attention to the wrongdoings of the administration. She is then held against her will, publicly shamed, and a campaign to destroy her credibility begins.  (Sound familiar?) Here is a story of a woman who simply had to change her thinking in the face of facts, and when she knew she was wrong, she said she was wrong. She believed in the President and backed him, and then saw evidence that he had done wrong and she said so. To this day, publicly destroying a person who speaks the truth by calling him or her a liar and crazy (and all the things) is known as the Martha Mitchell Effect.

Stranger at the Gate
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

A former Marine in a small town begins to notice the number of Muslims in his hometown, which he decides is bad for America. He wants his country back. He wants to make America great again. He wants to return to a time (that never existed, actually) where White people were the only ones who lived in his world. When he decides to blow up the local Islamic Center, the first thing he needs to do is case the place so that he can identify where the maximum number of people gather so that he can kill for maximum effect. When members of the community welcome him, engage him, give him love as a stranger, he begins to appreciate their culture and eventually converts to Islam. The welcoming and hospitality of this community literally saves all of their lives.  This is another incredible story of a person allowing reality to change his mind when he sees that the story he has been told and the story he is telling himself are clearly wrong. 

Turning Red - 1 nomination

Best Animated Feature Film
Domee Shi
Lindsey Collins

Young Mei is growing up.  She is a dutiful and obedient daughter but longs to break out of her shell to express herself her way, to take the risks that she feels ready to take. She discovers that whenever she gets excited or agitated, she all of a sudden is turning into a giant red panda.  While she works to hide this at first, she soon discovers that her friends love her as the panda, and she starts leveraging the ability to earn popularity (and money for a very important boy band concert).

Eventually Mei discovers that this transformation runs in the matrilineal side of her family, and that there is a ritual to seal her panda into a talisman. She decides to forego the ritual and keep her powers, but accidentally knocks her mother unconscious during an argument. It is then that the women in her family must release their own red pandas to heal the mother, and the two must find peace where the mom won't be so overprotective and will allow Mei to forge her own path.

This film is possibly the best version of the story where a girl must come into her next stage as fully herself, while honoring the rituals and customs of her own history. Of course, there are references to a girl getting her period and perhaps the red panda is even a metaphor for that, but the most important part of this sweet film is how Mei is able to find what's right for her without feeling obligated to one specific approach. This film has been touted as a wonderful honoring of the growing up process, and I am happy to serve as one of those recommending it. Lovely little movie.

 

The Sea Beast - 1 nomination

 

Best Animated Feature Film
Chris Williams
Jed Schlanger

The world's oceans are filled with dangerous beasts and the King, Queen, and entire realm of Three Bridges only live safely thanks to the heroic acts of the hunters who kill the creatures.  The most famous, deadly and elusive of these monsters is known as Red Bluster. Jacob, the most prominent of these hunters, commits to the King and Queen that he will find and kill Red Bluster, and when he sets off to sea, he discovers orphan girl Maisie on board - she dreams of becoming a hunter like her deceased parents before her.

During an altercation with Red Bluster, Jacob and Maisie are thrown into the sea and land on an island where beasts live free, and they learn that they have misunderstood the intentions of the sea creatures all along. Red Bluster befriends them and takes them back to Three Bridges while they attempt to change people's views on the creatures who simply would like to be left alone. When they finally confront the King and Queen, Maisie and Jacob learn that the pair have known the true nature of the beasts all along, but used the fear to expand their rule, and they are not about to change public perception as long as it is good for them.

It's a very good film, it doesn't use typical tropes, and it has plenty of good lessons about how leaders use lies to control the masses and create big scary enemies to win popular support.  The day I saw the film I predicted its Oscars nomination, and I think if you see it, you'll appreciate why it was nominated.  It's not my pick for Best Animated Feature, but if you're looking for something to watch while you're just hanging out on the couch, this is a good choice.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish - 1 nomination

 

Best Animated Feature Film
Joel Crawford
Mark Swift

Puss in Boots discovers that he has burned through 8 of his 9 lives acting as a hero and sometimes, just acting like an idiot.  He hangs up his crime fighting hat and plants himself at a safe house full of cats with little to threaten his last life.  There he meets Perrito, a little dog full of sunshine and kindness. One day, the Goldilocks and 3 Bears crime family comes along to hunt Puss down, and he overhears them say that a magical wishing star exists and they are looking for the map, which is about to go to Jack Horner who hordes magical objects so that only he can access their magic. Puss goes to steal the map and runs into his ex-fiancee Kitty Softpaws, who he left at the altar. Now the hunt is on to use the map, to be the first to the magical wishing star, and to reap its rewards no matter the cost ultimately recharging his lives back to 9.

This is the 3rd in the Puss in Boots trilogy, itself a spin off from the Shrek series, and I have to say, the films hold up.  This one was fun, had incredibly beautiful animation, and a compelling storyline.  I'm generally not a fan of pushing any one series to its limits (save Star Wars and the MCU, they can keep making them, I'll keep watching them) because the more stories you add onto a character, the less interesting they tend to become.  Not so with the Puss in Boots series, I enjoyed every single one of them, and I'll happily take more if they've got 'em.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - 1 nomination

 

Best Animated Feature Film
Dean Fleischer Camp
Elisabeth Holm
Andrew Goldman
Caroline Kaplan
Paul Mezey

Let's start here, I'm almost sure that when I complete my top 10 favorite films of 2022, Marcel the Shell is going to take my number one spot. I went to see it by myself because I was so excited for the film (and I had only watched the YouTube videos in preparation to see the film, I was not aware of the series prior to the movie preview coming out).  It paid off. Big time. While Pinocchio is (for some reason) getting all of the Oscars buzz, this film was BY FAR my favorite of the animated feature nominees.

Marcel lives in a huge house with his grandmother, Connie.  He has an incredibly robust life and an incredible imagination. He is possibly the most charming lead character in all of the films put out last year, and that includes anything that Brad Pitt ever did, so you know it's a high bar.  He is kind, thoughtful, playful, and full of wonderment.  When a documentarian air b&b's the house Marcel and Connie live in, he begins filming Marcel and learns that on a night when the owners of the house were splitting up, Marcel's whole family other than Connie were taken along but accidentally, Marcel and Connie were left behind. When the documentarian posts the interview on social media, the whole world gathers to help Marcel find his family.

Not gonna lie, I shed a little tear watching this beautiful film. I recommend the YouTube series just to captivate your heart and join the millions who love Marcel, then see the film. If you only have time or inclination to see two or three of the nominated films, make sure that Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is one of them. 

Here's a link to one of the Marcel YouTube videos.

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio - 1 nomination

 

Best Animated Feature Film
Guillermo del Toro
Mark Gustafson
Gary Ungar
Alexander Bulkley

In doing a little research to prepare for this blog post, I attempted to identify how many times Pinocchio has been made as a film.  The earliest one I could find is from 1911, and of course in 1940 there was Walt Disney's version. There were two film versions THIS YEAR and last year, the Italian version had a nomination for makeup and hairstyling.  The latest iteration is nominated for Animated Feature, and as far as I'm concerned, this could very happily be the last one.

Now, as a person who follows pop culture enough to be reading a blog post from a nobody like me, I'm going to take for granted that you know the story of Pinocchio, which begins when Gepetto the wood worker crafts a wooden puppet to honor his son who passed away, and the puppet comes to life.  Most of us consider this story to be a myth to teach children not to lie. In actuality, Pinocchio lies rarely in the story and yes his nose does grow, but that is hardly the lesson.  The real lesson of Pinocchio is that children should listen to their parents and not get sidetracked by vices and those who would lead them astray, and that's why his little buddy Jiminy Cricket is a manifestation of his conscience.  Bet you don't really remember that part, do ya?

Sure, this version is a little darker and a little more fantastical as only Guillermo del Toro could do it, but to all who are considering yet another remake I say, NO. Ask around... do you know anyone whose favorite story is Pinocchio? No you don't. It's a bonkers drug trip with very little redeemable value that filmmakers seem to enjoy but I've had enough. As Pinocchio learns in the story, JUST SAY NO.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 5 nominations

 

Best Achievement in Costume Design Ruth E. Carter

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling Camille Friend Joel Harlow

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) Tems Rihanna Ryan Coogler Ludwig Göransson For song "Lift Me Up"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects Geoffrey Baumann Craig Hammack R. Christopher White Daniel Sudick

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Angela Bassett

There's so much to this amazing film which I utterly loved that it's just too much to convey in a blog post. The best way I can approach this is in chunks.

Chunk One:

Wakanda is mourning the loss of their King T'challa, especially his mother, Queen Ramonda, and his sister, Shuri, who are holding the country together.  They are naturally devastated and together they are trying to forge ahead. Ramonda begs Shuri to pursue scientific research to restore the herb that a person ingests to become the new Black Panther, but Shuri is reluctant believing that this role is now defunct with her brother's passing. It can't be overstated how powerful the death and mourning rituals are portrayed in the film, and the costuming is beyond remarkable.

Chunk Two:

The world wants vibranium.  Researchers find a deposit in the ocean and are racing to mine it thanks to a vibranium detector invented by a young brilliant college student, when a group of blue water-breathing superhumans defend their territory with their leader Namor.  Namor wants to fend off any attacks from humans and take the fight to them (call it the Bush doctrine of the MCU), while the Wakandans believe in defending their resources rather than conducting offensive attacks.  Namor threatens the Wakandans that they either deliver the young inventor to him, or suffer the consequences.

Chunk Three:

Shuri struggles with the call to become the Black Panther, and ultimately must decide how she will lead her people. She is led down a difficult path when she communes with the now-dead Killmonger who urges her to seek revenge, while her inner voice pushes her toward brokering peace.

All of this to say, see the movie for yourself - my description is far too clinical for a film that is meant to be enjoyed.  Every element of this film works in concert to produce a gorgeous, meaningful experience.  I cried multiple times (we know that means nothing), and truly the Costume Designer Ruth Carter must win again (she won for Black Panther) - I don't know how she topped herself but she truly did.  Angela Bassett, who is always a powerhouse, changed my DNA in this role.  It is her world, and we all just live in it.

Aftersun - 1 nomination

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Paul Mescal

I don't know, guys. This one is a bit of a puzzler for me. The story is simply a vacation experience with a father and daughter who spend time together, love each other, and there is very little drama.  We gather that there is something that the father is going through, though it is never shared with us. The vast majority of the film is just scenes from a vacation, with a lot of moments where you are wondering, is something terrible about to happen?  Nope, nothing significant happens at all. It's just slightly more interesting than someone taking you through their vacation videos and photos.

Now, if you do any reading about this movie, you learn that the daughter is attempting to, as an adult 20 years later, learn more about her father, trying to identify which of her memories from the vacation are real and which are not, and exploring "the father she never really knew" through the lens of this experience.  The problem is, if you have to get all of that from reading about the film and not at all from the film, then it has missed the mark.  There are tiny moments that I would guess last less than 5 total minutes in the movie hinting at confusion and suggesting that this is all memory, but not enough to make clear this film as a flashback.

I can't even say the movie was confusing but the performance was remarkable. Ok, it was fine (and one could argue that Mescal's character is actually in a supporting role) but hardly Oscar nomination worthy.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - 1 nomination

 

Best Adapted Screenplay
Rian Johnson

A group of friends who love mystery and puzzles gather at the home of Tech billionaire Miles Bron. Each comes with his or her own back story and complications, and they are particularly jarred when their former friend (and Bron's former business partner) Andi Brand arrives and joins them for this exclusive experience.  But when renowned private detective Benoit Blanc receives his own invitation, the group (and especially the host) is curious, as Bron never sent Blanc an invitation. We learn that Bron is on the brink of marketing an alternative energy source called Klear which he claims is safe, but perhaps at least one member of the group knows otherwise.  The real mystery unfolds when two members of the group are killed, and Benoit Blanc must leap into action and solve the crimes. The movie is great fun and holds up to the original Knives Out film, for which Rian Johnson was also nominated.  (And in an Oscars twist, his first nomination for Knives Out was for Original Screenplay. In this film, because the character and story is based on that original film, he is now nominated for Adapted Screenplay.  Isn't that fun? Or am I just an Oscars nerd? Oh well, two things can be true.)

SPOILER ALERT - if you haven't seen the film and don't want to know what happens, do not read on. I will not address all of the surprises in the movie except one, and unfortunately, I think it's the hole in the plot that makes no sense. The story unfolds and we learn that Andi has a twin sister and that Andi herself has died, and that the person who actually shows up to the island, the person who received the invitation to the island, is actually the twin sister Helen.  (Janelle Monae plays both parts.) We learn that it is Miles Bron who, in fact, killed Andi, and that Andi didn't die by suicide.  When Helen/Andi arrives at the island, Bron welcomes her and says he is really glad she came.  But here's the thing, HE killed Andi.  HE knows that the real Andi is dead. So why would he send the real Andi an invitation to the weekend, and why would he not know that the person who stands before him is Helen, and not the Andi that he murdered? This plot hole undermines the entire story, so it's a pretty big one. Unless someone can point to something in the film that reveals that Bron knew that the guest was Helen all along (and there is nothing in the movie to suggest that he thinks this person is anyone but Andi), it's a bit of a problem.  Having said that, it's a super fun film and who even cares?  

I heard Rian Johnson interviewed and one of the points that he makes is that a well written murder mystery film like these or Agatha Christie's don't need hints so that the audience can solve it ourselves. They need to be joyrides with big surprises at the end. And this one was more than enough for me to be entertained.

Causeway - 1 nomination

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Brian Tyree Henry

Causeway is a lovely film following Lynsey who has returned home from military service with a traumatic brain injury.  She moves in with her mother, cleans pools for work, and does therapy and rehab in an effort to return to active service.  Along the way, she develops a relationship with her auto mechanic who himself is living with post traumatic stress disorder after the auto accident death of his nephew.  They find solace and comfort with each other, and Lynsey realizes that her ambition to return to Afghanistan may not actually be what's best for her physically, mentally, or emotionally.

This is not the first time that Brian Tyree Henry has had some Oscars buzz but this marks his first nom.  He is an incredibly talented actor, and much like Andrea Riseborough's nomination, it's nice to see a performance recognized in a film that wouldn't otherwise have received much attention. It's a beautiful performance and I'm certain that this will not be Henry's last nomination and he will eventually have that statuette on his mantle.  I enjoyed the film very much.

Living - 2 nominations

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Bill Nighy

Best Adapted Screenplay Kazuo Ishiguro

Living is based on a film called Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa. We know Kazuo Ishigiro to be an excellent screenwriter, and this movie is no exception.  Unbelievably, Living marks Bill Nighy's very first Oscar nomination, and he delivers such a pristine, beautiful, perfect performance that the tears I shed while watching were not only for the story, but for the sheer excellence of the portrayal.  At its heart, it's a simple story of a staid, quiet man whose routine is boring, whose work as a basically ineffective government bureaucrat is relentless, and whose life has devolved into simply turning the calendar from one day to the next.  When he is given a terminal diagnosis, he decides to try to have a bit of fun.

We have certainly seen this kind of story before - a terminal diagnosis awakens the dead-inside person up to live life more fully.  What is special about this film is that the turn Nighy's character Williams takes is not simply to fun, but in doing good for others, and then hopefully inspiring those around him to do the same.  It's hard to know what Williams' legacy will be, but he can end his life knowing that he made an impact with someone.  I loved this film, and I hope that the Oscars recognition will attract audiences to see it.  It's worth your time, it's absolutely lovely.  

The Whale - 3 nominations

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling Adrien Morot Judy Chin Anne Marie Bradley

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Brendan Fraser

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Hong Chau

Charlie is an online University teacher, an estranged father, and basically a shut in who never leaves his home and never interacts directly with anyone except for his best friend.  His heart is broken (literally and figuratively) because his partner died, and is also broken because he is in congestive heart failure.  Visually, his defining characteristic is that he is extremely morbidly obese, and emotionally, his defining feature is that he sees the world of possibility, he yearns for honesty, he believes in the goodness and kindness of people.  His greatest ambition is to repair his relationship with his daughter who he hasn't seen in 8 years, and she is willing only if he will pay her.  His illness is severe and his best friend and nurse Liz begs him to go to the hospital, but he declines wanting to save his fortune to bequeath to his daughter.  Fundamentally, Charlie doesn't believe himself worthy of anything because of his size - not the love of the people around him, not the respect of his students (and he keeps his Zoom camera off while he teaches), not anyone who could share his life and ease his burden.  He is repeatedly visited by a young Christian missionary who wants nothing more than to bring him back to Jesus - this is never going to happen because his partner died by suicide over the church's guilt for being gay.

This film is good.  It is touching. It has garnered plenty of controversy for gratuitously leaning into Charlie's size, and making every element of his fatness grotesque. But the universal praise for Fraser's performance is there too, and I'm thrilled to have him back in the mix.  Brendan Fraser is a brilliant actor and he squeezes this role for every bit of raw emotion he can find.  The performance alone is worth it, and I found the film to be worthy, as well.  It's a little schlocky, to be sure, but for me, still worth seeing.  If you only have time for 3 of this year's nominated films, this is not the one I would choose. But if you've got the time and inclination, I enjoyed it and I might have even shed a little tear.