Table of Academy Awards (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
On the morning of January 23rd, the 2025 Oscar nominations were announced by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott. As always, this sent both cinephiles and casual movie-goers into discussions of which films deserved more, deserved less, or deserved nothing at all.
“Emilia Pérez,” a movie-musical following a Mexican drug lord as she undergoes gender-affirming surgery and attempts to reconnect with her family, topped the list with thirteen nominations.
It’s something of a miracle considering how hated the film is by general audiences. Just ask the 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 2.6 stars on Letterboxd, both from general audiences rather than critics.
People don’t just think “Emilia Pérez” is bad, though. There’s also been significant criticism targeting the film’s Mexican representation, LGBTQ+ representation, depiction of cartel violence, and cultural appropriation.
“Emilia Pérez” was also recently slammed for its use of AI voice-cloning techniques. “The Brutalist,” another major Oscar contender, used the same technology and received similar backlash.
The star of “Emilia Pérez,” Karla Sofía Gascón, made history when she became the first openly trans actress ever nominated for an Oscar. The film also snagged major nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Directing.
Trailing behind “Emilia Pérez” were “Wicked” and “The Brutalist,” both with ten nominations.
Both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande received major acting nominations for their respective roles in “Wicked.”
The Oscars are known for snubbing horror movies, but the Academy decided to be gracious this year and dish out well-deserved nominations to “The Substance” and “Nosferatu.”
Demi Moore received a Best Lead Actress nomination for “The Substance,” just weeks after she took home a Golden Globe for the same performance. This is Moore’s very first Oscar nomination.
Coralie Fargeat was nominated for her direction of “The Substance,” which is doubly shocking since the Academy typically ignores female directors even more than it ignores horror movies. Fargeat is only the ninth female director to be nominated in the Directing category in the Oscars’ ninety-seven year history.
Margaret Qualley, however, received no Best Supporting Actress nomination for “The Substance” despite being nominated for a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award.
“Nosferatu” didn’t break into any major categories, but it is a contender for Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hair, Best Cinematography, and Best Production Design.
The Academy is often accused of having recency bias—nominating and awarding films released later in the year and snubbing films from earlier in the year.
This is especially apparent this year with “Challengers” and “Dune 2.” “Challengers” received zero nominations just weeks after winning a Golden Globe for Original Score. “Dune 2” snagged a Best Picture nomination but none for its directing or screenplay.
It wouldn’t be the Oscars without a biopic racking up multiple nominations—this year, it’s “A Complete Unknown.”
Timothée Chalamet’s Oscar press campaign has been in full swing for months now; he’s even set to go double-duty on Saturday Night Live on January 25th and serve as both the host and musical guest.
His performance as Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” secured him his second Oscar nomination. This nomination made him the youngest two-time Best Actor nominee since James Dean.
His first nomination, which he lost to Gary Oldman in 2018, was for his role in “Call Me by Your Name.”
Adrien Brody was also nominated for Best Actor for his role in “The Brutalist.” He beat out Chalamet at the Golden Globes, but this doesn’t mean Chalamet can’t pull through with the Oscar win.
“A Complete Unknown” also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Directing, and more.
Oscars predictions are usually made using other award shows as a reference point, like the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards. “Emilia Pérez” is sure to take at least a few awards home, since it received four Golden Globes.
Notably, Zoe Saldaña is the most likely winner for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “Emilia Pérez.”
I’d also put my money on Kieran Culkin receiving the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in “A Real Pain.” Culkin’s performance was loved by both critics and general audiences, and he won a Golden Globe for this role just weeks ago.
Best Picture, the most lauded award of the night, could be a toss-up. “The Brutalist” won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Motion Picture while “Emilia Pérez” won for Best Musical or Comedy Motion Picture.
Both are nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and will be battling for the win.
The 97th Oscars take place on Sunday, March 27th at 6 p.m. on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu for all those eager to see who secures each win.