Oscar Contenders Get Political |
In recent years, many best-picture contenders have had a relevant political or cultural message—if not in the films themselves, then at least on the campaign trail. Take, for example, last year’s winner, Anora, which really hit its stride after director Sean Baker began taking every opportunity to talk about the importance of releasing films in theaters rather than over streaming platforms.
This year’s crop includes several films with timely themes that could be incorporated into their campaign messaging for the rest of the season. I recently spoke with After the Hunt filmmaker Luca Guadagnino about his film, which he doesn’t call a post–#MeToo movie—but says he did use it to explore power and the current cultural moment. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know that he wanted the ending to reflect the current state of the nation: “Look at where we are—look at who went to power again,” he tells me.
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing and other acts of violence, Paul Thomas Anderson’s political violence–focused One Battle After Another also feels particularly timely. Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia centers on a conspiracy theorist who feels those in power have personally wronged him and his family. Other films look at political leadership through all sorts of lenses. Kathryn Bigelow’s gripping A House of Dynamite follows a hypothetical nuclear attack on America, raising questions about how much control our president has over big decisions during a critical time. And even Wicked: For Good can be viewed as a story about a leader who is attempting to suppress his population’s vulnerable and those who oppose that suppression.
This season, there really is a story for everyone. Sure, the slate also includes escapist narratives with evergreen themes of legacy, family relationships, grief, love, and loss. But it’ll be fascinating to watch how these films that most closely hold a light up to our current troubles shape their campaign messages as the awards race really gets underway. |
