Best International Feature Film: Ranking Every 96th Academy Award Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This article is a part of the Academy Awards Project, where Andreas Babiolakis from Films Fatale ranks every Oscar nominee from worst to best, and goes through every category once a day five days a week.
Finally. We’ve reached my favourite category of every Academy Awards ceremony: Best International Feature Film. Why do I love this category so much? It often feels like the real Best Picture group to me. It’s far less hindered by awards season politics and marketing (although, believe me, there is obviously quite a bit of that going on here as well), and the final five nominees are usually incredibly strong. My only complaint is that each country only gets to select one film for consideration each year, and that obviously can get messy or prove to be damning if the wrong film is chosen. Still, I love international cinema, and the worst nominee here is still quite a good film. The other four nominees are four of the best films I saw from 2023, from films that narrowly missed my top ten of last year, to the film that topped the list (and is what I already consider one of the best films of the 2020s). Which country is going to take this prize?
Here are your nominees for Best International Feature Film ranked from worst to best.
Biggest Snub: The Taste of Things-France
While many were scratching their heads over France’s choice to not pick the category’s most likely frontrunner, Anatomy of a Fall (which secured a few nominations, including Best Picture, without this endorsement, mind you), I’m just as sad that their actual selection, The Taste of Things, didn’t make the final five. Is it Anatomy good? Not quite, but it’s spectacular in its own right, and easily one of the most beautiful films of 2023 whose gradual pacing, passion for the culinary arts, and delightful aesthetics lured me into one of the more heartbreaking pivots of any film last year. Not that I’m an expert in the field or that I love many of these kinds of films, but The Taste of Things instantly became a must-see food film for those who do love the genre, and I do think it’s one of the best films of its kind of the twenty-first century.
5. Society of the Snow-Spain
Arguably one of the more popular films of these nominees, I’m sorry to disappoint you by having Society of the Snow in last place. For me, it was a given. I do like the film quite a bit, but the other nominees had far less for me to point out in terms of what doesn’t work. I found Society of the Snow a little circular and overlong. You can read the full review for more complaints because I’d like to also spotlight what I do like about this film. Its resilience and hope are quite sincere, and I think the devastating subject matter was handled nicely and authentically here (perhaps in the best way on the big screen yet). Between the powerful score and the stripped-down acting, Society of the Snow is sure to get anyone emotional while watching, and that alone makes it worth watching.
4. Io capitano-Italy
From one of the more popular nominees to what is most likely the most overlooked, Io capitano is a riveting, harrowing conquest for a better life that is hindered by many shocking tribulations; all of this leads to a faint dream that lacks certainty. I found that Io capitano shook me to my core when I first watched it, because of how far the film was willing to go in order to showcase human suffering, the way civilization is structured to curse (and not help) the impoverished, and the hints of fantasy that keep a smidgen of faith running throughout this desperate trek. If you haven’t gotten around to this film yet (I do think it’s likely one of the lesser-seen nominees of the entire 96th Academy Awards), I cannot recommend it enough; it could become a new favourite for you.
3. The Teachers’ Lounge-Germany
Before the Oscar nominations were announced, The Teacher’s Lounge was playing the silent game during the awards season, as it slowly crept up the rankings without creating much of a promotional fuss. Well, the other side of the coin is that nominations should actually go to the best of the best, and The Teacher’s Lounge winds up being that as well: one of the strongest shortlisted films of this category. Its upfront approach to the education system’s susceptibility to friction, as well as its clever allegorical takes on society through classrooms (even the “class” system and I’m not trying to make a pun here) is reason enough to watch this film. Then comes the powerful acting and the way that all story threads collide as the film proceeds, and that climax that is so out of left field (yet it nestles in perfectly with the rest of the film almost miraculously). The Teacher’s Lounge is a terrific film that I’m happy is getting its dues.
2. Perfect Days-Japan
Japan could have selected Monster or The Boy and the Heron for its nomination here. Instead, it opted for Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days: the first time a non-Japanese director has had a film selected to represent Japan. It was obviously for a damn good reason because Perfect Days rightfully wound up here in the final five nominations. As we spend time with a toilet cleaner going about his daily routines and the occasional events that thwart his equilibrium and habits, you realize the meditative state that Perfect Days places you in while you pick up on the little things that give this unfortunate soul’s life meaning. It’s a film that will tear at your heart while also planting a wide smile on your face, and it’s easily Wenders’ best narrative film in decades. Japan knew what they were doing with this selection.
1. The Zone of Interest-United Kingdom
This should come as no surprise for any of my avid readers, as I have been championing The Zone of Interest since last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. I’ve revisited the film since, and I think I only love it more. I cannot think of many films that evoke what Jonathan Glazer achieves here, where what we don’t see is far more effective and nauseating than what we would have in any other Holocaust-related film. This is precisely, expertly produced cinema which continues to boggle my mind, twist my stomach, and poke needles into my heart every time I even think about it. It’s effective, punishing, extravagant filmmaking, and I already think it is easily one of the best films of the 2020s. So, of course, it’s going to top my list here. I cannot recall many films that have affected me as much as The Zone of Interest in recent memory.
Who I Want To Win: After all of the fawning I just did, do you even really need to ask? The Zone of Interest, duh. However, I’d also love it if Perfect Days and/or The Teacher’s Lounge pulled off surprise upsets. But I’m fully backing The Zone of Interest.
Who I Think Will Win: We’d have a completely different story had Anatomy of a Fall been here. However, it isn’t, and so this looks like an obvious win for The Zone of Interest. Usual indicators of the last five years are the international films that broke into the Best Picture category or other groups, and The Zone of Interest is up for Picture, Director, Sound, and Adapted Screenplay as well. The only other film I can imagine causing some sort of an upset is Society of the Snow, but I think this is going to go to The Zone of Interest (the super-late distribution and award season strategy by A24 has certainly helped this happen; some prognosticators are sensing that there could even be a Best Picture surprise regarding The Zone of Interest as a result).
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with another category. We’re going to rank every single nominee in every single category, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss it!
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.