Best Picture: Ranking Every Nominee of the 97th Academy Awards
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
This is it, folks. The final category of the Academy Awards Project for 2025. We are about to embark on the journey that is ranking all of the ten Best Picture nominees. There isn’t much to say about this category as it speaks for itself: this is the award for what the Academy voters consider to be the best film of 2024. Before we get into all ten nominees (I will be brief with my explanations, because I think my previous reviews, all of which will be attached, will speak for themselves), since we have gone into snubs for each and every category, a tradition I like to do is go through ten (!) other snubs. Since Best Picture is an award for an entire film that is respected and loved by the Academy, I will pick five films that have been completely shut out by the Oscars with zero nominations (believe me, five entries aren’t even enough this year). I will then pick five films that have been nominated in other categories that would have made sense to be Best Picture nominees, and I’ll go into the reasons why below. We’ve got a lot of films to cover, so let’s begin this list of lists.
Here are your nominees for Best Picture ranked from worst to best.
FIVE FILMS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SHUT OUT BY THE ACADEMY AWARDS ENTIRELY
These are films that didn’t get a single nomination despite how deserving they are in numerous ways; I’m going to ignore films that may have deserved one or two nominations, and will instead focus on great works that could have made appearances in numerous categories.
5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Possible Nominations: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
I understand that the Academy didn’t want to spotlight two science fiction action films in one year (the other clearly being Dune: Part Two), but how George Miller’s Furiosa got zero nominations is beyond me. Outside of the fact that it is fantastically edited, there are so many design-based categories that, I would argue, go toe-to-toe with some of 2024’s finest crafted films.
4. I Saw the TV Glow
Possible Nominations: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography
I know this was never going to be nominated, but wouldn’t it have been great if Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow snuck in at least nomination? It’s the kind of indie horror that is destined for longevity and legacy, particularly from nostalgia seekers. All things considered, I Saw the TV Glow did have a really good year, all things considered (the film really took off, which feels miraculous given the state of movie theatres and the film industry), but I was hoping that the Academy would have thrown us a curveball with a nomination or two here.
3. Dìdi
Possible Nominations: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Supporting Actress
There was a brief moment in time when it felt like the indie darling Dìdi was going to go all the way with its awards season success; maybe it was never going to be up for Best Picture, but I did feel that it could have snagged a couple of awards, particularly star Joan Chen for her sensational supporting performance (which was a highlight of both her career and 2024 in film). Dìdi’s award season presence did dissipate once the winter months came in with their oft-discussed films, but I wish people were still talking about this lovely coming-of-age film that brings us back to the Myspace era of the late 2000s.
2. Civil War
Possible Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Production Design
Once Ex Machina did quite well for itself at the eighty eighth Academy Awards, it feels like the Academy has shut out everything Alex Garland. Quite frankly, it stinks. I expected that Civil War wouldn’t have done very well with the Oscars this year, but the fact that it didn’t even get nominated for its sound or visual effects is just astonishing. Realistically, I feel like this film should have been up for many awards (even some major ones), but I know that wasn’t ever going to happen. However, you cannot tell me that Civil War isn’t worthy of even just one nomination.
1. Challengers/Queer
Possible Nominations for Challengers: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography
Possible Nominations for Queer: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography
This speaks for itself. Luca Guadagnino released two films this year, and I would argue that they are two of his very best (at least in years). I know not many will be fighting for Queer which was a film that stuck with me for days after I saw it (and I think is a motion picture that will be returned to with a better understanding of its themes of existentialism and self-destruction); it is a bit strange that Daniel Craig wasn’t nominated for Best Actor when many predicted that he would finally secure his first nod. However, the real head-scratcher is that Challengers didn’t get a single nomination when it was once thought of as a potential Oscars juggernaut earlier last year. Not even its score, which has won numerous awards already, was considered here. I usually don’t have ties on these lists, but consider how screwed my poor man Luca was this year for a pair of films that, quite frankly, deserved better.
FIVE FILMS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN A BEST PICTURE NOMINEE
These next five films are ones that got nominated in a number of categories which, I feel, could have rendered them Best Picture hopefuls by the Academy’s standards (if they are nominating them, they must like them) that still missed out on such recognition. I won’t cover films that only got one nomination, even though I know the Academy is known to have Best Picture nominees with just as many nods (this year’s Nickel Boys, last year’s Past Lives, et cetera).
5. A Real Pain
Nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor
We’re starting off with a film that was once theorized to be the pick for what would nab that final Best Picture slot: Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain. While it was recognized in a couple of categories (and is more than likely going to see Kieran Culkin win Best Supporting Actor), it wasn’t successful in winding up in the Academy’s top ten list (I wonder if A Real Pain just narrowly missed that tenth spot that Nickel Boys claimed; I would certainly not replace Nickel Boys, but I do think A Real Pain is better than some of the films that did make it).
4. Flow
Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film, Best International Feature Film
My rationale here is that the Best Animated Feature Film and Best International Feature Film categories are both awards for the “best film of the year” in these fields. Considering that Flow is up for being considered both the best animated film and film from outside of the United States of the entire year (the latter is special, because most Best International Feature Film nominees are not animated, and Flow joins very rare company like Waltz With Bashir and Flee, both of which are documentary works as well), I think that this is cause to call Flow one of the strongest films of 2024 as per the Academy’s specifications (this would be an opinion agreed upon by many critics).
My Review for Flow
3. The Wild Robot
Nominations: Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score, Best Sound
Of course, if the Academy wasn’t going to pick one animated film for Best Picture, then why in the hell would they have two? How stupid of me, right? The Wild Robot is a highly acclaimed animated feature that is going up with some major contenders in the Best Original Score and Best Sound categories; it, naturally, is also up for Best Animated Feature Film. We haven’t had an animated film in the Best Picture race since Toy Story 3 fifteen years ago, and I can say with confidence that The Wild Robot is a better film than at least half of the Best Picture nominees. It felt like the film that could have wound up in the top category; I knew it wasn’t going to be nominated for Best Picture, but, really, why shouldn’t it be?
My Review for The Wild Robot
2. Sing Sing
Nominations: Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Song
Like A Real Pain, Sing Sing was once destined to be a Best Picture nominee, but it lost some award season steam somewhere along the way (not enough to pick up three nominations, at least). I feel disappointed, because here is this humble film and well-conceived experiment that was going the distance and was seemingly going to pull off the impossible (it was a 2023 festival indie film, left to die in the summer of 2024, and yet it somehow managed to still resonate with critics, audiences, and enough academy members for months on end). It didn’t quite get picked to contend for the top prize, but Sing Sing is still one of the best films of 2024 to me, no matter what any organization thinks.
1. Nosferatu
Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
This happened because the Academy hates horror films for the most part and couldn’t possibly have two horror films up for Best Picture (the other being The Substance, which did make the final cut), could it? At least the Academy didn’t shut out a Robert Eggers film like they usually do, and his version of Nosferatu was acknowledged in four different categories. However, if a horror film is being highlighted in four categories, doesn’t that mean that it is something special? You know what other horror film had four other nominations and wound up in the Best Picture Race? The Substance. Now, granted, The Substance has far stronger nominees (heavy weights like Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay) compared to the craft and aesthetic nominations that Nosferatu picked up on, but I think most cinephiles can agree that 2024 was a particularly strong year for the horror genre, and an academy’s top ten selection should be indicative of what kind of year cinema has had. The 97th Academy Awards could have afforded to celebrate two horror films; the academy just clearly didn’t want to celebrate more than one well enough. Still, four nominations for Nosferatu is better than nothing, but it is a major highlight of 2024.
FINALLY, HERE ARE YOUR NOMINEES FOR BEST PICTURE, RANKED FROM WORST TO BEST
No dilly-dallying. Let’s get into the Best Picture nominees, ranked from worst to best. I’ll be short with my explanations (except for one, which you will see soon), and you can read my full reviews of each film to find out more of my thoughts.
10. A Complete Unknown
While I have ranked this Bob Dylan biopic last (mainly for feeling a little under-developed narratively and thematically), I still think that A Complete Unknown is a pretty good film, especially thanks to its sublime musical performances that are captured so authentically that you feel like you are in the same room as these folk icons. Believe me, there are years with far worse Best Picture nominees than A Complete Unknown.
9. Emilia Pérez
Admittedly, I considered Emilia Pérez amongst my favourite films last year and of the 2020s decade so far, but a lot can change in a few months. I’ll unashamedly copy-and-past my explanation from my Best International Feature Film rankings, because I feel like I make my point there well enough. However, I will keep my original lists as-is, because I don’t think there’s any honesty or use in pretending I didn’t ever like this film, and censorship — even of one’s self — is never okay.
I previously championed Emilia Pérez as one of my favourite films of 2024, and I am not backpedaling because I feel threatened by the massive discourse that now surrounds this motion picture. However, I do have a few of my own reasons to rethink a film that I once loved quite a bit. I’ve begun learning Spanish (not as a result of this film, mind you), and have noticed how much clunkier the film reads in its intended language (mind you, I am no where near fluent, but I can pick up on enough that feels like I wrote the film as a newbie). Additionally, I am more than capable of separating the artist from the art, and I never let the opinions of others persuade me and change my mind, but I am also beyond exhausted when it comes to this film and what toxicity has spawned from it. I do feel like a lot of the complaints people have regarding the film stem from not having proper media literacy (at no point does the film absolve Emilia Pérez of her awful crimes as a cartel lord just because she transitioned, and I am tired of that point being made when Emilia Pérez clearly depicts its central character as a flawed, awful person who is striving to be better and mainly failing; how society in the film perceives her doesn’t equate to how the film portrays her).
However, there have also been many strong points made about this film that cannot be ignored, either, like the stereotyping that could have previously been shrugged off as a misfire until promotional interviews had Jacques Audiard admitting that he doesn’t care about how he represents Mexican culture; a film’s mistakes are one thing, but a filmmaker’s intended negligence does make me feel less of it. Suddenly, a film that I once saw as being full of ambitious ideas and genre-bending (which I still believe) now also flaunts its flaws that I once was willing to turn a blind eye to (that notorious song happens very early on, and I was willing to accept it as a failed attempt at being satirical, but I just cannot ignore it now). What once felt like a team effort now feels like a film full of drastically different walks of life vying for the same message: the very message crafted by a director who seemingly doesn’t care about how it comes across (a respected filmmaker who, at this stage in his career, should know better or care more). It’s not unusual for any film lover, even a critic, to change their mind on a film, but to shift this quickly does feel suspicious, I’m sure.
With that said, consider Emilia Pérez a once-magical moment from my TIFF 2024 experience that now has shown its true nature that I cannot shake off. I still like the film seemingly more than most people do, but I clearly don’t like it enough to defend it to the ends of the Earth especially when so much about the film is evidently made with ill intention. If I don’t care to justify Emilia Pérez, did I ever like it as much as I once thought I did, or was my experience with it akin to a marvelous dessert which I can no longer stomach looking at because of its richness and adverse effects post eating (and my discovery of the baker not washing their hands while baking this cake)? I’ll keep my previous sentiments of Emilia Pérez online just because I don’t like pretending that I was never a fan of the film: that feels deceptive and dishonest. Instead, I may revisit the film down the road (when I see fit), but I don’t feel like I need to battle for a film whose director clearly doesn’t actually want to fight for those he features within the film, be they transgender identities or Mexican citizens. What once felt like an earnest but inaccurate opera of these societies now feels like a director exploiting people for a statement that — in Spanish — isn’t properly conveyed. Despite how much I liked the film upon my first and only watch back in September, I honestly don’t care enough to rewatch it after all of this nonsense, and so I think it’s safe to say that I have, perhaps, fallen out of love with it.
8. Wicked
While parts of Wicked do feel a little overlong (especially that second act), I’d argue that this first run at the iconic Broadway show is quite a strong adaptation. There is much to marvel at here, and it is clearly made with love and passion. Let’s hope that the sequel is as good or even better; this would solidify the Wicked films as something special.
7. Conclave
While I didn’t like the film quite as much as some who have ranked it amongst the best works of 2024, I think there’s a lot to like with Conclave (particularly its stirring discussions of faith, politics, and power). Once you reach the make-it or break-it twists (one which works well for me, and one which doesn’t), Conclave will stick with you for better or for worse. I do wonder if this is a film that I will grow fonder of with time because of how narratively detailed it is. Perhaps.
6. Dune: Part Two
My thoughts on Dune: Part Two are just the same as the first Dune: these are great films, but they feel like parts of a nine hour film that got split up for budgetary reasons (amongst, you know, Denis Villeneuve being a sensible human being). I still think these films are quite the spectacle and technical achievements, and I do like them a lot for what they are, but the ways they are written and produced mean that they lean heavily on one another, and until that third Dune film comes out, this still feels like an incomplete epic begging for that finale. If the third part is atrocious, these two films will suffer as a result (unlike some other trilogies, like The Lord of the Rings where each film can still stand on their own for individualistic reasons). If the finale is great, then Dune may go down as a science fiction opus. I’m waiting for the sign that we’re in the clear and that all of the Dune films actually work and are complete.
5. I’m Still Here
Maybe the biggest surprise of the Best Picture nominees is Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here, but once it finally got introduced to the world, we could all see that there was a reason why this film had to be considered: it’s damn good. Equal parts harrowing and hopeful, Salles’ depiction of true events is pieced together by both his love for Brazil as a nation and his concerns with a tragic moment of his country’s history. The hype surrounding I’m Still Here is quite justified, and I’m glad to see it in the Best Picture race.
4. The Substance
In order for the Academy to care about a horror film enough to honour it with a Best Picture nomination, it has to be so good that it is impossible to ignore. That is The Substance: one of the great films of 2024, and one of the strongest horror films of the twenty-first century. A shocking satire that nails the majority of its talking points, tone, and aesthetic experiments, The Substance is a fantastically well-made film that had to be showcased as the first piece of evidence as to how good horror was in 2024.
3. Anora
I am pleased that the three films I gave perfect scores in 2024 were selected by the Academy for Best Picture. The first of those motion pictures is the Palme d’Or winning dramedy Anora, which is an exhilarating ride that made me laugh as much as it broke my heart. Sean Baker’s magnum opus, Anora is perhaps the most entertaining film of 2024 in a way that placed the American filmmaker on the very award season radar that he was frequently being snubbed from. You cannot ignore a film as great as Anora.
2. The Brutalist
The most ambitious film of 2024 is The Brutalist, and I would argue that Brady Corbet’s choices paid off in full. This behemoth, four-hour experiment in maximalism versus minimalism is dazzling through and through, with daring risks placed on top of acting expositions and production-based feats. It’s hard for films to feel like an event in the day and age of streaming, but The Brutalist left its mark on me like I was a wide-eyed believer watching a train arrive at the station on the big screen during the silent era.
1. Nickel Boys
How could the Best Picture nominee with the fewest other nominations (just one for Best Adapted Screenplay) be ranked first? Because Nickel Boys is the best film of 2024, and I think it’s insane that it wasn’t nominated more (at least it was recognized in the Best Picture race, but I bet you it barely made the cut). Nickel Boys is a bold aesthetic achievement, a relentless sociopolitical statement, and a mind-boggling experiment that breaks the medium of filmmaking and grants us something fresh, spellbinding, stunning, and earth-shattering. This has to be ranked first, and I don’t care how under-represented it is at the Academy Awards (it likely won’t win a single award, and it damn well should have many come Oscars night).
Who I Want To Win: I’d go with my top five selections: Nickel Boys, The Brutalist, Anora, The Substance, and I’m Still Here. I don’t suppose I’d be angry with any other film winning like I would some years, but I’d be happiest if the Best Picture award went to one of those five films.
Who I Think Will Win: Some critics and prognosticators will say that this race is (or, at least, was) wide open, but I disagree. I think, especially in light of recent revelations, this will boil down to three heavy hitters.
First, I think Anora has the best odds, given that it has won the top prize at the Producers Guild of America Awards (which is usually a sure sign that a film has a strong chance to win Best Picture at the Oscars); it also picked up the biggest prizes at the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Critics Choice Awards; this plus the Palme d’Or (which usually isn’t a prerequisite to win Best Picture, but it certainly helps a film get seen and recognized) means that there are a lot of trophies that are in favour of Anora cleaning up on Oscars night.
But then there is the once-favourite title, The Brutalist, which earned the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture — Drama, and was seemingly en route to dominating the award season (perhaps it was the use of AI that got in the way of The Brutalist’s chances; as someone who abhors AI, I think The Brutalist’s use was extremely minuscule and didn’t prevent honest employees from being able to work on the film, and this whole situation has been blown out of proportion). Even though The Brutalist once dominated, it has lost a lot of steam; that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a chance, mind you.
Finally, there’s Conclave: a film that ticks off enough boxes and feels like it is respected and liked by most enough to sneak in with the top prize (not having any controversy surrounding it helps). If Conclave wins anything more than Best Adapted Screenplay on Oscars night (like Best Film Editing, or Best Actor), expect it to win Best Picture as well (as these will be signs that there is a general consensus that this film should win).
The BAFTAs and SAG Awards haven’t happened yet at the time of me writing this article (it’s currently February 15th), but these can be major indicators of what to expect on March 2nd for the Oscars. For now (before I make my final predictions days before the Academy Awards), I’m sticking with the information that Anora’s wins are providing me.
The Academy Awards Project will continue tomorrow with one last step that is now an annual tradition. We will rank every single nominated film — shorts included — from worst to best. 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.