The people who follow the awards cycle are typically of the belief that awards season begins in the fall but awards season truly begins in May at the Cannes Film Festival. The biggest and most prestigious film festival in the world welcomed 45,000 industry insiders this year and premiered films that drew in film critics, filmmakers, and general film lovers alike.
We’ve already seen them. Here are the films you need to watch if you want to know what could make an appearance at the Oscars this year.
Good Time – Best Actor or Best Original Score
Robert Pattinson’s performances in films like The Rover and Cosmopolis have been underrated, largely due to his Twilight stardom. This film could be the one to catapult him to the top. He was a favorite to win Best Actor in Cannes and his performance in Good Time was quite possibly his best yet. He gained the best reviews of his career, carving a path toward the Oscars ballot. Oneohtrix Point Never’s killer soundtrack also raked in high praise at the festival, the sometimes jarring music pulling the viewer further into the films as Pattinson’s characters spiral. The marriage of great acting and great music make this film one to look out for.
The Beguiled – Best Director or Costume Design
The Beguiled is already an awards favorite, earning Sophia Coppola the Best Director prize in Cannes. With the industry taking a hard look at representation of women in recent years, it seems the Academy would be keen to extend a nomination for Coppola as well. Focus Features, the distributor of this film, has run stellar campaigns for their Oscars contenders and it would be no surprise if they nabbed both a Best Director nomination and a below the line Costume Design nomination for the same film.
Wonderstruck – Cinematography or Original Score
Todd Haynes has yet to truly awe the Academy, despite his highly acclaimed and iconic work. Though this film just might win on its beautiful sound and visuals alone. Carter Burwell’s score and Ed Lachman’s cinematography truly take Haynes’ story to another level, one that cannot be ignored entirely by the Academy.
The Florida Project – Original Screenplay or Support Actor (Willem Dafoe)
After amazing reviews for Tangerine, the 2015 Sundance sweetheart shot entirely on an iPhone, Sean Baker has wooed critics and audiences again with The Florida Project. After a stellar release in Cannes, indie house A24 is bound to have big plans for this film in order to hold the Best Picture Oscar two years in a row. Not only is the story unique and interesting, but Willem Dafoe gave possibly the greatest performance of his career in this film. He received stellar feedback at the festival, lining him up for yet another Oscar nomination.
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