Looking at the front-runners in the Oscar races for animated feature, international film and documentary, I’d guess you’ve seen two of the three movies leading their respective categories.
DreamWorks Animation’s “The Wild Robot” arrived at the end of September, three weeks after the rapturous reception it received at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere. It did well enough at the box office, earning more than $300 million worldwide, and stands as the odds-on favorite to win the animated feature Oscar.
Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a musical soap opera about a Mexican cartel boss looking to transition into a woman, was the talk of Cannes at its premiere in May and led all movies with six mentions when Oscar shortlists were announced in December. The movie, which has been on Netflix for the past several weeks, is France’s entry for international feature and will be difficult to beat for that Oscar. It wouldn’t be surprising to see it land 10 nominations overall, including best picture.
The one movie you probably haven’t seen is “No Other Land,” a look at the devastating costs of displacement in the southern West Bank. The documentary has won numerous honors, starting with its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and including prizes from the Los Angeles and New York film critics groups and the International Documentary Assn. But because streamers and studios have been shying away from topical documentaries, “No Other Land” still has no U.S. distributor. The filmmakers and their sales team will be releasing it themselves in 20 markets in February, including two theaters in the L.A. area on Feb. 7.
With Oscar nominations around the corner, let’s take a quick look at these three categories to see what movies might be nominated and which ones could possibly challenge the leaders.
ANIMATED FEATURE
I should note that the enthusiasm for “The Wild Robot” is lost on me. You know that feeling when critics hype a film, and then you get around to seeing it and it’s ... fine? That was me and “The Wild Robot.” I loved the first 10 minutes, in which we’re introduced to Roz after she washes up on an island and tries to engage with the animals. Then the critters start to talk, and the spell is broken. The movie wraps up its story in an hour. Then there’s an unnecessary third act that’s busy and loud, the kind of thing you endure in a bad Marvel movie. The animation is pretty; I’ll give it that. But I’ve seen “The Iron Giant,” and this movie pales in comparison.
“Flow” feels like the film “The Wild Robot” wants to be. It maintains its wordless conceit throughout, telling the story of a group of animals embarking on an adventure as they try to navigate a flooded world. The movie, made by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis, who co-wrote the screenplay and the marvelous score, also was shortlisted for international feature. It’s magical, mysterious and moving, an immersive experience that allows its animals to act like ... animals. It’s easily the year’s best animated film.
The field should be rounded out by “Inside Out 2,” the biggest hit in Pixar history, making it a possible spoiler in this race. The delightful “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl” holds up quite well to other entries in this series. “Memoir of a Snail” is a strange stop-motion tragicomedy straight out of Dickens that’s not about a gastropod but the grim life of a grief-stricken snail enthusiast. It might have you reconsidering that dish of escargot you were about to order.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Several weeks ago, I wrote that “Emilia Pérez” was a lock for the international feature Oscar. All those mentions on the Oscar shortlists, an early indicator of the academy’s enthusiasm for a movie, have me feeling more certain of that. Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is good enough and has a potent narrative — it was shot in secret, and Rasoulof fled Iran to avoid a prison sentence shortly after he finished the film — to make it a viable alternative. But it faces an uphill climb. If Rasoulof earns a nomination for directing, maybe it could still be a race.
Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” is excellent, anchored by Fernanda Torres’ performance as a wife and mother dealing with a stark new reality after her husband is abducted by Brazil’s military dictatorship. Then there’s “Kneecap,” the funny, unruly comedy about an Irish hip-hop trio from Belfast. The film has been winning fans since its premiere at Sundance last year. Its energy is irresistible.
“Flow” is a possibility to be nominated here too, as Latvia’s entry. There’s also the beautifully shot “Vermiglio,” a drama exploring the complex dynamics of a rural family living in the Italian mountains bordering Germany near the end of World War II. The sentimental Thai entry, “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies,” has its fans, though I doubt there’s much overlap between its supporters and those voting for the bleak “The Girl With the Needle,” which follows a woman mixed up in the black-market baby trade. It’s Danish.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Netflix acquired three documentaries out of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival — “Will & Harper,” “Daughters” and “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin.” They’re all streaming on the platform now, and they’re all worth a look. Given the competition, only one might be nominated. Will Ferrell lent the friendship portrait “Will & Harper” a high profile. “Ibelin,” the heartfelt story of parents learning after their son’s death about his vibrant social life playing “World of Warcraft,” has an undeniable power. But I’d lean toward “Daughters,” the moving look at the Date With Dad program for incarcerated men and their daughters. It’s absolutely gutting.
To fill out the field, I like three other standouts from Sundance. “Sugarcane” is a sobering account of the abuses that Indigenous children suffered at a government-funded residential school in Canada that was run by the Catholic Church. The bold, unconventional “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” intertwines jazz with decolonization in its telling of newfound, fragile Congolese independence during the Cold War. Finally, “Black Box Diaries” documents journalist Shiori Ito’s quest for justice in her own high-profile rape case. It’s a heart-wrenching depiction of heroism.
