My Reaction to the 2025 Oscar Nominations

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in Wicked

No time to waste here. I’ve got a lot to write below this point, so let’s just get to the Oscar nominations. As a note, I decided to not include the short film categories, mainly because I just don’t have a lot to say about them. Congrats to all of those nominees. Along with the list, I’ll share my thoughts at the very bottom of this post.


Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked

Will Win: The Brutalist
Should Win: The Substance



Brandon Wilson and Ethan Herisse in Nickel Boys


Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
James Mangold – A Complete Unknown
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Will Win: Brady Corbet
Should Win: Coralie Fargeat



Monica Barbaro and Timothée Chalamet in A Complete Unknown


Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Sebastian Stan – The Apprentice

Will Win: Timothée Chalamet
Should Win: Sebastian Stan



Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice


Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance
Fernanda Torres – I’m Still Here

Will Win: Demi Moore
Should Win: Demi Moore



Demi Moore in The Substance


Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Will Win: Kieran Culkin
Should Win: Guy Pearce



Mikey Madison and Yura Borisov in Anora


Best Supporting Actress
Monica Barbaro – A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Will Win: Zoe Saldaña
Should Win: Felicity Jones



Zoe Saldaña in Emilia Pérez


Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora
Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum & Alex David – September 5
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Will Win: A Real Pain
Should Win: The Substance



Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain


Best Adapted Screenplay
James Mangold & Jay Cocks – A Complete Unknown
Peter Straughan – Conclave
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
Greg Kwedar & Clint Bentley – Sing Sing

Will Win: Conclave
Should Win: Conclave



Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci in Conclave


Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Will Win: The Wild Robot
Should Win: The Wild Robot



Still from Flow


Best International Feature
Emilia Pérez – France
Flow – Latvia
The Girl with the Needle – Denmark
I’m Still Here – Brazil
The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Germany

Will Win: Emilia Pérez
Should Win: I’m Still Here



Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here


Best Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane

Will Win: No Other Land
Should Win: No Other Land



Still from No Other Land


Best Original Score
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz – Wicked
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot

Will Win: The Brutalist
Should Win: The Brutalist



Still from The Wild Robot


Best Original Song
“El Mal” (Zoe Saldaña & Karla Sofia Gascón) – Emilia Pérez
“The Journey” (Diane Warren) – The Six Triple Eight
“Like A Bird” (Abraham Alexander) – Sing Sing
“MI Camino” (Selena Gomez) – Emilia Pérez
“Never Too Late” (Elton John) – Elton John: Never Too Late

Will Win: “El Mal”
Should Win: “Like A Bird”



Colman Domingo in Sing Sing


Best Sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Will Win: A Complete Unknown
Should Win: Dune: Part Two



Still from Dune: Part Two


Best Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked

Will Win: Wicked
Should Win: Nosferatu



Nicholas Hoult in Nosferatu


Best Cinematography
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Paul Guilhaume – Emilia Pérez
Edward Lachman – Maria
Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu

Will Win: Nosferatu
Should Win: Dune: Part Two



Angelina Jolie in Maria


Best Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Will Win: The Substance
Should Win: The Substance



Renate Reinsve and Sebastian Stan in A Different Man


Best Costume Design
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Gladiator II
Nosferatu
Wicked

Will Win: Nosferatu
Should Win: Nosferatu



Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington in Gladiator II


Best Editing
Sean Baker – Anora
David Jancso – The Brutalist
Nick Emerson – Conclave
Juliette Welfling – Emilia Pérez
Myron Kerstein – Wicked

Will Win: Emilia Pérez
Should Win: Conclave



Guy Pearce and Joe Alwyn in The Brutalist


Best Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked

Will Win: Dune: Part Two
Should Win: Dune: Part Two



Still from Alien: Romulus


Summary
Honestly, this is a fine lineup. It’s not as bad as the year that had Green Book or anything like that, but outside of really one movie, I didn’t really hate any of the Best Picture nominees I’ve seen so far. That one movie, though, is Emilia Pérez. It’s no secret that I really dislike this movie, and it’s far and away the most nominated movie this year with 13 nominations. Tied for 10 noms is The Brutalist and Wicked, making up second place. Again, I’m in the same boat with the Golden Globes and the Academy’s love for Emilia Pérez. I feel like I’m being gaslighted into thinking that Pérez is this major movie, but if this ends up winning Best Picture, it’d definitely be the most controversial Best Picture win since Crash in 2006, maybe even more so. I do prefer the first Dune over the second, but I’m still sort of shocked that it got less nominations than the first. I also wonder if The Brutalist would be held back with its controversial use of AI, especially since director Brady Corbet tried to minimize it, but still used it nonetheless. Anora, once thought to be the frontrunner, just doesn’t have that sauce anymore. Maybe Madison or screenplay could win, but Anora hive just doesn’t have that level of hype anymore. The Substance did have a great showing, although I think not nominating Margaret Qualley for supporting actress is big. I still think Moore is the winner in actress, but she’s going head to head with Fernanda Torres now, and I’m Still Here was a surprise Best Picture nominee. That’s gonna break me, but all I do know is that I’m going to watch the rest of the Best Picture nominees and review them before the Oscars go down on March 2. Like the Golden Globes, I’ll be writing my live reactions to the awards and they’ll be posted that night!