One classic after another: A closer look at the 10 Oscar nominees for best picture

Animated movies, sequels and popular intellectual properties saw predictable success in 2025. Don’t get us wrong — those movies are fun — but they’re not what we’re usually talking about years later. Fortunately, the auteurs of the film industry were also hard at work, and the result is a chock-full slate of 10 Academy Award best picture nominees. Some of these selections are small, finely crafted stories about family drama; others burst with action courtesy of vampires and monsters; some even have a little of both. The staff of Stars and Stripes saw all of the best picture nominees and had a few things to say about why they are — or are not — worthy contenders for the Oscars’ highest honor.

‘Bugonia’

I didn’t really know what to expect when I watched “Bugonia,” starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. All I knew was that Stone’s character, Michelle, was some bigwig CEO who was going to be kidnapped by Teddy (Plemons), a conspiracy theorist who believes the CEO of a pharmaceutical company is an alien sent to study humans.

The entire film keeps you guessing. In the beginning scenes, the viewer is naturally sympathetic to Michelle’s plight as a victim of kidnapping. As the story unfolds, and we learn more about the pharmaceutical company she runs and the questionable things it has done to affect Teddy’s family, the viewer easily swings to care about Teddy and the struggles he’s going through.

The central conflict is a battle between two people who are constantly trying to assert control. Teddy is continuously trying to establish physical control in particular. But he isn’t quite prepared for Michelle, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, and her knack for dominating a situation. Michelle responds with mockery, making Teddy question his decisions throughout the movie.

As a best picture candidate, “Bugonia” provides a great balance of drama, comedy and science fiction. The rural American setting adds to the unsettling mood. The film constantly keeps viewers guessing as to whether Teddy is a delusional conspiracist, or whether Michelle is just feeding him lies to confuse him until help arrives. “Bugonia” is a great moviegoing experience, and deserves to be in the standings as a best picture nominee.

“Bugonia” is also nominated for lead actress (Stone), adapted screenplay and original score.

– Douglas Gillam/Publishing and Media Design – Manager

‘Frankenstein’

Mary Shelley’s book “Frankenstein,” written in 1818, was shocking in its time with a villain who wasn’t the monster and an evil created by humans. The story took horror to a new level and essentially helped push a new genre: science fiction. It is a classic, and with hundreds of film adaptations, products and spinoffs, any new attempt to portray it is met with heavy expectation and critique.

But director Guillermo del Toro stepped up to the challenge, creating a film adaptation he’s been obsessed with since childhood. On Deadline’s video series Behind the Lens, del Toro told Pete Hammond, “I wanted to make it an epic and a chamber piece at the same time. So, the very intimate and the very large.”

He has, in my view, succeeded in this goal, creating a film nominated for nine Oscars, and one I feel is a top contender for both best picture and cinematography.

The visual storytelling in the film is beautifully gothic. From the wooden-paneled darkness of Edinburgh’s male-dominated societies to his not-quite-steampunk disused water tower lab (an admittedly odd choice), we get to see how Victor Frankenstein’s fanaticism developed. The dangers of this uninhibited progress were important to Shelley; electricity was the AI of its day, a provocative new science, and del Toro’s Victor epitomizes all the wrong ways it could be pushed to excess. The experiment ends in a great fiery scene — one that finally gave the bizarre, massive hole in the center of the lab a purpose.

Then, it all changes. The monster tells his story, and it is one of happy, innocent moments punctuated by deep sadness and isolation that lead to a need for vengeance. Del Toro’s writing has modernized Shelly’s theme of revenge by taking its motivation deeper into the complex and potentially painful dynamic between fathers and sons. Flashbacks to Victor’s upbringing instill a sense of generational trauma and unmet expectations that he then passes on to the creature.

Unlike in the book, del Toro’s Frankenstein is allowed a final confrontation with the monster, providing a brief moment of reflection. It occurs during the many arctic scenes that frame this story within a story (as did Shelley). They are some of the most memorable moments; snippets of the present that show us both the father and son on a path from vindictive destruction to understanding.

In the end, del Toro’s version of “Frankenstein” is still a horror movie, one that exposes the deep monster inside humanity.

“Frankenstein” has been nominated in nine categories, including supporting actor (Jacob Elordi), cinematography, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, music (original score), production design, sound and writing (adapted screenplay).

– Kat Nickola/Europe writer

‘F1: The Movie’

The best picture nomination for “F1: The Movie” was surprising, but it also felt like the one “Top Gun: Maverick” received among its six Oscar nods in 2023.

There’s a good reason for that. Four, really.

The films are both directed by Joseph Kosinski, and they also share screenwriter Ehren Kruger, cinematographer Claudio Miranda and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Their plots and dazzling visuals are remarkably similar. And both were box-office hits, although “Maverick” was a much bigger one with its $1.5 billion to $633 million worldwide for “F1.”

Brad Pitt stars as Mav … er … Sonny Hayes, a middle-aged driver whose promising career was derailed 30 years ago by a horrific crash in a Formula One race. He has bounced from circuit to circuit. His career has never recovered, but he still knows how to win. His unexpected reentry to F1 comes when a former rival (Javier Bardem), now owner of the struggling APXGP team, brings Sonny in as a Hail Mary heave at a long-shot victory that would block the board from forcing him to sell.

He also wants Sonny to mentor his No. 1 driver. JP (Damson Idris) could be one of the greats, and that’s his greatest problem. The star-making machine has changed since Sonny was on the circuit, and JP is at least as concerned with social media posts as he is with podium finishes as he positions himself for a ride with a better team next season.

If you have ever seen a movie, especially a big Hollywood production, you have an idea where all of this is going. Will APXGP get its elusive win? Will the old pro and the young hotshot iron out their differences? And will Sonny finally get his moment in Victory Lane?

Pitt, 62, still excels at playing free-spirited badasses, as he did when he won the supporting actor award in 2020 for his Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” And he’s fun to watch in this film. But he’s not nominated this time (although I’m told by a Pitt fan in my house that his highlighted hair is award-worthy), and “F1” isn’t going to pull off a dramatic win in the best picture race. The front of the field is way too strong.

“F1” has a better chance of cashing in on one of its three other nominations, for visual effects, film editing and sound. If you want to pull for a populist picture, “Sinners” is the better bet. But for those who believe the Oscars bend too far to honor craft and not enough to recognize commerce, a nomination is its own kind of victory.

– Sean Moores/Managing Editor for Presentation

‘Hamnet’

“Hamnet” captures the aching, complicated, universal nature of grief through the lens of one family’s story. It just happens to be the family of one of the most renowned playwrights of all time, William Shakespeare.

The film, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, is a work of fiction loosely based on a few details of William’s life, but every character seems heart-wrenchingly real. It takes us from the meeting of William (Paul Mescal) and Agnes (the transcendent Jessie Buckley, who is nominated for best actress), who are each uninterested in fitting into the molds set by 16th century life and their families. Agnes is an herbalist who feels most at home in the woods and has no interest in propriety, and William is a creative soul who writes late at night and doesn’t want to become a glover like his cruel father.

They find a beautiful, deep understanding of each other that involves them living apart for long stretches, and they have three children. But their bond is tested when their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, dies of the plague while William is away in London. In the wake of the tragedy, William writes “Hamlet.”

Chloé Zhao, who is nominated for best director, brings the rawest of emotions to the screen, deftly taking the audience from the happiest of family moments to the depths of sorrow. The excellent performances and stunning visuals — the use of the woods, the transformation of the colors in Agnes’ clothes, the theater crowd — make it a top contender for best picture in my book.

“Hamnet” is a reminder that in a world that can seem uncaring, there is always someone with losses of their own reaching out a hand in sympathy; we just have to look for it.

– Ann Pinson/Digital Managing Editor

‘Marty Supreme’

Lovers of sports and sociopathic grifters - rejoice! Josh Safdie’s return to the director’s chair brings viewers a head-spinning chronicle of a narcissistic young New Yorker who has high-flying dreams of becoming a world-renowned ping pong star, and the audacity to get there by any means necessary.

Timothée Chalamet, who’s on his own personal quest for Hollywood glory, plays a pimple-faced, 23-year-old Jewish shoe salesman named Marty Mauser, who, in 1952 New York City, is on a quest to bring table tennis to the U.S. and skyrocket himself to the front of Wheaties boxes.

The film is loosely inspired by Marty “The Needle” Reisman, a real-life ping pong star who was prone to showmanship and shifty antics himself. But Chalamet and Safdie bring a kind of fresh insanity to the story — sprinkled with bits of anti-Semitic jokes and, inexplicably, set to ’80s pop hits like “Forever Young” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.”

We follow Marty through a series of capers, grifts and gags all designed to get him to the international table tennis championships. He takes what he wants however he wants it — which includes holding up his coworker for cash, sleeping with his married childhood friend (Odessa A’zion), finagling his way into the finest suite at the Ritz, and starting an affair with an older actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) while trying to hustle her rich husband into sponsoring his ping pong quest.

Once viewers look past the depravity of it all, they’ll find an appreciation for Marty’s debauchery and ruthless self-promotion. However despicable the character, Chalamet seamlessly delivers on Marty’s full spectrum of emotions: from his vibrating desperation, to his shocking arrogance, to a surprisingly sincere moment of clarity for the young ping pong prodigy.

Unlike a traditional sports movie or biopic, “Marty Supreme” includes no glossy montages about the beauty of the craft, nor makes any attempt to tie Marty’s ambition to some noble quest.

This is not “Remember the Titans,” “Rudy” or even “Moneyball” — this is watching someone defuse a bomb while “Yakety Sax” blares in your ears.

Chalamet deserves to win for best actor, but the film is going up against some heavy hitters in the best picture category. I suspect it will have a hard time beating out “Sinners,” which is among the favorites to win.

“Marty Supreme” is nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best actor (Chalamet), best director and best cinematography.

– Lara Korte/Europe reporter

‘One Battle After Another’

“One Battle After Another” is an epic written, produced and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, based on the 1990 novel “Vineland” by Thomas Pynchon. The ensemble cast includes Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, Benicio del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and introduces Chase Infiniti.

In the A-plot, we follow a group of revolutionaries, known as “The French 75,” as they disrupt oppressive systems of government by liberating prisoners, bombing federal buildings and robbing banks. Perfidia Beverly Hills, Taylor, is a domineering member of the group who derives pleasure from the thrill of challenging the system. She’s romantically involved with “Ghetto” Patrick “Pat” Calhoun, DiCaprio, who’s mostly in charge of blowing things up.

This relationship works well until Perfidia sexually degrades Steven J. Lockjaw (Penn) while the group is liberating hundreds of people from an immigration detention center. Lockjaw realizes that, in an unexpected way, Perfidia matches his freak, and the encounter leaves him obsessed. The plot thickens when Perfidia gives birth and Calhoun wants to step back from their active roles in the revolution to raise their child. Perfidia, in the throes of postpartum depression, refuses to slow down.

Meanwhile, the B-plot is more subtle and centers on Sergio St. Carlos (del Toro), a karate sensei with revolutionary ties of his own. While the A-plot takes up most of the screen time, the B-plot is the critical piece of the story. Calhoun’s multiple escapes from the police cannot happen without Sensei, but you have to recognize the underground network Sensei’s built to understand that.

In this way, the film illustrates how the fight against inequality requires role-players with different philosophies to uplift all people. The “Latino Harriet Tubman situation” Sensei is operating cannot do its quiet work of providing disenfranchised people with new lives without the cover of “The French 75’s” loud resistance. Likewise, without Sensei, exposed revolutionaries have no way out of the game.

Will the film win the battle for best picture? Not over “Sinners,” but I do think it will take best casting for the ensemble mentioned above. DiCaprio opposite Taylor was compelling. Del Toro embodied an experienced sensei in the face of adversity and Penn had a jaw-dropping, “Terminator”-like resilience. Infiniti conveyed angst, confusion and fear, while Hall brought the gravity of her role and responsibility to every scene.

“One Battle After Another” is nominated for 13 Oscars, including actor (DiCaprio), supporting actor (Del Toro and Penn) and supporting actress (Taylor).

– Janiqua Robinson/Asia – Pacific Correspondent

‘The Secret Agent’

“The Secret Agent” is set against the backdrop of the military dictatorship in Brazil in 1977. It centers on Marcelo (played by Wagner Moura of “Narcos”), a former researcher who is now a political refugee because of, as we eventually learn, a feud with a corrupt businessman.

The degree of police corruption is made clear from the opening scene, in which Marcelo pulls up to a gas station during his long drive to Recife, where he will join his son. Two police officers make a random stop to see if they can find anything to fine Marcelo for, completely ignoring the dead and decaying body of a would-be thief nearby that they were called to investigate days ago.

There is much going on in this lengthy and rich story, which has a run time of 2 1/2 hours. It’s rife with symbolism and various quirky characters, some of whom are also refugees, and many of whom are ruthless and careless authority figures. There are many father-and-son pairings, and an interesting blend of both American and Brazilian cultural influences throughout — Marcelo’s young son is obsessed with the newly released movie “Jaws,” for instance, and the story takes place amid the backdrop and frenzy of Carnival.

I came to the story with little background knowledge of this era in Brazilian history. I’m sure there’s much more to be gleaned from the film than what I got out of it, but even for me, it was an interesting look at the impact of a corrupt government on average and largely law-abiding members of society. I can see why the movie has been celebrated by Brazilians; it felt very “of its place,” giving insight into the culture as well as telling an important story.

The tale is interspersed with short scenes about two present-day history students who are digging into old audio recordings and newspaper archives from the military dictatorship. It’s a seeming loose end until the payoff in the final scene, when one of the students, who had been researching Marcelo, meets with Marcelo’s son, now grown. The story set in 1977 that the movie had been following all along abruptly ends before this scene, seeming to avoid showing the audience the climactic outcome for the main character. Does he escape? Is he gunned down by hit men? We do find out, but in a fascinatingly indirect way. The director seems to be saying that the most important thing isn’t what happens to any specific character; it’s how — and perhaps that — these events and injustices are recorded and remembered.

“The Secret Agent” has been nominated for four Academy Awards. I feel confident in saying, considering this year’s previous award winners, that it has no chance at all to win best picture or best actor (Moura). It’s also unlikely to nab the new ensemble cast award, though it would be well deserved — “Sinners” or “One Battle After Another” are more likely candidates. As for the international film category, “Sentimental Value” is a stronger bet. Still, awards or no awards, “The Secret Agent” earned a place among the best movies of 2025, and its relevance will likely outlive that of many of its fellow nominees.

– Kate Maisel/features editor

‘Sentimental Value’

At the heart of “Sentimental Value” is a house. The house serves as the working memory for ongoing deliberations of generations of the Borg family. As the years roll on, the value of the house grows in emotional value to its inhabitants, if not monetary value. As the movie unfolds, the viewer learns the expected and unexpected true value of the house.

The movie focuses on the interaction between two sisters, Nora and Agnes, who share a close bond, as their estranged father, Gustav, attempts to reconnect with each of them. Nora, a successful local actor, turns down her father’s offer to star in his new movie. What follows is an exploration of their complex family dynamics.

The acting is excellent. For famous Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård, who recently shared that he suffered a stroke in 2022, what to do for an encore? He chose to deliver one of the finest performances of his career. The sisters, played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, bring a dynamic to the film that supports and empowers Skarsgård to express his command of the art.

“Sentimental Value” is a film that follows a long and familiar tradition among European cinema in that there is a film within the film. As it has subtitles, “Sentimental Value” is best viewed when one is able to concentrate on the dialogue. The film’s charms and strengths are subtly revealed through the interactions of the sisters with their father as they come to terms with the value of the human condition.

The strength of the movie is further demonstrated through its nine Academy Award nominations, among them best director, best actor (Skarsgård), best actress (Reinsve), two best supporting actress nods (Lilleaas and Elle Fanning) and best international film. It’s hard to say whether this film will take any of the highly contested categories in which it is nominated, but it’s best not to bet against Skarsgård, or this production.

– Mark C. Nolan/Chief Digital Information Officer

‘Sinners’

Thanks to the most successful word-of-mouth campaign of the 2025 film season, “Sinners” became an instant success, going on to be reissued in theaters multiple times due to overwhelming demand. Shot on 65mm film with IMAX cameras and a $100 million budget, it was destined for the big screen.

Unfortunately, there are only 30 theaters in the world capable of screening a film in IMAX 70mm. So I did the next best thing: I saw it at the Smithsonian’s six-story Airbus IMAX theater in Chantilly, Va. And what I saw was magical.

Following a single day in the life of identical twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore, the film transports the audience to the Deep South as it existed in 1932. Michael B. Jordan, who plays both brothers with the help of a body double, delivers two entirely distinct performances. The film’s environment oozes authenticity, from the color scheme and weathered costuming to the twangy dialects and songs. One scene in particular — and you’ll know it when you see it — is the very definition of movie magic.

Like a man possessed, director Ryan Coogler wrote his “Sinners” screenplay in just two months. The film is a beautiful homage to the blues, the Mississippi Delta and the colonized communities whose treasured cultures have been lost to time. It holds personal significance for Coogler, whose sharecropper uncle introduced blues music to him as a child.

“Sinners” has already made Oscars history. Nominated for a whopping 16 of the 17 awards it was eligible for, it surpassed the likes of previously most-nominated title holders “La La Land” (2016) and “Titanic” (1997), both of which earned 14 nominations. From overdue flowers for supporting actor Delroy Lindo, to a legendary breakout role for Miles Canton — who learned to play the blues guitar for his role in just two months — each nod is beyond well-deserved.

I cannot stress enough how powerful and memorable this film is, but I can encourage everyone to see it (in theaters!) at least once in their lifetime. It truly is, as Coogler put it, a “full meal of a movie.” In my book, “Sinners” isn’t just the favorite to sweep the 98th Academy Awards — it has already cemented its place as one of the most iconic films of all time.

– Gianna Gronowski/Social Media Editor

‘Train Dreams’

“Train Dreams” follows the life of Robert Grainier, a logger and railroad worker living during the changing landscape of early 20th century America, who battles Mother Nature, time and grief.

“Train Dreams” is a beautiful film. Beautiful not just in visual presentation, but in atmosphere. The Pacific Northwest unfolds in breathtaking vibrant color: dense forests steeped in mist, rivers reflecting with light, mountains rising in patient silence. The landscape does not merely frame the story; it is the main character.

The performances are equally vivid, restrained and deeply human. The camaraderie between Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton) and Arn Peeples (William H. Macy) unfolds without sentimentality, yet symbolizes an important transfer of wisdom that becomes the metaphor for Grainier’s life.

Based on Denis Johnson’s 2011 novella, the film’s pacing unfolds like a dreamy summer’s day, drifting down a lazy river. There is no urgency in arriving at the destination. You slowly ramble through Grainier’s life as you surrender your expectations to a quiet stream’s currents.

While the story hints at a nostalgic time in America’s history, there is a stark contrast to how unfazed the characters are toward cruelty and death. Neither fatal workplace accidents nor racial violence trigger any warranted emotional response. It’s only when Robert’s family faces tragedy, that he finally experiences true grief. The film does not judge him for this flaw; we simply witness and follow him through the stages as we float unhurriedly along.

Directed by Clint Bentley and produced by Black Bear and Kamala Films, this $10 million budgeted Sundance darling was purchased by Netflix for $15 million. Boasting a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, its viewers can stream this visual masterpiece for art’s sake. Given all the modern demands on our time, would I choose to spend 1 hour and 47 minutes watching this type of film? Probably not. Considering the powerhouse of films competing within the same Best Picture category, do I think this film will win? Again, probably not.

However, the point of art is not necessarily to entertain, but to be bold and to make a statement. The slowness of the film is not stagnation; its art lies in the depth of the story. And as you glide through Grainier’s life story, it becomes evident that the drifting is the point.

– Laura Law/Chief Operating Officer

SNUB: ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’

If there’s one thing I hate about awards season, it’s seeing a film beautifully crafted and believed in by its cast and crew left out of the Oscars buzz. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to the epic musical “The Testament of Ann Lee.”

Amanda Seyfried stars in this surprisingly riveting story about the leader of a real historic religious movement: the Shakers. The film is at times stressful, other times comedic. The color grading, full-screen choreography and impassioned music stuck with me long after I left the theater.

What could have been a dark horse contender in multiple Oscar categories like film editing, lead actress, music (both best original score and original song), and even best picture, the movie was released at film festivals in December — in time to qualify for the 98th Academy Awards by the skin of its teeth. A big mistake. Had the film’s release been allowed to breathe and spread its wings, other studios needn’t wonder what would be the heavy hitter at the 2027 Oscars.

Regardless of what could have been, “The Testament of Ann Lee” will be remembered as the crown jewel of Seyfried’s career.

– Gianna Gronowski/Social Media Editor

Featured on Instagram