What To Know Ahead of the 2026 Oscars

This year, I finally completed the goal which I have been chasing for the last few years: I watched all ten Oscar Best Picture nominees before the ceremony. That’s over 24 hours of movies. Was it worth it? I think so. The films this year are diverse, creative, and, most of all, interesting. And so, in the spirit of student journalism, I had to write about them. The good, the bad, and the weird, laid out for you here. Read away (and then fill out your own ballot ahead of the ceremony on Sunday, 15 March, below!)

Bugonia

Bugonia is the latest in a long line of collaborations between Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone. Featuring Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone, and newcomer Aidan Delbis, the film balances all-star performances with a buzzing mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. In Bugonia, two conspiracy-obsessed men (Plemons and Delbis) kidnap the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company (Stone) after becoming convinced that she is part of an alien race that wants to destroy Earth. This film is, at times, deeply weird, and yet also strikes a chord of sadness. Best watched with zero expectations or understanding, Bugonia is one of Lanthimos’ best and is sure to leave your mind racing. 

Frankenstein

This is clearly the year of the Jacob-Elordi-gothic-adaptation. The film details the creation of the Creature (Elordi) by Victor Frankenstein, played by Oscar Isaac. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, this film aimed to capture Mary Shelley’s novel as a whole, failing to recognise that most viewers were drawn in by the cast, or even accessibility of the film (as one which is found onNetflix), rather than the drama of the classic story. Elordi’s performance was a highlight of this film, capturing the grace and innocence of the Creature as contrasted with the violence and anger of Victor. It was an enjoyable, if long watch, and ultimately my biggest gripe was how, despite its being an adaptation of a literary classic, it still felt like a Netflix movie.

F1

F1, is perhaps the most straightforward movie of this year's nominees. Starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, F1 combines the intensity of a sport movie with the heart of the classics. Executively produced by Lewis Hamilton, there’s no doubt this is one of the most accurate portrayals of racecar driving in film — and it was certainly thrilling. Brad Pitt played the likeable, yet reckless Sonny Hayes, a retired racer, convinced to return to the sport by a struggling team, and mentor to the up-and-coming Joshua Pearce (Idris). While the racing was exciting, the movie itself didn’t seem to climax, rather relying on the technique of the sport to carry through some of its weaker plot lines. 

Hamnet

Hamnet is the topic of everyone's conversation this award season. Based on the historical fiction novel of the same name by Maggie O’Farrell, the film, directed by Chloe Zhao, tells the story of William Shakespeare, played by Paul Mescal, and his wife Agnes (Ahn-yes), played by Jesse Buckley, as they cope with the death of their son, Hamnet, played by Jacobi Jupe. This film is devastating — so much so that several people walked out of the cinema when I watched it. Yet it is also hauntingly beautiful and devastatingly hopeful, masterfully utilising colour and excelling in its cinematography. Where Hamnet achieved its peak was not in Buckley’s brilliant performance as a grieving mother, or Jupe’s tragic portrayal, but rather in its interpretation of Shakespeare's work in Hamlet. Filmed in the Globe Theatre, Hamnet reminded audiences that the true power and legacy of Shakespeare is not simply in his words on paper, but rather in the way they are felt in their performance. 

Marty Supreme

Marty Supreme is Timothée Chalamet’s latest and most awarded role to date. Directed by Josh Safdie, the film tells the story of Marty Mauser, a professional ping-pong player on his quest for greatness. Featuring Odessa A’zion, Gwenyth Paltrow, Kevin O’Leary (of Shark Tank), and Tyler the Creator, this film is chock full of very unlikeable people (Mauser most of all), and yet, begrudgingly, fantastic performances, complimented by brilliant casting and directorial choices. By the end of the film, I hated all of the characters, and as a result, the film. But I had to acknowledge the skill of the actors to make me feel this way. Marty Supreme asks the difficult question of whether or not the audience's enjoyment of a film, or all the other components of it, are what make a movie good. I guess it’s up to you to decide. 

One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another is certainly the most relevant film of the year. Focusing on themes of rebellion and revolution, immigration, and racial systems, the all-star cast addresses complex and weighty topics in a way that was somehow both serious and hilarious. The film follows Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson, a paranoid and washed-up former revolutionary, trying to protect his teenage daughter, Willa, played by Chase Infiniti, when his past — anthropomorphised by villain and super creep Steven Lockjaw, played by Sean Penn — catches up to them. The brilliant acting performances, particularly by Penn, aided by the brilliant writing and directing of Paul Thomas Anderson, kept this nearly three-hour film engaging and well-paced, with all-American scenery adding the perfect touch to the themes of the film. 

Sentimental Value

Sentimental Value is one of two foreign-language films nominated for Best Picture this year. It explores topics of mental health and explores the complex family relationship between sisters Nora, played by Renate Reinsve, and Agnes, played by newcomer Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and their estranged father Gustav, played by Stellan Skaårsgard, a once-renowned director who offers Nora a role in his new film. Their dynamic is further disrupted by the appearance of American actress Rachel Kemp, played by Elle Fanning. This film is best described as beautiful, both in its cinematography and script, and it handles complicated topics, for the most part, with grace and emotional maturity. Sentimental Value, however, is a difficult watch; it is emotional and heavy, and it touches many veins of human pain, bringing to the surface traumas and sadness, but also joy and love. 

Sinners

Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coolger, is a masterpiece of a film, weaving together the genres of historical fiction and horror and presenting an astoundingly well-researched representation of Black American history and its intersectionality. Sinners tells the story of two twin brothers, both played by Michael B. Jordan, returning to their Mississippi hometown in 1932 to build a juke joint, only to discover a greater evil waiting to welcome them back. The 1930s is a fascinating choice of time period, settling in between the end of slavery and the start of post-WWII global modernisation, and touching on the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and continued racial inequality post-Civil War. Coogler incorporates a range of cultures through music and dance, creating a multimedia masterpiece of incredible detail and depth, with Jack O’Connell giving a phenomenal performance as Remmick, an Irish-American vampire. Sinners is fun, well-paced, and interesting. Its biggest (and perhaps only) miss is that Michael B Jordan’s Smoke and Stack are simply too hard to tell apart. 

Train Dreams

Compared to the bold, aggressive performances of many of the other Best Picture nominees this year, Train Dreams quietly snuck into the category with its remarkable cinematography and brilliant screenplay. Train Dreams, based on the novel of the same name by Denis Johnson, tells the life story of Robert Grainier, played by Joel Edgerton, a logger in the Pacific Northwest of the United States at the turn of the 20th century. The pace of this film is intentionally slow, mirroring the quietness and timelessness of the natural world it represents. William H Macy, Felicity Jones, and Kerry Condon all provide brilliant performances, each bringing new meanings to Grainier’s life. This is very much a life story, reminding us all that we are just specks on this earth, trying to do our best with what we have. I thought the film best summed up in this line, “The world needs a hermit in the woods as much as a preacher in the pulpit.” 

The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent was the last of these films that I watched. Set in dictator-run Brazil in 1977, it follows Armando, played by Wagner Moura, a former professor caught in the political turmoil. The cinematography is beautiful, and the script blends historical fiction with crime thriller, accented by a touch of fantasy and a robust serving of film references. Foreign films always pose their own challenges and joys to a viewer, but the film was engaging and emotional, coming together into one of the most unexpectedly nostalgic films I’ve seen in a long time.

This ballot was created using AI.