Oscar Awards 2025

The USA’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is about to host the annual Oscar Awards. These are the movies that I watched and can comment on.

1. Anora (9★★★★★★★★★): My pick for the best movie of the year. The actress shows drama, comedy and sexuality.
2. Conclave (8★★★★★★★★): Superb performances. Tense with a plot twist.
3. Dune: Part Two (8★★★★★★★★): A sci-fi epic of stunning scope and spectacle. Villeneuve balances grandiosity with intimate character moments.
4. I'm Still Here (8★★★★★★★★): The Brazilian movie about dictatorship from 70s. In other words: modern as ever.
5. The Brutalist (8★★★★★★★★): A visually stunning drama. An intersection of architecture, history, and personal resilience. Brody is Oscar-worthy.
6. The Substance (7★★★★★★★): Its visuals insist on sensations: desire, disgust, wants. It’s a mix of social criticism and B-movie horror.
7. Emilia Pérez (5★★★★★): 13 nominations? It’s a boring movie, the songs are bad and forgettable (not to mention the ASMR presence). Unfortunately, it was caught in pointless controversies.

Documentaries

1. Incident (7★★★★★★★): A tense, meticulously assembled account that lets footage speak louder than commentary. Unsettling in the best documentary tradition.
2. I am Ready Warden (7★★★★★★★)I am Ready Warden (6★★★★★★): Sobering and humane, but struggles to find a fresh angle on familiar ground.
3. The Only Girl in the Orchestra (5★★★★★)The Only Girl in the Orchestra (5★★★★★): You leave admiring the film, not the subject.

Animations

1. Wander to Wonder (9★★★★★★★★★): great short stop motion animation.
2. In the Shadow of the Cypress (8★★★★★★★★): post-traumatic stress disorder