On March 15, 10 deserving movies will all compete for the Best Picture of 2025 in the 98th Academy Awards. With a variety of genres, such as political thrillers and horror, this year’s decision will be a close call. The 98th Academy Awards will be one of the biggest yet, with record-breaking nominations and a new category, Achievement in Casting, for the first time since 2001.
The hit film “Sinners” broke the record for the most Academy Award nominations in history with 16 nominations. Featuring African-American twin brothers who return home to the 1930s Deep South, “Sinners” is not only a unique blend of historical fiction and horror but also speaks to the deep roots of racism in American history.
The complex plot serves as an underlying metaphor for white supremacy in the 1930s, when African Americans were constantly under attack and threatened by white people. While complicated in theory, the film executed the plot fantastically.
The highly anticipated “Marty Supreme,” a film about a ping-pong perfectionist, was not only hard to follow but also confusing and obscure. Although this movie is not, in my opinion, deserving of the Best Picture award, Timothée Chalamet acted incredibly in his star role, and his work made up for the disappointing movie itself, so I believe he is worthy of the Best Actor award.
The movie adaptation of “Hamnet,” about the death of Shakespeare’s son, did an excellent job of portraying Shakespeare’s relationship with his wife, Agnes, and his son, Hamnet. The film was slow-paced but a beautiful tribute to grief over a lost child, intertwined with aspects of Shakespeare’s original play, “Hamlet.”
For Best Actress, Jessie Buckley delivered a phenomenal performance as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, in “Hamnet,” flawlessly depicting motherly love and heartbreak over the loss of a child. Buckley already won Best Actress for this film at this year’s Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards, and her work in “Hamnet” is worthy of adding an Oscar to the list.
Following the typical feel-good sports movie cliche, “F1” has a simple plot: a former, washed-up F1 driver returns to partner with a new hotshot driver. The action-packed movie had great cinematography and was very entertaining, easily making it deserving of the Best Visual Effects award. However, I was shocked to learn that the film was nominated for Best Picture, as its plot was extremely predictable and offered nothing new or groundbreaking cinematically.
The political action thriller, “One Battle After Another,” was one of the most unique movies of the year and is nominated for 13 Oscars. The film follows a fathers’ journey to rescuing his kidnapped daughter, a former member of a far-left group. The movie shows the lengths that family goes for one another while also rebelling against American authorities.
Sean Penn, who played the film’s antagonist Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, portrayed this character fabulously. Despite being a villain, his acting was so phenomenal that viewers could look past some of his character flaws. Penn was nominated in the Best Supporting Actor, and his work is definitely worthy of the award.
Ultimately, I believe that “Sinners,” with a unique and complex plot, is deserving of taking home the 98th Academy Award for Best Picture, as it perfectly tied together history, horror and action in just over an hour. As this year’s ceremony is one of the most anticipated yet, I am eager to see which of the phenomenal films from 2025 will have the pleasure of taking home these awards.
