• Diversity, innovation, and surprises among the 2023 Oscar nominees
• 95th Academy Awards Nominations: A Look at the Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress Nominees

95th Academy Awards Nominations: A Look at the Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress Nominees

The 95th Academy Awards, often known as the Oscars, have been announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The award show will be broadcast live across the world on March 26, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. The nominees for this year include some shocks and snubs in addition to a wide and inventive selection of movies, performances, and behind-the-scenes accomplishments. Let’s examine the Oscar 2023 nominations in more detail.

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The Best Picture Nominees

This year, instead of the typical eight or nine candidates, the Best Picture category for the Oscars has ten. This reflects the Academy’s efforts to increase the diversity of films that are eligible for consideration as well as to include more voices from around the world. The candidates are:

• The Power of the Dog” – a drama set in 1925 Montana, directed by Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons. The film explores themes of masculinity, sexuality, and family dynamics.
• “Belfast” – a semi-autobiographical drama set in 1960s Northern Ireland, directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Jamie Dornan, Caitriona Balfe, and Judi Dench. The film portrays the impact of the Troubles on a working-class family.
• “Dune” – a sci-fi epic based on the novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, and Zendaya. The film depicts a desert planet and its struggle for control over a valuable resource called spice.
• “The Lost Daughter” – a psychological drama directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, and Dakota Johnson. The film follows a middle-aged woman who reflects on her past and present relationships as a mother, a daughter, and a teacher.
• “West Side Story” – a musical remake of the classic 1961 film, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, and Ariana DeBose. The film retells the tragic love story between two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, in 1957 New York City.
• “C’mon C’mon” – a drama directed by Mike Mills and starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, and Scoot McNairy. The film explores the bond between an artist and his young nephew, as they travel across the country and encounter different people and challenges.
• “Licorice Pizza” – a comedy-drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, and Sean Penn. The film depicts the unconventional romance between a teenage boy and a young woman in 1970s San Fernando Valley.
• “Being the Ricardos” – a biographical drama directed by Aaron Sorkin and starring Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and J.K. Simmons. The film portrays the personal and professional life of the legendary TV couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, during a crucial week of their show.
• “Don’t Look Up” – a satire directed by Adam McKay and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. The film follows two astronomers who discover a comet that will collide with Earth in six months, but struggle to convince the world leaders and the public to take action.
• Drive My Car” – a Japanese drama directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and starring Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, and Masaki Okada. The film is an adaptation of a short story by Haruki Murakami and tells the story of a stage actor who hires a driver to take him around Hiroshima while he rehearses for a play.

The Nominations for Best Director

Five people have been nominated for the Best Director award, representing a variety of nationalities, styles, and professional experience. The candidates are:

• Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog”
• Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast”
• Denis Villeneuve for “Dune”
• Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter”
• Mike Mills for “C’mon C’mon”

Steven Spielberg for “West Side Story” and Paul Thomas Anderson for “Licorice Pizza,” both of whom were considered front-runners, are noticeably missing from this list. The Academy chose less traditional candidates instead, such Gyllenhaal and Mills, who are well-known for their independent and experimental work.

The Nominations for Best Actor

Five actors have been nominated for the Best Actor award, representing a variety of emotions, personalities, and backgrounds. The candidates are:

• Benedict Cumberbatch for “The Power of the Dog”
• Will Smith for “King Richard”
• Denzel Washington for “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
• Joaquin Phoenix for “C’mon C’mon”
• Andrew Garfield for “Tick, Tick… Boom!”

While Cumberbatch and Phoenix have already been nominated for an Oscar but never won, Smith and Washington have both previously won the award. Garfield is a first-time nominee, and critics have commended the depth and vigor of his performance in “Tick, Tick… Bang!” as a struggling composer in New York in the 1990s.

The Best Actress Nominees

Five women are up for Best Actress, representing a range of ages, cultures, and life experiences. The candidates are:

• Kristen Stewart for “Spencer”
• Lady Gaga for “House of Gucci”
• Nicole Kidman for “Being the Ricardos”
• Olivia Colman for “The Lost Daughter”
• Jessica Chastain for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”

Both Lady Gaga and Stewart are former artists who have transitioned to acting, and their roles in “Spencer” and “House of Gucci,” respectively, have received praise for their development and nuance. The characters that Kidman, Colman, and Chastain play in “Being the Ricardos,” “The Lost Daughter,” and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” respectively, demonstrate the versatility and talent of these prior Oscar candidates and winners.

The Nominations for Best Supporting Actor

Five actors are vying for the Best Supporting Actor award, and they each provide the primary characters and plots more nuance and complexity. The candidates are:

• Troy Kotsur for “CODA”
• Kodi Smit-McPhee for “The Power of the Dog”
• Jesse Plemons for “The Power of the Dog”
• Willem Dafoe for “Nightmare Alley”
• Richard Jenkins for “The Humans”

In the drama “CODA,” in which Kotsur, a deaf actor, portrays the father of a hearing daughter, the family of fishermen learns that their daughter has a singing voice. In “The Power of the Dog,” Smit-McPhee and Plemons each have significant parts as a sensitive youngster and a troubled brother. Both Dafoe and Jenkins are seasoned actors who, in the drama “The Humans” and the noir thriller “Nightmare Alley,” respectively, offer seriousness and subtlety to their parts.

The Nominations for Best Supporting Actress

• Ariana DeBose for “West Side Story
• Ruth Negga for “Passing”
• Ann Dowd for “Mass”
• Marlee Matlin for “CODA”
• Kirsten Dunst for “The Power of the Dog”

In Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” Broadway veteran DeBose fills the iconic part of Anita, which Rita Moreno originated in the first movie. In “Passing” and “Mass,” Negga and Dowd play moms who are coping with loss and trauma, respectively. In “CODA,” a deaf actress named Matlin plays the mother of a deaf household, and in “The Power of the Dog,” Kirsten Dunst portrays a complex and disturbed woman.

Overall, the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards showcase a diverse and dynamic range of films and performances, reflecting the complexities and nuances of current cultural moment. From small indie films to big-budget blockbusters, from established veterans to emerging talents, the nominees offer something for everyone and represent the best of what cinema has to offer. As we eagerly await the winners to be announced, we can take comfort in the fact that the art of storytelling is alive and well, and that the magic of the movies continues to inspire and captivate us all.