As the awards season barrels towards the Oscars on April 25, many cinephiles are taking careful notes on other shows in the awards circuit. With nominations only a week away, studios that are not Searchlight Pictures are probably wondering if they stand a chance. Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards tell a clear story for “Nomadland” competitors.
Don’t hold your breath.
“Nomadland” took the top award, with the film’s director, Chloé Zhao, also winning. This makes the Directing Oscar hers to lose.
There were some notable deviations from the Golden Globes. “Promising Young Woman” fared a lot better, with Carey Mulligan taking the Best Actress award and the film taking the Best Original Screenplay award. This makes it one to watch at the Academy Awards. “Palm Springs” also got redemption, clinching its well deserved Best Comedy award.
I tend to pay more attention to these awards than the Globes for Oscar predictions. But it looks like—whichever way you look at it—“Nomadland” and Chloé Zhao will have a great April 25th. There could be a big surprise, but with “Nomadland” way ahead of the awards circuit competition, it would be a big surprise.
However, it’s not totally out of the question. The big threat to the “Nomadland” crown looks to be “Minari.” So far, many awards have separated “Minari” into the Foreign Language category, despite some controversy.
Much like “Parasite,” “Minari” will likely make it into the Best Picture category. Since “Minari” and “Nomadland” haven’t gone head-to-head in many of the awards so far, this could be an upset. But I wouldn’t expect “Nomadland” to be getting too scared yet, especially based on their awards performance so far.
Check back on March 15th for Metaflix’s coverage of the 2021 Oscar Nominations!
