Manchester by the Sea
An intense drama about loss that stars Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea is a downer if there ever was one. Still, it’s been rapturously received and has serious Best Picture weight.
Loving
This Jeff Nichols directed biopic about a landmark Supreme Court case that overturned laws against interracial marriage is the most relevant film of the election season. Initially dismissed as too unsentimental, Loving and it’s two stars (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga) are now considered as serious contenders for awards glory. As Colin Firth, who produced the movie says: "What this film does is make what could seem like a political conversation into a very, very personal one."
Allied
Due in no small part to the media circus currently surrounding it’s leading man, the Second World War romantic thriller is the movie that everyone can hardly wait to see. With it’s release date set for an awards’ friendly November, Paramount has clearly hedged all it’s bets on Robert Zemeckis (Forest Gump, Cast Away) to deliver.
JACKIE
Nearly six years after nabbing a Best Actress Oscar for Black Swan, Natalie Portman is poised for a major awards season comeback with Jackie. The biopic, which sees her playing Jacqueline Kennedy as she copes with the aftermath of JFK’s assassination, is rumored to have wowed all those who saw it. Adding to the must-see factor is its director, Pablo Larraín, the brilliant Chilean film-maker behind 2013’s Oscar-nominated No, who makes his English-language debut with the drama.
La La Land
Damien Chazelle’s last film, Whiplashwent all the way from The Sundance film festival to Oscar glory. La La Land, his hotly anticipated third feature looks set to rocket him back into awards season. An attempt to rejuvenate the big screen musical with a little help from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, La La Land centers on a jazz pianist (Gosling) who woos an aspiring actress (Stone) in sun-kissed Los Angeles. Have you checked out the swoon-inducing trailer? It hints at something truly special.
It’s Only the End of the World
The latest offering from Québec wunderkind Xavier Dolan is a brilliantly stylized evocation of familial dysfunction. Featuring the crème de la crème of French cinema, and a career best turn from Gaspard Ulliel, Dolan’s emotionally bold film does full justice to Jean-Luc Lagarce's famed 1990 play.
Nocturnal Animals
The last (and first) time fashion designer Tom Ford took a detour into film-making, he surprised his naysayers by delivering A Single Man, a ravishing, emotionally rich drama that featured a career best turn from it’s lead actor, Colin Firth. Seven years later and Ford’s back with Nocturnal Animals, his hotly anticipated second offering. Based on Austin Wright’s acclaimed novel Tony and Susan, about an art gallery owner tormented by her ex-husband’s novel, the larger than life film, led by Jake Gyllenhaal, and Amy Adams has one of the finest ensembles of the year.
Lion
Starring Oscar favourites Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, Lion has all the makings of a potential awards contender –boosted by its uplifting, fact-based story about a young man adopted as a child who used Good Maps to track down the family he left behind in India. Dev Patel heads the cast, in his highest-profile role since Slumdog Millionaire.
Franzt
Set in Germany after the First World War, Frantz is an elegant black-and-white melodrama from hyper-prolific Francois Ozon. It’s a touching tale about a young woman’s encounter with an enigmatic Frenchman (rising star Pierre Niney) who knew her late fiancée.
Light Between Oceans
In contemporary American cinema, Derek Cianfrance’s is a uniquely singular voice. Emotionally rich films like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines have ranked as the best among their years. This adaptation of M.L. Stedman’s 2012 novel, anchored by the radiant chemistry between off-screen couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander holds similar dramatic potential.