Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #1: ‘Sentimental Value’ “Nearly Perfect,” “Didn’t Want [‘Hamnet’s] Jessie Buckley Turned Up to a 10 the Entire Time”

Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment A female member of the Academy’s 719-person documentary branch who has no connection to any of this year’s nominees, granted a cloak of anonymity in return for candor, speaks with THR about her ballot. Best picture I put Frankenstein at number 10 because I haven’t seen it, which is unfair, but I ran out of time and decided to check the box indicating that I had so that I could support other films. F1 was not for me — I watched about 45 minutes of it, and I didn’t need to watch more. I’m a huge fan of Yorgos Lanthimos, but Bugonia , while I admired its ambition and performances, did not work for me. I liked Train Dreams and thought it was visually beautiful, but I grew a little tired of the character’s point of view and didn’t find it especially unique. Marty Supreme was a great ride, but it ultimately felt like more of the same stuff we’ve seen from the Safdies, even if this one was just Josh. I admired The Secret Agent ’s performances and design, but was not as captivated by the narrative as I wanted to be. Hamnet was emotional and beautifully rendered, but a bit overwrought — I didn’t want Jessie turned up to a 10 the entire time. To me, One Battle After Another , Sinners and Sentimental Value are all best picture-worthy. I loved One Battle , but there were flaws — I heard from a lot of friends in the Black community that they were troubled by the character Perfidia Beverly Hills, and I really hear that. With Sinners , I was leaning forward in my seat with my mouth open for the entire movie — it was so ambitious, profound, provocative and entertaining. But at the end of the day, I put Sentimental Value on top because it was, to me, exquisite, nearly perfect, and my kind of movie. Related Stories Movies Maggie Gyllenhaal Loved Those 'The B...