A Viewer’s Guide to this year’s Best Picture Nominees
This year’s crop of films has it all -- gut-wrenching dramas, exhilarating musicals, heartening true stories and even aliens. Here is a guide to help you figure out what not to miss.
Moonlight
This is one of the most meaningful, heartbreaking movies of the year and it is not an easy film to watch. Moonlight follows the journey of a gay, African-American man from childhood to adulthood. As a child, Chiron is bullied by his peers and verbally abused by a mother more concerned with her next fix. His first sexual experience is followed by a violent betrayal. This desolate childhood creates a man so divorced from his emotions and his sexuality that he no longer feels anything. The tragedy of this film is watching a vulnerable, loving child learn to carve out pieces of himself that make him different just to survive.
See this film because
There are several beautiful, lyrical moments in this film where Chiron is able to experience kindness and love. The three actors who play Chiron at different ages, Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes, all create a rich, emotional portrait of this anguished soul. Naomie Harris, who plays Chiron’s mother, and Mahershala Ali, a drug dealer who becomes a father figure to Chiron, both imbue their characters with a humanity that elevates them above stereotypes.
Skip this film because
No matter how good the film is, it is also undeniably depressing. Seeing another film where African-Americans are depicted as drug-addicted abusive parents and gang members may frustrate those tired of seeing these characterizations so frequently.
La La Land
Director Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) wanted to make a contemporary, original musical and everybody in Hollywood thought he was crazy. Thankfully he persisted and created a gorgeously crafted, joyous throwback to the great musicals of the 40’s and 50’s. This film is a love letter to artists struggling to follow their dreams and to the city of Los Angeles itself which has never looked more glamorous. Emma Stone stars as an aspiring actress, and Ryan Gosling plays an ambitious piano player who meet-cute and fall in love, while occasionally bursting into song and dance numbers.
See this film because
For those who love musicals, this film is a gift. It’s smart, classy, romantic and thankfully not at all depressing. Stone and Gosling give charming, engaging performances and the bittersweet ending supplies the film with a little more depth.
Skip this film because
The music in the film suffers from “movie star singing” i.e. not exactly professional voices and the songs aren’t that memorable. As enjoyable as the film is, it doesn’t rise to the level of a classic.
Manchester by the Sea
This is another powerful, emotive film with a lead character, similar to Moonlight’s Chiron, who has built a barricade around himself to block out a great deal of pain. Casey Affleck (Lee) stars as a man who, haunted by a tragedy in his past, has isolated himself from his family and emotionally shut down. When his brother dies, he comes back to his hometown to care for his nephew and is forced to confront his demons.
See this film because
There is a pivotal scene near the end of the film when Lee’s ex-wife (played by the talented Michelle Williams) confronts him about the demise of their marriage. Those who experience this moment as a crucial catharsis for Lee will consider this film a meaningful study of grief and forgiveness. Williams and Affleck both give measured, gripping performances.
Skip this film because
If the above-mentioned scene doesn’t move some viewers and they see no change in Lee’s character, this film becomes a gigantic, boring waste of time. Affleck’s performance may look to these folks as a wooden, one-note character who just grumbles his way through the film.
Fences
Denzel Washington directs this film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. The story centers on Troy Maxson (Washington) a middle-aged husband and father working as a trash collector in Pittsburgh in the 1950’s. Troy is angry about a lot of things- a failed baseball career, a racist society conspiring against him, and a violent father who forced him to leave home when he was too young. He turns that rage towards those around him. He cheats on his devoted wife (Viola Davis), attacks his son and ends up pushing away everyone who cares for him.
See this film because
Davis gives a fully committed, egoless performance of a woman trapped by the times in which she lives and a corrosive marriage. Washington, who also played the role on Broadway along with Davis, allows the anger, bitterness and passion to explode out of Troy in a riveting performance. The story of an average working class black family in the 1950's is something that is rarely represented on film and there is value in simply telling that tale.
Skip this film because
In spite of Washington's affection for the material, this film still feels like a play with stilted dialog and a claustrophobic, stagey atmosphere. Troy is a deeply unlikable character and that might turn some viewers off.
Lion
This engaging drama is based on the true story of a 5-year-old boy who falls asleep on an empty train and is trapped for days as the train crosses the country. Set in India in 1986, Saroo finds himself in a strange place, where he doesn’t speak the language, homeless and hungry. He doesn’t remember his mother’s name and mispronounces the city he comes from, so no one is able to send him back home. He soon becomes prey to criminals and eventually ends up at an orphanage where a kind Australian couple adopts him. Twenty years later, Saroo still is haunted by memories of his mother and brother and begins a search to find them.
See this film because
Saroo’s Dickensian journey through Calcutta as a child is fascinating and his story eventually becomes quite moving and heartwarming. Dev Patel (adult Saroo) and Nicole Kidman (Saroo’s adoptive mom) give genuinely affecting performances.
Skip this film because
The film is a little long and the pace slackens at times.
Arrival
Arrival is a science fiction thriller more concerned with language, science, and patterns of human behavior than space ships and exciting battles. After aliens make contact, the US Army brings in linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) to try to figure out how to communicate with these new invaders. Are they here to help us along our evolutionary path or to destroy us?
See this film because
The alien/human conversations are visualized with dazzling, elegant images and the cinematography is stunning. Amy Adams gives a stirring performance that gives the film its soul. A twist of the plot at the end makes the film even more heartrending and eloquent.
Skip this film because
As long as you don’t go in expecting an action packed invasion story, I can’t think of a reason not to see this fascinating film.
Hacksaw Ridge
This film is based on the true story of a deeply religious man who enlisted to serve his country in World War II, but refused to kill anyone or even touch a gun. Although the Army attempted to discharge him and his fellow solders harassed and beat him, his conviction never wavered. Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) became a combat medic, and after a heroic act of bravery in which he saved the lives of 75 of his fellow soldiers, he won the Medal of Honor.
See this film because
Doss’s story is truly inspirational and it is impossible not to get swept up by the patriotism and honor he exemplifies. The battle scenes are extremely well directed and look like a much bigger budget film.
Skip this film because
The film gets a little preachy at times and some of the characters suffer from a lack of complexity. Doss is a little too perfect and those fighting against him portrayed as completely in the wrong. There are some legitimate concerns, about having someone in combat that refuses to defend himself, which the film glazes over. Some viewers may have trouble separating Mel Gibson the man from this film.
Hell or High Water
This film is basically a modern day western although instead of cowboys and horses, there are outlaws and fast cars. Set in rural west Texas two brothers Toby (Chris Pine) and Tanner (Ben Foster) start robbing banks in an attempt to save their family’s ranch from foreclosure. Banks with their unscrupulous methods of preying on the poor are the true villains of this film. The boys are just trying to set things right Robin Hood style. Unfortunately for them their paths cross two Texas Rangers (Jeff Bridges and Gil Birmingham) leading to a deadly confrontation.
See this film because
The dialog is sharp and funny and the characters are multilayered and don’t boil down to good and evil caricatures. Jeff Bridges is a hoot as a gruff but shrewd officer just days away from retirement. Chris Pine gives a gritty, no-nonsense performance of a man willing to do anything to make sure his sons aren’t raised in poverty.
Skip this film because
If you don’t like bank heists, gun battles, and a Coen brothers-like tone, then this film is not for you.
Hidden Figures
This film celebrates the true story of three African-American women who made important contributions to NASA in the early 1960’s. Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) was a “human computer” who calculated flight trajectories; Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) was the first black supervisor at NASA and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) was the first black engineer. They were courageous women who refused to accept the status quo and changed the world for the better. It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t that long ago that people were forced to use separate lunch rooms, bathrooms and even coffee pots based on the color of their skin.
See this film because-
While mathematics may seem a rather dry subject, this is an utterly enjoyable movie. The actors all shine, especially Taraji P. Henson in a character very different from Empire’s Cookie and Octavia Spencer who can take a minor role and make it radiate through an entire film. This is a story that deserved to be told about individuals who made a difference long before society was ready to recognize their accomplishments.
Skip this film because-
Similar to Hacksaw Ridge, inspirational tales often suffer from situations and characters that are too oversimplified.
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