Words: Clotilde Chinnici

The award season is officially upon us and in full swing. With the Golden Globes happening amidst the controversy at the beginning of the year and the Oscar nominations’ being announced in less than two weeks from now, you might be wondering what films you should be watching in order to prepare for what is perhaps the most long-awaited award ceremony of the year. Following a similar pattern to last year’s Academy Awards, the Oscars will be taking place at the end of March, giving all of us plenty of time to catch up on the films that will most likely be competing for one of the most recognized trophies in the world.

But you might want to ask: where do you start and what films should you watch? Without further ado, let me introduce a list of the films that will most likely receive a handful of nominations – if not even the prestigious golden statuette – in the 94^th Academy Awards.

West Side Story (Steven Spielberg, 2021)

If the previous awards can be seen as an indication for the award season, West Side Story is undoubtedly destined for a big win at the Oscars. With a Directors Guild of America’s nomination, 15 mentions on the BAFTAs longlist, and four Golden Globes wins, it is safe to say that the film has dominated the award season so far. The film depicts a modern take on the classical musical which situates the famous star-crossed lovers’ tragedy in the context of 1960s New York City.

Where you can watch it: West Side Story is currently out in cinemas and is one of the few films this season that seems to be following a strictly theatrical release. It is reasonable to assume that the film will eventually be available on Disney+ as it is distributed by 20^th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney.

Tick, Tick… Boom! (Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2021)

Tick, Tick… Boom! is an autobiographical musical that narrates the struggles of aspiring composer Jonathan Larson. It was universally acclaimed and received praise both critically and throughout the award season, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical won by Andrew Garfield, whose performance has been praised by critics both for his acting and singing abilities. After not being able to see musicals in person for almost a year and a half during the pandemic, 2021 seems to be a good year for musicals with the universal success of both West Side Story and Tick, Tick… Boom! and with Dear Evan Hansen and In the Heights being adapted for the movie screen as well.

Where you can watch it: Tick, Tick… Boom! had a short limited release in cinemas and is not available on Netflix worldwide.

The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion, 2021)

Jane Campion is certainly not new to the award, nor to the Oscar, scene. With The Piano (1993), she became the first female filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or at Cannés Film Festival and the second woman to be nominated for Best Director at the 67^th Oscar, where she won Best Original Screenplay for the same film.  Her new film, The Power of the Dog seems to echo a similar success: it received universal acclaim, with a high approval rating on websites such as Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic it won three golden globes and the Silver Lion for directing at Venice Film Festival. The film is a western-psychological drama that follows the story of two brothers who own a ranch in Montana in 1925.

Where you can watch it: The Power of the Dog has been released for a limited theatrical release in selected cinema and is now available worldwide on Netflix.

Don’t Look Up (Adam McKey, 2021)

With a stellar cast that includes Oscar-winning actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep, you would expect this film to be a shoo-in for the Academy Awards. However, the film did not receive the attention we would perhaps imagine during the award season and has received a mixture of positive – particularly amongst scientists – and negative reviewers from critics. Since its release, it has been in the top streamed films on Netflix, and did receive nominations to some prestigious awards, such as the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild of America. It is thus safe to say that the film will at least be nominated in some of the major categories at this year’s Academy Awards. The film follows two astronomers who try and warn the world of an approaching comet that will destroy the planet.

Where you can watch it: similarly to The Power of the Dog, Don’t Look Up is now available on Netflix worldview after a limited theatrical release.

Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)

If having Zendaya, Jason Momoa, and Timothée Chalamet all in the same movie was not enough to convince you to watch Dune, its success certainly will. With its $398.3 million in the box office, Dune is perhaps one of the highest-grossing films this award season and certainly the highest-grossing film on this list. The reception of the film has been generally been positive, particularly praising its writing, cinematography and scope, but it did earn mixed reviews from critics, some not resonating with the film and defining it boring in particular in terms of the pacing of the film. Dune, however, went on to win various critics association awards – such as the Chicago, Florida and St. Louis ones. We can certainly expect it to obtain some nominations at this year’s Oscars, in particular in the music and score categories: Hans Zimmer won Best Original Score for Dune both at the Golden Globes and at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Dune follows a young man who finds himself involved in a conflict over the planet’s most precious resource.

Where you can watch it: Dune came out in October in cinemas. Do not disperse if you missed it though because it has returned for a limited release at IMAX theatres in December. Originally, a streaming release on HBO Max was organized but the director believed streaming would not suit the film’s scope and scale in terms of image and sound.

Encanto (Jared Bush and Byron Howard, 2021)

Of course, I just had to include an animation film. In Encanto, every member of the Madrigal family has been blessed with a unique gift, except Mirabel who may be the last hope now that the magic is now in danger. Encanto is currently the second-highest-grossing animation film of the year with a beautiful soundtrack that immediately went viral after its release – honestly, if you have not heard  We Don’t Talk About Bruno yet, you probably live under a rock. Or hate Disney movies. Or both. The film was highly praised for its music, animation, emotion, and cultural fidelity and recently won Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globes. It is safe to assume that the Oscars will confirm this: if you are a fan of Encanto, you might want to keep an eye on this year’s awards, particularly in the animation and song categories.

Where you can watch it: you can still catch the film in cinemas but it is also available on Disney+ worldwide.

Belfast (Kenneth Branagh, 2021)

The film has been acclaimed by critics and film festivals alike; it did win best screenplay at the golden globes award and was nominated in many other categories. Belfast is a semi-autobiographical film that follows the lives of a working-class family throughout the tumult of Belfast in the late 1960s. It is currently considered to be one of the front-runners for the Oscar in all of the major categories: although it is difficult to predict who will win, Belfast will certainly be nominated, it is not a film you want to miss.

Where you can watch it: unfortunately, the film is not yet available on streaming services, but you can still watch it in the cinemas as it only came out at the end of January.

King Richard (Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2021)

King Richard is a biographical film that portrays the story of Richard Williams (Will Smith) who trains his two daughters on the tennis court, determined to write them into history. According to some, King Richard may be Will Smith’s chance to win an Oscar after two nominations in the past. And reasonably so, since he did win a golden globe for best actor for his role in the film. Another category in which the film may well be nominated is best original song as King Richard features the song Be Alive by Beyoncé and Dixson. It has received critical acclaim and won numerous awards, such as the Ensemble Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and nominations, including seven nominations for the Satellite Awards.

Where to watch it: King Richard is available on HBO Max and it is still shown in some cinemas depending on which country you live in. You can also rent the film on Amazon Prime Video.

Spencer (Pablo Larrain, 2021)

A big common theme that can be identified in this year’s films is that of biographical – or (semi)autobiographical  – films. And what better example of this if not Spencer? The film is inspired by Princess Diana (played by Kristen Steward) and her decision to leave the royal family and end her marriage with Prince Charles. In particular, the film has been praised for Stewart’s performance of Diana which gained her various nominations, including the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Movie Award. Even from the trailer only, it was clear to many critics that the film would guarantee the Oscar nomination for Best Actress for Kristen Stewart.

Where to watch it: unfortunately, the film is not available in most cinemas at this time but it is available to buy on amazon prime video.

House of Gucci (Ridley Scott, 2021)

If you thought that Spencer would guarantee Kristen Steward an Oscar win, you might want to reconsider betting actual money on this. According to some critics, the Best Actress Oscar will most likely be contested between Kristen Stewart (Spencer) and Lady Gaga for House of Gucci, who has recently won The New York Film Critics for Best ctress. Despite the mixed reviews from critics, the cast performance has been praised by most as both Lady Gaga and the rest of the cast led the nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Following the biographical trend of this season, House of Gucci tells the story of Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga)’s marriage into the Gucci family.

Where you can watch it: House of Gucci is not in cinemas anymore but will be available to own digitally from the 1^st of February.

This is by no means a comprehensive list but it can give you somewhere to start navigating the 2022 Award season. And while we wait for the nominations to be officially announced, make sure to watch the films that appealed to you the most and don’t forget to let me know your favourite!