This is
Ruben Östlund’s first Oscar nomination. He burst onto the international stage with
Force Majeure (2014) and
The Square (2017), the latter of which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. He joins Jan Troell (
The Emigrants), Ingmar Bergman (
Cries & Whispers, Face to Face, Fanny & Alexander), and Lasse Hallström (
My Life as a Dog) as the only Swedish filmmakers to be nominated. He won’t become the first Swede to win this time out, but his surprise nomination for
Triangle of Sadness is a victory in itself.
This is also
Todd Field’s first nomination, here. He began his career as an actor (
Eyes Wide Shut, Twister, Ruby in Paradise, Walking & Talking) but has gained more clout as a writer/director. His debut,
In the Bedroom, was a critical favorite and nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture and his Best Adapted Screenplay. His follow up
Little Children got another three Oscar noms including another Best Adapted Screenplay.
Tár is his third feature and has six nominations including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and here for Best Director. He has “only” made the three films in twenty-one years, but each is worth the wait and the Academy loves him. He won’t be Best Director this time, but it would be foolish to bet against his returning.
Martin McDonagh began as a playwright and his voice has been a welcome addition to cinema. Fifteen years ago his feature debut,
In Bruges, charmed critics and audiences but the Oscars liked him even before that when his
Six Shooter won Best Live Action Short at the 2006 ceremony. Three years later
In Bruges was nominated as Best Original Screenplay (losing to the biopic
Milk).
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay – though not Best Director – and won Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Supporting Actor for Sam Rockwell.
The Banshees of Inisherin has nine nominations in eight categories, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Martin’s first nod as Best Director. The last two Brits to win were Tom Hooper (
The King’s Speech) and Danny Boyle (
Slumdog Millionaire) twelve and fourteen years ago, and before them it was Sam Mendes (
American Beauty) and Anthony Minghella (
The English Patient) in the 1990s. If this isn’t his year it does seem as though he will be nominated again down the line.
Daniel Kwan and
Daniel Scheinert, also know more simply as “
The Daniels”, are enjoying their first nominations, too. They first had a reputation as music video directors and their debut feature,
Swiss Army Man, was an instant cult fave. Their follow up,
Everything Everywhere All at Once, seemed predestined for further building their cult legend status…but it got such glowing reviews and such good word of mouth that it became an unlikely awards season staple, capped off by a stunning eleven Oscar nominations in ten categories including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and co-Best Director. They are only the fourth credited duo to be nominated. Jerome Robbins & Robert Wise were the first when they won for the original
West Side Story, seventeen years later Warren Beatty & Buck Henry shared the nomination for
Heaven Can Wait (Cimino’s year for
The Deer Hunter), and then Joel & Ethan Coen have been co-nominated twice for
No Country for Old Men and
True Grit, winning for the former (back when
Fargo was nominated Joel was still taking sole directorial credit). Will The Daniels join them in the Academy’s winner’s circle?
And in addition to all of those first-time nominees there’s this other fella you may have heard of.
Steven Spielberg is quite possibly the most famous film director in history. It’s either him or Hitchcock with not many arguments for anyone else. This is Spielberg’s NINTH Best Director nomination. Last year he set a record by becoming the first filmmaker to have nominations in SIX different decades. They are
The Fabelmans and
West Side Story in the 2020s,
Lincoln in the 2010s,
Munich in the 2000s,
Saving Private Ryan and
Schindler’s List (his only two wins, to date) in the 1990s,
E.T. and
Raiders of the Lost Ark in the 1980s, and
Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the 1970s (he was somehow not nominated for
Jaws). This ninth nomination breaks his tie with Billy Wilder and puts him in another tie with his friend Martin Scorsese for the second most nominations ever. Only William Wyler, with twelve, has more. Scorsese will likely get his tenth next year for
Killers of the Flower Moon, but will he or Spielberg make enough movies to tie or pass Wyler? If Spielberg does win his third Best Director that will move him in a tie with Frank Capra and Billy Wilder. Only the mighty John Ford has more, at four. And that is the actual John Ford, and not David Lynch’s amusingly awesome
Fabelmans cameo.
The momentum sure seems to be going Spielberg’s way. As always, keep an eye on the DGA Award. Its winner rarely deviates from the Oscar winner. Spielberg, The Daniels, McDonagh, and Field all have the corresponding DGA nominations. The only difference is the Academy voters went with Ruben Östlund while the Directors Guild nominated Joseph Kosinski (
Top Gun: Maverick). If anyone but Kosinski wins the DGA Award they are automatic odds-on favorites here.
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