11. Conclave (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing)

Sharp, efficient, and crowd-pleasing, Conclave rarely misses a step in Edward Berger’s adaptation of Robert Harris’s novel. Ralph Fiennes leads a deep bench of talented stars, including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, portraying the people responsible for electing a new pope. The film is full of intriguing twists, delicious melodrama, layered performances, and detailed crafts. It may not be the most nuanced discussion of the subject, but Conclave is nothing if not a solidly executed film all around.

10. Anora (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing)

Sean Baker’s dedication to the normalization of sex work reaches its fever pitch with the Palme d’Or winning screwball comedy Anora. Featuring one of the best performances of the year from Mikey Madison, Baker’s film tracks a stripper’s star-crossed romance with the son of a rich mogul. But underneath all the wackiness – which takes hold in the film’s breakneck second half – is a layered message about how we find ourselves falling in love, and the transactional nature of sex. If Anora doesn’t ultimately supplant itself as Baker’s best film, it’s only because he’s made so many great films already.

9. The Substance (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Makeup & Hairstyling)

The Academy historically abhors (or, more accurately, ignores) horror, so what was it about The Substance that caused such a monumental breakthrough? Could it be the comeback narrative of A-Lister and first-time nominee Demi Moore? Could it be Coralie Fargeat’s Cannes-winning screenplay, which pulls no punches on Hollywood’s treatment of women and, more specifically, women of a certain age? Could it be the word-of-mouth buzz around its completely bonkers third act where Fargeat fully lets loose? Whatever it is, let’s hope that The Substance isn’t just a temporary blip on the Academy’s radar.

8. Black Box Diaries (Best Documentary Feature)

Perhaps it’s because I watched Black Box Diaries post-inauguration, when everything feels difficult and hopeless, that warrants its spot so high on this list. But something really struck me with Shiori Itō’s quest for justice in a Japanese system where rape survivors so rarely find it, and every step of the journey is filled with innately human drama that I just couldn’t help but root for the film. Itō makes sure to depict every bump in the road, from bureaucratic hurdles to long-standing cultural norms, working against her, which makes the film’s ending that much more cathartic.

7. Flow (Best Animated Feature, Best International Feature)

It’s great to see independent animation recognized at the Academy Awards, and Flow is a fantastic flag-bearer for the cause. Gints Zilbalodis, the writer-director-editor-cinematographer-etc., essentially willed the film into existence through sheer determination, using open-sourced programs to create the story of a cat and a ragtag crew of animals trying to survive an apocalyptic flood. Zilbalodis’s ability to create an emotional story and three-dimensional characters without any dialogue or songs is a feat alone, but his world building, which provides no easy answers or analogues, is what makes Flow soar.

6. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Best International Feature)

Getting any movie made is a miracle, but making a movie in secret where the punishment could lead to jail time (or worse) makes The Seed of the Sacred Fig a heroic act. Mohamed Rasoulof’s tightly-wound critique of the patriarchal government of Iran – for which he and several of the film’s collaborators had to flee the country – is the best thriller of the year, richly layered and complex. Critics have levied some of the character decisions, especially in the third act, as unrealistic, but Rasoulof shows an unwavering dedication in how suffocating and confusing it can be to live in constant fear and oppression – a situation which our own country is slipping closer and closer towards.

5. No Other Land (Best Documentary Feature)

One of the most surprising Oscar nominations maybe ever comes from the harrowing documentary No Other Land, a film which still lacks US distribution because of its “thorny” subject matter. Regardless of the socio-political implications, the film depicts with stunning clarity the unimaginably cruel ways which Israel has forced itself upon innocent Palestinian civilians, and the lengths the military will go just to ensure Palestinian misery of all kinds. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, No Other Land stands as a testament to open our eyes to empathy to envision a place where even the most basic human freedoms are, somehow, not always guaranteed.

4. A Real Pain (Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay)

So many actors have tried their hands at directing, but few have actually succeeded at crafting worthwhile stories. After writer-director-actor Jesse Eisenberg’s debut When You Finish Saving the World underwhelmed, it was safe to question his follow-up film. But A Real Pain succeeds not just because of Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin’s performances – it’s a lovingly told story of self-acceptance, filtered through Eisenberg’s real family history. That the film feels so light, funny, and emotionally honest – often at the same time – is a testament to Eisenberg as a filmmaker, and shows that perhaps his feature debut was just a fluke.

3. Wicked (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects)

Here’s where I let my personal biases show, as I’m an unabashed lover of the source novel and stage musical of Wicked. Sure, splitting the adaptation into two bloated halves is a risky gamble that many didn’t appreciate, but I never felt the film’s length wearing me down. Especially when Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are so magnetic together and separately. The songs were already great, but Grande and Erivo elevate them with lively performances and personalized takes on the characters. My only gripe is that I can’t see the rest of the story just yet, but if the second half is as much fun as Wicked, it will be worth the wait.

2. The Wild Robot (Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, Best Sound)

In a year when Disney and Pixar produced by-the-numbers sequels to beloved properties, The Wild Robot stepped in to tell a refreshingly original story with style to burn. Director Chris Sanders adapts the first of Peter Brown’s novels about a lonely robot who finds its purpose amongst a group of peculiar animals, making a film for kids that’s unafraid to talk about grown-up issues. Besides being a comforting story of found family, the film digs in to the idea of putting a community’s needs above an individual’s, aided by Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal’s dynamic vocal performances. Yes, the film hits the tear-jerking moments, but it’s more than a saccharine Pixar-wannabe, and one of the year’s best films.

1. Nickel Boys (Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay)

As opposed to previous years, the top spot of the 2025 Oscar nominees was a no-brainer. One of the few bona fide masterpieces of 2024, Nickel Boys deserved more love from the Academy than it ultimately received, but its spots in two above-the-line categories shows it had its passionate defenders. The film may not be as overtly topical to current events, but its message is just as powerful, and it’s hammered home by cinematographer Jomo Fray’s exquisite POV camerawork, and the unique flourishes added by RaMell Ross. Much like the real-life Nickel Academy, time won’t look kindly on the oversight of Nickel Boys as a serious Oscar powerhouse.