If you’ve been following Collider closely over the last couple of weeks, you’ve no doubt noticed ourcopious amounts of coverage from the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Each year, the fest plays host to some of the year’s biggest films, but can also be a launching pad for surprises likeSlumdog MillionaireorSilver Linings Playbook. TIFF has become a staple of the awards season, serving as a kick-off of sorts where critics and industry folks get to preview the films that may be in the running later in the year. And 2016 was no different.
This year, a number of films leapt out from the fest, announcing themselves as serious contenders in various awards categories. And others fell flat, as the landscape ahead became clearer. While we’re still a long ways off from handicapping the Oscar race in earnest, the chess board has now been previewed, so to speak, and as such there are some necessary observations to be made. Below, I’ve compiled a list of some of the biggest things we learned from the festival about the awards race ahead.
‘La La Land’ Is the Real Deal
Writer/directorDamien Chazelle’s follow-up toWhiplash, the musicalLa La Land, had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival to a rapturous response, and when it played at Toronto,critics went nuts. It’s a harmonious blend of old school Hollywood and contemporary setting/themes, and nearly everything about it is indelible. It’s hard to find critics in unanimous agreement about anything, butLa La Landhad a theater exclusively filled with film critics breaking for applause in the middle of the film. It won the People’s Choice Award and is a virtual lock for a Best Picture nomination, but nods across the board for Best Director, Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song, and more seem like they’re very much in the cards. While I’m wary of using the word “frontrunner”,La La Landwas the film that had everybody talking at TIFF.
Amy Adams Is Doubly Oscar-Worthy
With 5 Oscar nominations under her belt,Amy Adamsis something of an Academy favorite, but this year she deliverstwoOscar-worthy performances. Adams imbuesSicariodirectorDenis Villeneuve’s sci-fi dramaArrivalwith an emotional complexity that is essential to that film working as well as it does, but she also delivers a steely, riveting performance in directorTom Ford’sA Single Manfollow-upNocturnal Animals. Both are lead performances, and there’s really no way you could try and submit either as Supporting, which means it’ll come down to the campaigns of both films.Arrivalcould be the winner, as she’s a co-lead inNocturnal AnimalsalongsideJake Gyllenhaaland Ford’s thriller was a bit more divisive (for the record, I love it). Either way, I expect Adams to land in the Best Actress field forsomething.
2016 Is the Year of the Tearjerker
TIFF always has a film that forces you to break out the tissues, but “tearjerker” was something of a running theme at this year’s festival. All-out sobs abound in the latter third ofJ.A. Bayona’s fantasy dramaA Monster Calls, which received a more muted response from critics than expected butcould certainly find its way into the hearts of Academy votersthanks to some truly imaginative and earnest filmmaking from Bayona, and a swell performance fromFelicity Jonesas a dying mother that could earn her a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Tissues were also necessary for the true-story dramaLion, which starsDev Patelas a man who, as a young boy, became separated from his family in India and with the arrival of Google Earth, sets about finally finding his way back home. The film isfine, but it has the heft of The Weinstein Company at its back. Question is, does TWC have the funds necessary to launch a successful Oscar campaign in the wake of scaling back its operations? Patel is a solid contender for a Best Actor nomination and the filmcouldfind its way into the Best Picture race—though at this point it’s a little too early to tell.
Even a feel-good movie like Disney’s true story chess dramaQueen of Katwebrings out the tears and could potentially land an acting or Best Picture nod. There’s also the interracial marriage dramaLovingto consider, which certainly hits the emotional sweet spot but is far more understated and quiet than your typical “Oscar drama”—perhapstooquiet.
‘Moonlight’ Could Be a Worthy Antidote to #OscarsSoWhite
After last year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy, all eyes were on how/if the Academy was going to diversify things this year—despite the fact that the onus is equally on Academy votersandHollywood given that Hollywood is the place that, you know, supplies the films up for consideration. While I’m dubious the Academy would simply vote for non-white performers for the sake of bucking diversity (historically speaking, voters don’t like being told what to do), writer/directorBarry Jenkins’ tremendous triptych dramaMoonlightcould certainly be a refreshing contender to add to the mix. The film, which charts the life of a young black man struggling with issues of masculinity, race, and sexuality in three parts—childhood, teenager, and adult—is a stunning piece of filmmaking that works impossibly well.Naomie Harrisis sure to be a Best Supporting Actress contender, as isMahershala Alifor Best Supporting Actor, and the film itself more than deserves to be in the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay conversation. Critics have lavished praise on the drama and A24 found its first Oscar success with last year’sRoom, so this is one to keep an eye on as the season unfolds.
‘Birth of a Nation’ Is Down, But Not Out
Speaking of #OscarsSoWhite, the nominations for the previous ceremony emerged just as the slavery revolt dramaThe Birth of a Nationpremiered at Sundance and enjoyed an enthusiastic response. Fox Searchlight quickly snatched up the film for a whopping $17.5 million, and while many considered it an early Oscar frontrunner, the movie has now been overshadowed by the resurfacing of rape charges filed against writer/director/starNate Parkerand co-writerJean McGianni Celestinwhen they were in college. Clearly more important things than Oscars are at stake here, but while most had countedBirth of a Nationcompletely out of Oscar contention, the film did receive a positive response from its TIFF screenings (even if Parker whiffed his chance to address the controversy during a press conference). I’d say nominations are still in the cards, but a win is gonna be a longshot at this point. And one imagines Fox Searchlight is hoping to avoid attention surrounding a Best Original Screenplay nomination.
Grief Dramas Abound
A running theme of the films that played at TIFF was grief, which goes a ways towards explaining that bounty of “tearjerkers” we have on our hands. Writer/directorKenneth Lonergan’s dramaManchester by the Seahad its world premiere earlier this year at Sundance, but thanks to even more high praise out of TIFF, this masterful, honest grief drama is a serious contender for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Casey Affleck), and one of its best shots, Best Supporting Actress for a truly heartbreaking turn byMichelle Williams.
There’s also the aforementionedA Monster Calls, which is about a young boy trying to come to terms with the grief he has over his mother’s impending death; andJackie, the artful meditation on Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK’s assassination; and finallyArrival, which findsAmy Adamsgrieving for her lost child while also dealing with the arrival of extra-terrestrials on Earth.
The Best Actress Race Is Stacked
Nomination darling Amy Adams is firmly in the Best Actress race withtwoworthy performances, but she’s not alone, and this year’s crop of contenders looks to be one of the most formidable in recent memory.Emma Stoneearned the Best Actress prize from the Venice Film Festival for her turn inLa La Landwith many hailing the performance as a big one to watch out for re: Oscars, and indeed onceLa La Landplayed at TIFF, it became clear that Stone isprobablythe frontrunner for the award at this crazy early juncture. Her performance in the film is extraordinary, and there’s one scene/song in particular that could seal the deal. Plus, she’s just coming off her first nomination forBirdman, so she’s got a bit of history with the Academy already.
But not so fast! One of the most pleasant surprises of TIFF wasPablo Larraín’s Jackie Kennedy biopicJackie, an indie drama that takes an artful approach to chronicling the life of Jackie Kennedy in the hours and days following JFK’s assassination. Oscar-winnerNatalie Portmanturns in one of the best performances of her career as the titular First Lady, going beyond a simple impression to wholly encapsulate everything that Jackie and the Kennedys exuded. Fox Searchlight swooped in, acquired the film, and has already given it an awards-friendly early December release date, and Portman is absolutely in the Best Actress race while the film itself could be in line for Best Picture consideration.
And if a studio decides to pick up the intense sexual assault dramaUna, about a woman confronting her abuser years later, and release it this year,Rooney Maracould be in line for another Best Actress nomination. And we still haven’t gotten toViola DavisinFencesyet! Buckle up folks, it’s gonna be a tough race.
