I am very happy with the nominations of Walter Salles Jr. and Fernanda Torres for the Oscar, with great chances for Brazilian cinema to win this honor that was still missing: an award-winning actress and, who knows, a film as well. On the other hand, I am against the fans who demand that we criticize or attack other artists, such as Karla Sofía Gascón or Gwyneth Paltrow. The victory will come cleanly and without revenge, and much less like a game. I have always avoided texts full of grumpiness about “who was snubbed”, and that is why I waited a few days before analyzing the absences at the 2025 Oscar, one of the most competitive in recent years.

To put this into context, the vote took place during the Los Angeles fires and shortly before Trump’s inauguration, a period in which Hollywood looked more favorably on liberal content. The film of the year, Emilia Perez, made history with 13 nominations, breaking records for a film in a language other than English. Right behind it are The Brutalist and Wicked, each with 10 nominations. The other super nominees are The Conclave and A Complete Unknown, with 8 each, followed by Anora, with 6, and The Substance, with 5. We have two musicals, three tearjerkers, and a bloody horror. What does this say about us?

The “forgotten” films, so to speak, are The Real Pain, Sing Sing, Babygirl, Maria, Gladiator II, The Room Next Door, Hard Truths, and Challengers. The positive point is knowing that there are so many good things that didn’t make it to the list of 10 titles, but it’s also worth noting that I’m Still Here and Emilia Perez are nominated for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film.

Speaking of the actors, the category seems practically set for Adrien Brody, for his performance in The Brutalist. Many were surprised by the nomination of Sebastian Stan, who plays Donald Trump in The Apprentice. Personally, I don’t see any surprises – he’s excellent. The problem is that A Different Man, at other times, would have had more of an “Oscar feel”. Still, Stan deserves to be among the five best of the year. A big omission was Daniel Craig for Queer.

Among the supporting actors, the biggest bet was Denzel Washington among the nominees, but he was left out. Who got in? Guy Pearce, of whom I’m a personal fan and I’m happy for the recognition, although the chances of anyone other than Kieran Culkin actually winning are slim.

In the supporting actress category, it is not a question of snobbery, but of coherence, that Monica Barbaro, who is brilliant as Joan Baez in The Complete Unknown, was chosen instead of Selena Gomez as Emilia Perez. It was a difficult choice, I admit because Selena is also great, but with only five spots, Monica deserved her place. Who should win? Zoe Saldaña. An exaggerated choice, in my opinion. She always gives the same performance in all roles and her speech at the Golden Globes was terrible. But it is what it is. This year, she should walk away with the award.

The biggest discussion was around the big favorites from the beginning – Angelina Jolie, Tilda Swinton, and Nicole Kidman – who were left out. It was also surprising that Pamela Anderson was omitted, who was nominated for the SAG Awards for The Last Showgirl, but missed out on the Oscar.

Amy Adams and Kate Winslet, at other times, would never have been left out, but in such a competitive year, they have gone almost unnoticed during the season. Their case is more discreet, as both promoted their films in a more subtle way. Kidman and Jolie, on the other hand, were openly in the running for the award, and perhaps that is why they lost some important votes.

In Angelina’s case, Maria is not a strong film, it is confusing and is not faithful to the biography, of Maria Callas. More than that, many believe that her rejection was a campaign orchestrated by her ex-husband, Brad Pitt. Does this sound conspiratorial? Without a doubt. But we cannot say that it is impossible.

In Nicole Kidman‘s case, the situation is more complex. In the last six years, the actresses who won at Venice also took home the Oscar, and who won at the last festival? Yes, Nicole Kidman. The problem is that she is in so many projects – series, films, and platforms – that she has lost the impact of her performance in Babygirl. Inheriting Meryl Streep‘s “curse” – always being nominated but never winning – is not something she would be interested in. It’s a red flag.

In the end, when we look ahead to the 2025 Oscars, it’s hard to criticize the nominees, which only reinforces the merit of those who were left out. A year like this is what we always hope for: great films, and great performances. The competition is fierce, but that’s exactly what makes the Oscars so fascinating. May there be more moments celebrating cinema at its best!

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