2023 Oscar Predictions

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, evaluate and reward the creative prowess of films through an artistic and technical lens. The ceremony is largely regarded as one of the most prestigious nights within the industry, underscoring the talent, grit, and passion placed into the filmmaking process. As an aspiring filmmaker, writer, and actor myself, The Oscars are more than just an awards ceremony. The event proves to be pinnacle of creative, artistic, and introspective thought in terms of the past year. This year’s ceremony is taking place on March 12th, and there are various predictions regarding this year’s nominees. I will be covering the more popular categories, just as I did in my 2022 prediction article. Here are my takes.  

Best Picture:  

Top Gun: Maverick 

Women Talking 

Everything Everywhere All at Once 

The Banshees of Inisherin 

Triangle of Sadness 

The Fabelmans 

All Quiet on the Western Front 

Avatar: The Way of Water 

Elvis 

Tar 

In my opinion, Baz Luhrmann’s star-studded Elvis biopic takes the cake for this category. The unique editing, aesthetic, cinematography, and performances brand the film in an elegant, award-winning fashion. Compared to all of the other titles listed above, Elvis has generated the most fan fare by a landslide. However, it is worth noting that I personally believe Everything Everywhere All at Once is the better film in terms of pacing, writing and plot. Even so, I predict Elvis to win however due to its large cultural impact in the last eight months or so.  

Best Actor 

Brendan Fraser, The Whale 

Austin Butler, Elvis 

Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin 

Bill Nighty, Living 

Paul Mescal, Aftersun 

Austin Butler has emerged as one of the prominent faces of Hollywood this past year with the success of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. It is safe to say that Butler committed to the role in ways we cannot comprehend. For instance, Butler nailed his accent to the tea, to the point where it has remained almost a year after filming culminated. Therefore, I predict his performance to win in the best actor category. In contrast to the other actors nominated, Butler has displayed an exceeding level of commitment. Any actor willing to devote his time, grit, and fortitude in a role is deserving of winning this award, and Butler did just that.  

Best Actress 

Andrea Riseborough, To Leslie 

Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans 

Cate Blanchett, Tar 

Ana De Armas, Blonde 

Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once 

For me, Michelle Yeoh’s performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once has to be one of the greatest I have seen in my 18 years of life. Yeoh’s multifaceted performance underscores the duality of livelihood. Her subtle motions, gestures, accompanied with her character’s (Evelyn Quan Wang’s) buoyant personality makes the performance award-winning for me. It takes a different skillset to play Evelyn, which Michelle mastered impressively. What makes her performance even more impressive is that this is Yeoh’s first leading role in a Hollywood film.  

Best Supporting Actor 

Brendan Gleeson, The Banshees of Inisherin 

Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway 

Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans 

Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin 

Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once 

The casting in Everything Everywhere All at Once, was seemingly written in the stars. Ke Huy Quan delivers a stunning performance as Waymond Wang, as Quan felt the screenplay was written specifically for him. Specifically, Quan portrayed three versions of the same character, whom he believes are all different representations of himself. Quan felt a deeper connection to Wang’s different personas, underscoring his natural connection to the role. Unlike Austin Butler (whom I predict to win in the best actor category), Quan did not put as much grit and sweat into the role. However, I am not implying he is undeserving, but rather emphasizing Quan’s raw talent and natural ability, to which he is greatly deserving of the award in this category.  

Best Director 

Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin 

Todd Field, Tar 

Ruben Ostlund, Triangle of Sadness 

Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once 

Daniel Kwan, Everything Everywhere All at Once 

Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans 

Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, was nothing short of a captivating, compelling, and engrossing watch. Spielberg’s direction proves to be nuanced, complex, and brilliant in terms of his transition into modern storytelling. The film finds Speilberg nodding at his familial roots which bolstered his passion for film. Spielberg seemingly synthesizes the concepts of life and art, culminating in a beautiful ode to the craft of film and the genius surrounding the filmmaking process. Just from watching the film, viewers embody the passion and grit provided by Spielberg, making his direction extraordinarily memorable and quite deserving of this award. 

Best Supporting Actress 

Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin 

Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once 

Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once 

Hong Chau, The Wale 

Kerry Condon delivers a stunning performance in The Banshees of Inisherin. Playing Siobhán, Condon performed while channeling grief from her beloved dog’s death. This is an interesting way to approach a role, which surprisingly paid off for the Irish actress. While I was not exceedingly impressed with this category’s nominees, I believe Condon is deserving of the role, as she successfully examined the intricacies of a woman’s dignity, intelligence, and nuances.  

Best Animated Feature 

Turning Red 

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 

The Sea Beast Puss in Boots: The Last Wish 

Along with the other categories, one must not forget the importance and cultural impact of animation. I believe Pixar’s Turning Red, is greatly deserving of this category’s award due to its coming-of-age plotlines, risk, and minority representation. Pixar took a risk when developing this film, conjuring dialogue which deals with puberty along with a critique on traditionality. This very concept brands the film in an award-winning fashion. It is worth noting that Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was an underrated masterpiece and deserves the credit where it is due.