Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders
As we head into the holiday season, we also head into the heart of film awards season. And once again, we are looking at a rather unpredictable year. Though cinemas have mostly reopened this year, the Oscar race is once again being impacted by the pandemic, with many films failing to reach the large audiences that would have greeted them in a normal year—or reaching them directly in their homes rather than on the big screen.
But the uncertainty doesn't mean we don't have a general idea of which films will contend for best picture nominations at the upcoming Oscars. We have surveyed industry experts, calculated the Metascores, and examined the top performing films at this year's major film festivals to come up with a list of 20 potential best picture contenders from 2021, plus a few bonus wildcards.
What is it? The directorial debut from actor Fran Kranz (who also writes and produces). It's a drama following the aftermath of a school shooting—in particular, a face-to-face meeting between parents (Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton) of one of the victims and the parents (Reed Birney and Ann Dowd) of the shooter.
Why is it a contender? Reviews were excellent not just upon the film's release this fall but also when it first debuted at Sundance at the beginning of the year. The timely and important subject matter also helps the film's chances. And Mass has picked up a handful of (relatively minor) awards on the festival circuit so far.
What are its chances? It's a tough watch, and its simplistic (and not overly cinematic) structure may make the material better suited for stage than screen. Mass also has relatively little awareness compared to most of the other films on this list. That probably makes the film a bit of a longshot, but some experts give it a chance at a nomination.
When can I see it? You may still be able to find it in theaters (it opened in early October). Otherwise, it will likely head to VOD and disc in the near future, though no dates have been announced yet.
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