Meet This Year's Best Picture Contenders
If your leftover Halloween candy pile is down to a few stray pieces of Laffy Taffy* and Tootsie Rolls, it can mean only one thing: It's time for film awards season!
Which films will contend for the Oscars' biggest prize in March? To find out, 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 15 potential best picture contenders from 2022, plus more than a dozen bonus wildcards. In a welcome change, this year's best picture slate could include multiple films that you've heard of—in fact, it could include some of the year's most successful films at the box office. So let the guessing game begin ...
* Please take our Laffy Taffy.
What is it? The third narrative feature from actress-turned-director Sarah Polley. Adapted from Miram Towes’ 2018 novel, it's yet another #MeToo-inspired drama that centers on a group of eight women living in a sheltered religious colony who attempt to reconcile their faith with the years of horrific abuse they have suffered at the hands of the men in their lives.
Why is it a contender? It was the buzziest movie to debut at Telluride and it also impressed audiences at TIFF, where it finished as the runner-up (to The Fabelmans) in voting for the People's Choice Award. The cast is filled with past Oscar nominees (and winners) including Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand, and Jessie Buckley (plus an Emmy winner in Claire Foy).
What are its chances? For a movie that literally consists almost entirely of women talking in a single location, rather excellent: It would be a mild surprise if Women Talking is not nominated for best picture, and an even bigger shock if it is shut out of the acting categories. However, Polley has been disappointed before: Her 2007 directorial debut Away from Her failed to score a best picture nomination despite receiving even better reviews than Women Talking, and her massively acclaimed 2013 nonfiction film Stories We Tell somehow couldn't even get a documentary nomination.
When can I see it? A limited theatrical release on December 2nd will be followed by a nationwide expansion on Christmas Day.
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