Welcome to Crosstalk, wherein A.V. Club staffers and contributors discuss their varied (or unvaried, as the case may be) perspectives on a pop-culture topic. This time, film editor Jacob Oller and film critic Monica Castillo watch on as the starting gun fires for the 2027 Oscars race.
Monica Castillo: Now that the fall festivals are winding down, awards season is under way with a few recent big contenders hitting the campaign trail with FYC screenings and many panel discussions. Jacob, what are some of your favorite fall standouts that you think we’ll continue to hear about this season?
Jacob Oller: As always happens near the end of the year, I both feel like I’ve seen a million new movies and somehow also missed half of the ones people are talking about. But I am happy that a few of my more mainstream favorites this year, like The Odyssey (and, to a lesser extent, Project Hail Mary), are holding strong. It has seemed like Christopher Nolan might be on his way to another high-level sweep, simply because of the scale of the production and the staggering craft on display, even with all the festival films that’re coming out in the next couple months. But, lo and behold, You Can See Everything showed up and I’m thrilled that it’s hanging around—not only at the box office and in the cultural conversation, but in the chatter around awards as well. Were you similarly caught off-guard by any films that surged into people’s predictions?
MC: Right now, I think it’s anyone’s game. I don’t know if people had movies like Elsinore or The Debut on their radar ahead of the festivals. There’s a flurry of great tearjerkers and crowdpleasers rolling into theaters on a near-weekly basis at this point, and with the right groundswell, they could chip away at a few of the acting awards from The Odyssey, which looked like this year’s movie to beat when it became such a sensation over the summer. We still haven’t seen what’s in store on the technical side of Dune 3, which is maybe the last film standing between The Odyssey cleaning up the technical awards if voters have forgotten about Project Hail Mary.
A few other movies, like You Can See Everything—a movie people didn’t know existed until its debut at the Telluride Film Festival—could become unexpected wild cards. I think the excitement around Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s movie may spike an interest in the awards broadcast itself, and there’s no way that host Conan O’Brien is going to miss an opportunity to spoof that movie. There’s a lot of discussion on whether or not You Can See Everything is so unconventional it could turn off voters (let alone cause a little category confusion). Do you see the movie cutting through the noise and getting its recognition?
JO: To me, there’s no way it doesn’t. Voters love a narrative, and this film’s connection with audiences (not to mention its buzzy subject matter, formal inventiveness, and quirky foundation) mean that it’s almost certainly going to have the Documentary category wrapped up. My only question is if it can break into Best Picture, which would be extremely cool, not only because a documentary has never made it into the running for the top prize, but because this is such a phenomenal year for documentaries that this kind of history-making might push people to watch more of the exceptional nonfiction that’s come out in 2026. Your Undesirable Friends might not get nominated, but it might get a little more attention thanks to Nathan Fielder.
And I agree that Dune 3 will probably show its face for some of the technical things (and Doomsday will get whatever the “Flash enters the Speed Force” award is), but in your mind, are we waiting on any other big debuts for the race to really solidify?
MC: I wholeheartedly agree. This is such a strong documentary year, and getting such a surefire contender feels oddly bittersweet. I hope that attention around You Can See Everything also extends to phenomenal works like Once Upon A Time In Harlem and Remake. I think some of the other few question marks this season are the late entries of The Further Mis-Adventures Of Cliff Booth and Werwulf, and while the awards don’t tend to embrace horror movies, there may be a strong showing in the technical or craft categories. I could certainly see Backrooms making an appearance for its production design, and who knows if Inde Navarrette’s creepy performance will stick in the minds of voters. Are there some other earlier-in-the-year titles you’d think might make a great awards season comeback?
JO: Like so many years, every doc nominee is going to be a must-see. And Backrooms is a great production design pull! (It also might pop up in VFX, though Godzilla Minus Zero might dominate there.) A lot of my favorites from the year are smaller films from the first few months, and films that are getting some love at the more indie-focused events, like the Gothams. I love Blue Heron, The Currents, My Father’s Shadow, and Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma but I don’t think they’ll even make a ripple. And The Furious is sadly out before the Oscars add its Stunts category, because otherwise it would clean house. But I do have hope that Ian McKellen might pop up in the nominations for his work in The Christophers. Do you have a personal nomination or two you’re stumping for?
MC: Oh, it would be great to see McKellen earn some award love. I would also put John Turturro forward as another great actor who consistently does great work—including in this year’s The Only Living Pickpocket In New York—and he hasn’t ever earned an Oscar nomination before. Would love to see him enjoy his own “Knicks in five” championship. In the supporting category, I was so taken by Guitarricadelafuente’s performance in La Bola Negra, I hope he earns some recognition along the way. I’m also curious to see if a certain actress in You Can See Everything will get recognition for her work, which she’s qualified for in the Supporting category. This also feels like an extremely stacked year for international movies. Are there any favorites you’re rooting for?
JO: So, because the Oscars changed their eligibility rules this year for International Feature—in addition to countries submitting their individual picks, non-English-language films that win top prizes at big fests like Cannes can also qualify—I’m hoping that there’s even more diversity in that race. For my money, though, I want Germany’s tragic and experimental Everytime to get a spot, if only so other people watch it and talk about the ending with me. Should we wrap up with snubs? People love a snub.
MC: Do we love a snub or love to get mad about the snub? I’m afraid there’s going to be so many snubs this year! There are so many good movies not enough people are talking about like Possible Love or Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, but I’d love to be proven wrong here. There’s a lot of love and accolades to go around, and I hope it finds its way to some real unexpected candidates. More than snub, I think we love a good surprise during awards season.
JO: I guess I’m anticipating some schadenfreude around Tom Cruise not making it in for Digger, but that could just be my Iñárritu hate taking over. Fine, let’s be positive: I also hope for a pleasant surprise, and if it’s not You Can See Everything landing a Best Picture nomination, then I hope at least Wildwood becomes Laika’s first Oscar winner. That would make me happy. But not as happy as seeing Conan doing a “Why would I deceive you” bit.
MC: Wow, talk about overdue recognition! The animated category has picked some exciting winners as of late, including Flow and KPop Demon Hunters, so a win for Wildwood would be much-deserved and feels quite possible. I’m also so curious to see the match-up in the Best Original Score category between Ludwig Göransson for The Odyssey and Ari Balouzian for You Can See Everything. It’s such a strong year for just about every category—we’ll keep an eye on how the awards conversation continues to evolve. The Gothams and critics awards will be here before you know it, and then we’ll really be off and running.
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