I said it last month and I’ll say it again this month; the race for Best International Feature Film is one of the most competitive categories this year. Picking just five nominees from the 93 official submissions is tough. Picking a winner is even more difficult. I don’t envy the Academy members. There will be snubs and they will be painful.
Several major critics groups will announce their nominations and winners in December, which may provide some clarity to how the wind is blowing. But our first true indication came with the nominations for the European Film Awards that gave a nice boost to France’s Titane, Italy’s The Hand of God, and Finland’s Compartment No. 6.
Norway’s The Worst Person in the World surprisingly failed to nab nods for European Film or Director, but it did score nominations for European Actress and Screenwriter. There’s such a growing chorus of love for this film, which is why it moves into my top spot this month. Renate Reinsve could very easily sneak into the five Best Actress nominees and a screenplay nod isn’t out of the question either. If it can land nominations elsewhere, that could be the key to winning here.
But if there’s one contender to keep an eye on, it’s Japan’s Drive My Car. After a stellar debut at Cannes (where it won three awards including Best Screenplay), the film is becoming more widely seen and the reviews are nothing short of raving. It currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and it just nabbed the #2 spot on Vanity Fair’s ten best films of the year list. In a year dominated by European films, could it actually be Japan’s year?
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. The Worst Person in the World (Norway)
2. A Hero (Iran)
3. Flee (Denmark)
4. Drive My Car (Japan)
5. Titane (France)
IN CONTENTION
Compartment No. 6 (Finland)
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea)
The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia)
The Good Boss (Spain)
Great Freedom (Austria)
The Hand of God (Italy)
Hive (Kosovo)
I’m Your Man (Germany)
Lamb (Iceland)
Leave No Traces (Poland)
Memoria (Colombia)
Prayers for the Stolen (Mexico)
Yuni (Indonesia)