Even after campaigning was properly underway in fall 2024, the yr 2025 noticed one of many messiest Oscar seasons in web reminiscence, “Conclave” ranges of contenders and nominees’ probabilities dropping left and proper in a combat to the demise. The implosion of “Emilia Pérez,” regardless of being probably the most nominated movies ever (with 13 complete, together with Greatest Image), launched each a disappointment and a maybe much-needed jolt into what may have been a predictable race for the Jacques Audiard-directed, decidedly non-Mexican musical to beat.
We had been left questioning if safer bets like “A Full Unknown” and even juggernaut grosser “Depraved” may take over as a Greatest Image winner. Then, “Anora” stepped in and swept the PGAs, the DGAs, and the Critics Selection Awards in a single weekend, reminding pundits by no means to learn too carefully into the tea leaves of the Golden Globes, the place “Emilia” and “The Brutalist” reigned and “Anora” was shut out.
4 of the ten 2025 Greatest Image Oscar nominees confirmed up on IndieWire’s checklist of the Greatest Movies of 2024, leaving a large gulf between our take and the Academy’s on the opposite six. However then, “I’m Nonetheless Right here” emerged as a severe spoiler as soon as Fernanda Torres gained Greatest Actress in a Movement Image Drama on the Golden Globes, and fanned-out help for “Emilia Pérez” because the French Oscar entry made room for the Brazilian entry to probably even take Greatest Worldwide Function, the one class “Emilia Pérez” appeared poised to say even after backlash.
Because the Oscar season now begins in earnest at Cannes (“Emilia Pérez,” “The Substance,” and “Anora” all premiered and gained prizes there in Could 2024), we are actually taking a look at a nearly-10-month-long film awards season of writing and discussing the identical movies. So when nonetheless online-only controversies like “did ‘The Brutalist’ use an excessive amount of AI?” or “why didn’t Sean Baker use an intimacy coordinator on ‘Anora’?” start to emerge, they actually add suspense to a race that was starting to really feel preordained and uninspiring. Or when a seemingly online-only controversy of Karla Sofía Gascón’s inflammatory tweets then turns into worldwide information, emboldened then by Mexico’s outrage over her film’s dismissal of Mexican tradition and expertise regardless of being set within the nation.
Everybody concerned on all 10 of those movies deserves an award for trotting themselves out with bells on to Q&As and Academy screenings and press days, doing their rattling finest to spin the identical outdated rusted speaking factors into new gold. However the votes are closed, and the Oscars are lastly, lastly upon us this Sunday, March 2.
How properly these 10 movies might be remembered within the annals of historical past is just too quickly to inform proper now, although there are a handful, as you’ll see on our rating, that already really feel near icon. Beneath, IndieWire ranks the ten Greatest Image nominees from worst to finest.