This Sunday, the Academy Awards will present awards to the best in film from 2022 in 23 categories ranging from Best Documentary Short to Best Picture. This year's nominees are an impressive batch, from the bombastic nature of Everything Everywhere All at Once, the engrossing animated short My Year of Dicks, the shocking documentary Navalny, to some questionable choices that have left Oscar fans scratching their heads.

The Academy Awards is packed with great nominees in every category, many of which get overlooked for some of the flashier, more mainstream nominees. So let's take a look at all of this year's nominees by going through and ranking all 54 nominees in all 23 nominees in this flawless list that absolutely no one should have any issues with!

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54. Tell It Like a Woman

Tell It Like a Woman Jennifer Hudson
Image via Samuel Goldwyn Films

1 nomination - Music (Original Song)

The annual tradition of Diane Warren writing a song for a movie that sounds made up has led to the worst Oscar nominee this year: the anthology of Tell It Like a Woman. While the concept of seven different female directors telling empowering stories about women is a great idea in theory, in execution, it’s a mess. Want a short based on a true story starring Marcia Gay Harden about her helping a homeless woman named Validation—played by Cara Delevinge—take off her many layers of clothes? How about an animated short that looks like the forest creatures from Princess Mononoke were trapped in a prison hellscape? At the very least, Mipo O’s segment “A Week in My Life” halfway through this ordeal is deserving of your attention.

53. How Do You Measure a Year?

How Do You Measure a Year?

1 nomination - Documentary Short Film

Jay Rosenblatt’s nominated doc short from last year, When We Were Bullies, was last place in last year’s list, so, hey, at least he’s moving up? Rosenblatt interviewed his daughter every year on her birthday for several years, asking her the same questions, and seeing how her responses changed. The result seems more like Rosenblatt saying. “hey, check out this thing I did!” as opposed to making any grand statement of note. Rosenblatt wants us to be impressed with this accomplishment, and instead, How Do You Measure a Year? just falls flat.

52. BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

bardo-movie-2
Image via Netflix

1 nomination - Cinematography

Alejandro González Iñárritu fully embraces his ostentatiousness with BARDO, a thinly-veiled personal story about a documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles who returns home to Mexico. From the very beginning, BARDO is exhausting, and Iñárritu never pumps the brakes. BARDO frequently has the Iñárritu-cypher character Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho) proclaiming the criticisms that many have had about his work, then flat-out ignoring the advice that others have about his questionable choices. If BARDO is any indication, maybe Iñárritu should’ve listened to those critics.

51. The Flying Sailor

The Flying Sailor

1 nomination - Short Film (Animated)

The Flying Sailor tells the true story about a man that was nearby the biggest accidental explosion in history, which sent him flying 4 km, where he landed unharmed, yet naked except for his boots. It’s an intriguing story, it’s just a shame that The Flying Sailor instead focuses more on the imagery of this naked man twirling in the sky, as opposed to exploring the incredible reality of this situation. It’s not great when a short makes you think about the story you wish you were seeing instead of the one you’re being shown.

50. The Whale

The-Whale

3 nominations - Actor in a Leading Role (Brendan Fraser), Actress in a Supporting Role (Hong Chau), Makeup and Hairstyling

Don’t get me wrong, Brendan Fraser and Hong Chau deserve their nominations in The Whale, as they’re the shining lights in Darren Aronofsky’s two-hour slog through mean-spirited manipulation and abuse. Aronofsky has always been a provocateur with his films, but he goes too far with The Whale, a simplistic gimmick that spouts bile at its audience and hopes they’ll see the beauty underneath. Fraser deserves all the acclaim in the world, but hopefully, The Whale leads to better projects in the future.

49. Night Ride

Night Ride

1 nomination - Short Film (Live Action)

What seems like it will be a charming short about a woman of short stature who gets on an empty tram and accidentally ends up driving it herself, Night Ride quickly takes a sharp turn when she starts picking up passengers, leading to an extended segment of transphobic violence. Eirik Tveiten’s short seems to be about two outsiders finding friendship in each other—if that’s even the point—yet the way it gets there is misguided and unfortunate, and this abuse is only used as a way to explore the tram driver’s character. Night Ride seems to have its heart in the right place, but the way it gets there is in poor taste.

48. Empire of Light

micheal-ward-olivia-colman-empire-of-light-theater
Image via Searchlight Pictures

1 nomination - Cinematography

Sam Mendes’ love letter to cinema could’ve probably used more of the movies, as his first solo script instead feels like a montage of half-considered concepts than an actual compelling story. Richard Deakins’ nominated cinematography is as gorgeous as always, Olivia Colman is always great regardless of the story, and there are slivers of magic that poke out through the seams, but Empire of Light ultimately feels like a confusing mixture of ideas that never comes together in a satisfying way.

47. Ivalu

Ivalu

1 nomination - Short Film (Live Action)

Ivalu follows Pipaluk (Mila Heilmann Kreutzmann), a girl in Greenland who is trying to find her missing sister, Ivalu (Nivi Larsen). As she searches, we get glimpses of their history together and the familiar issues they’ve had to deal with. It’s also a gorgeous short, as Pipaluk searches sections of Greenland covered in snow for her sister. Ivalu is based on a graphic novel of the same name by Morten Dürr, and it feels like it, since this seems more about the tone than any real narrative push, and it’s easy to understand how this might work better on the page than in a short. Missing kids and kids in trouble are strangely always a topic for the live-action shorts, and Ivalu ensures that this quota is made at this year’s Oscars.

46. The Sea Beast

the-sea-beast-social-featured
Image via Netflix

1 nomination - Animated Feature Film

2022 was the best year for Netflix animation yet, with Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Odyssey, Wendell & Wild, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, and The Sea Beast—while not at the level of those other films—is a promising step forward for the streamer. From Chris Williams, the director of Bolt, Big Hero 6, and Moana, who was essential to the shifting tides at Disney, it seems like Williams is doing the same thing with Netflix, in this story of a sea monster hunter and a little girl that can often feel like Netflix’s answer to How to Train Your Dragon.

45. The Martha Mitchell Effect

martha-mitchell-social
Image via Netflix

1 nomination - Documentary Short Film

The only short in the documentary category that truly feels like a feature-length doc crammed down into short length, The Martha Mitchell Effect also seems like a story that is screaming for someone to adapt it into a narrative feature. Directors Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy spotlight the title woman, who was the wife of Richard Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, and who refused to keep quiet about how Watergate must’ve gone all the way to the top. Mitchell’s story is fascinating and probably deserves a feature-length documentary of her own, but it’s impressive how much information Alvergue and McClutchy can cram into this—even if it is the longest of the doc shorts. After this, there’s also no way that someone isn’t Oscar-nominated for playing Martha Mitchell in the next decade or so.​​​​​​​

44. Blonde

A close-up of Marilyn Monroe crying in Blonde.
Image Via Netflix

1 nomination - Actress in a Leading Role (Ana de Armas)

Here’s the issue with Andrew Dominik’s Blonde: with a solid performance from Ana de Armas and gorgeous cinematography from Chayse Irvin, Blonde isn’t nearly as bad as those who despite it seem to think it is. But Blonde isn’t nearly as deep with its message of the commodification of celebrity as its fans seem to believe it to be. The end result is that Blonde is just fine, a nearly three-hour exploration of a fictionalized Marilyn Monroe that never quite justifies its message. Sorry both sides, you’re both wrong, it’s just OK.

43. Elvis

Elvis Tom Hanks Austin Butler
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

8 nominations - Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role (Austin Butler), Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Sound

Baz Luhrmann is the perfect filmmaker to bring a story about the gaudy, over-the-top life of Elvis Presley to the screen, but, unfortunately, Elvis skips over essential details of Presley’s life in a film that is more style than substance. Technically, Elvis is impressive, and Luhrmann is doing a lot to show off his talents, but narratively, it’s fairly empty. At the very least, Austin Butler does give a performance that makes it all worthwhile, in a role that never quite gets into caricature, as it easily could have.

42. Stranger at the Gate

Stranger at the Gate

1 nomination - Documentary Short Film

On one hand, Stranger at the Gate is very much about how love and compassion can overcome hatred, as we follow a former U.S. Marine who plots an attack on a nearby mosque when he returns home from war. But on the other hand, Joshua Seftel’s doc frames this story in such a deceptive way, making the audience believe that this Marine has acted on his violent and ugly instincts, then slowly unveiling the truth behind his story. Seftel gets us ready for the worst, so we feel grateful when this misdirect turns out to be nothing more than that. It’s manipulative in a way that undercuts what could’ve been a touching story, which is a shame, considering the story at the core of this often works quite well when it's not playing with the audience.

41. All That Breathes

all that breathes documentary social featured
Image via HBO

1 nomination - Documentary Feature Film

Powerful as a story of two brothers and their resiliency, All That Breathes follows as they attempt to get a bird sanctuary going in a New Dehli that is falling apart, right down to birds literally falling out of the sky. Director Shaunak Sen's approach is very quite and mannered, but in a way that sort of sucks out any of the gravity within this situation. For example, these brothers discuss that they need finding, which could take a year, since their previous request was denied. Yet, without any real sense of how much time has passed, and no real sense that this place is going to fall apart at any second, this sort of just floats along with ease, like one of the many birds they take care of flying back into the sky. But Sen makes this sanctuary truly feel like a sanctuary from the world outside, and watching these men with the birds is truly beautiful.

40. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

The Boy the Mole the Fox and the Horse
Image via Apple TV+

1 nomination - Short Film (Animated)

This year is the rare case where the animated short category is primarily shorts not for kids, whereas The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is explicitly made for them. Based on Charlie Mackesy’s book of the same name, and co-directed by Mackesy alongside Peter Baynton, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is beautifully animated in a way that looks like a mixture of hand-drawn painting and computer animation. This also has maybe the most impressive cast of any short, featuring Tom Hollander, Gabriel Byrne, and Idris Elba. Yet this lovely short is mostly just the casing for presenting inspirational concepts to its young audience, and while there’s nothing wrong with that, for an older audience, it does seem less challenging than many of the other shorts in this category.​​​​​​​

39. The Elephant Whisperers

The Elephant Whisperers
Image via Netflix

1 nomination - Documentary Short Film

Director Kartiki Gonsalves follows a couple who takes care of elephants in South India, and as you might expect, The Elephant Whisperers is unbelievably adorable. But some of the best parts of this wonderful short is when this couple discusses how this job and the elephants they watch over, have helped them get through some dark times, as for example, Bellie says that when her daughter died, and as she was crying, one of the elephants wiped her tears away. Much of this short is simply watching the day-to-day play of these elephants, and while that is a lot of fun to watch, at 40 minutes, it’s possible The Elephant Whisperers might have left an even greater impact with a much shorter run time.​​​​​​​

38. Haulout

Haulout

1 nomination - Documentary Short Film

Even though Haulout only has 25 minutes to tell its story, directors Maxim Arbugaev and Evgenia Arbugaeva take their time as they follow Maxim Chakilev, who seemingly lives in a tiny shack on the coast of the Russian Arctic. Why Maxim is there is slowly unveiled with an incredible reveal that is truly incredible, and through Maxim’s experiences, we are given a first-hand account of the dangers of climate change and how horrific these changes already are to the creatures around us. While Haulout doles out information slowly, the short might have benefitted from giving just the slightest setup for who Maxim is at the beginning, instead of saving that information for the very end, but otherwise, Haulout is the best doc short this year thanks to its quiet approach to this story, and easy the most staggering imagery in this category.​​​​​​​

37. Fire of Love

fire of love
Image via National Geographic Films

1 nomination - Documentary Feature Film

Sara Dosa's Fire of Live follows Katia and Maurice Krafft, a volcanologist couple who wanted to learn more about volcanoes and by getting extremely close to them as they erupt. The footage that the Kraffts caught is stunning and simply terrifying, and watching them get so close to the lava (even taking a boat into it) is always shocking, no matter how many times we see it. But while the footage is stunning, it's almost a shame that Dosa didn't allow this couple to tell their story via archival footage, but instead, using an overbearing narration by Miranda July, which never quite works. Fire of Love is a great documentary when it allows its subjects to speak for themselves.

36. Le Pupille

Le Pupille
Image via Disney+

1 nomination - Short Film (Live Action)

From Happy as Lazzaro writer-director Alice Rohrwacher, Le Pupille follows a group of girls at a religious boarding school over Christmas, as they are tempted with moral choices and the struggles of just being kids. Le Pupille is playful and humorous—always a welcome respite in this category—even if it a bit too long at almost twice the length of the second-longest live-action short. Rohrwacher plays with the hypocrisies of the church, while also just having a ball with this story, even directly stating that there’s not really any larger message, other than that this is just a fun story. Co-produced by Alfonso Cuarón, this fittingly almost feels like his A Little Princess adaptation, mixed with a bit of Terence Davies’ nostalgia for the past. But, you know, funny.​​​​​​​

35. An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It

An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It

1 nomination - Short Film (Animated)

Between Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Wendell & Wild, and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, 2022 was a big year for stop-motion animation, so it makes sense that the animated short category also gets into this style with An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It from Lachlan Pendragon. Stop-motion is quite literally a very hands-on form of animation, so it’s almost surprising there haven’t been more shorts like An Ostrich, which breaks down the fourth wall in remarkable and unique ways. An Ostrich plays with the falseness of this stop-motion world, the malaise of work, and the monotony of life, and while it never goes too deep into those latter themes, Pendragon has crafted quite a fun little experiment.

34. Argentina, 1985

argentina 1985
Image via Prime Video

1 nomination - International Feature Film

If this year hadn't had All Quiet on the Western Front, it's easy to see how Argentina, 1985 could've become the frontrunner in the International Feature Film category. And for good reason, as Santiago Mitre's courtroom drama is an enthralling look at a team of lawyers who took on the military behind Argentina's dictatorship. Mitre makes the moments outside the courtroom just as engaging as those within, as we follow this group as they build their case, and yet despite the horrific crimes being detailed, Mitre allows this film to feel weighed down by these details, allowing plenty of lighthearted moments among the darkness.

33. The Red Suitcase

The Red Suitcase

1 nomination - Short Film (Live Action)

Cyrus Neshvad’s The Red Suitcase treats arranged marriages as a horror story, as we follow Ariane (Nawelle Evad), who is trying to avoid her husband-to-be upon arriving at the airport to meet him. Inside her suitcase, we see the possibilities of a life that, if caught, she’ll likely never get to indulge, a talented artist without the freedom to express herself. Neshvad does a very good job of presenting this pseudo-horror story with compassion and a real sense of danger, showing a story we haven’t seen in this way before that utilizes the abbreviated length of the form to the story’s strength.​​​​​​​

32. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Queen Ramonda on a beach looking to the distance in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Image via Marvel Studios

5 nominations - Actress in a Supporting Role (Angela Bassett), Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Song), Visual Effects

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever marks the first time that an MCU film has received an Oscar nomination in an acting category, and it's no wonder why, considering Angela Bassett is remarkable as Queen Ramonda in Marvel's conclusion to Phase Four. A major part of why that performance works is because of Wakanda Forever's exploration of loss in the wake of the death of T'Challa, who was played by Chadwick Boseman. Ryan Coogler's film takes the time to really reckon with the legacy that T'Challa and Boseman left behind, while also still creating the best Marvel film of 2022. Thanks to Bassett and Coogler's work, Wakanda Forever could end up bring Marvel an acting Oscar for the first time ever—and give Bassett a much-deserved award.

31. EO

Man and Donkey in a stable in EO
Image Via Janus Films

1 nomination - International Feature Film

At first, EO seems like a modern update on Au Hasard Balthazar, but then it starts to feel like a series of small stories in which the titular donkey just happens to be around. There are parts of EO's journey that seem out of nowhere (one particular scene at a gas station and the constant flashing red lights immediately come to mind), but Jerzy Skolimowski's film is always interesting, warts and all. EO is also more effective at exploring points about how we treat animals and the personality that they all inherently have than other recent films like Gunda or last year's Cow. But also, who doesn't love watching a donkey go on an adventure? 2022 films were packed with awesome asses, and EO is right up there with the best of them.

30. To Leslie

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Image Via Momentum Pictures

1 nomination - Actress in a Leading Role (Andrea Riseborough)

Forget about how To Leslie earned its nomination, honestly, and instead, be grateful the Oscars nominated a smaller film that deserves to be found by more people. To Leslie largely works because of two very good performances from Andrea Riseborough and Marc Maron, as Riseborough's Leslie struggles with alcoholism, and Maron's Sweeney struggles with the feelings he has for Leslie. We've seen actors play alcoholics on screen before many, many times, but Riseborough's performance is beautiful in the smaller choices she's making, like the choice to not face the camera during her most emotional scene near the end, or the false confidence she tries to pull off when she's drunk. But it's Maron, who is just a gigantic heart of a character, that turns this story into something more special.

29. Triangle of Sadness

A young man and woman sunbathing and looking in the same direction in Triangle Of Sadness.
Image via NEON

3 nominations - Best Picture, Directing, Writing (Original Screenplay)

Ruben Östlund’s takedown of the uber-rich, Triangle of Sadness is an absurdist satire that is at its best when it keeps things simple and isn’t beating the audience over the head with its themes of broken class structures and economic inequality. Told in three distinct parts, Triangle of Sadness begins and ends strong, with a vomit-filled (literally) middle section that spells out its point to an eye-rolling level, as we go on a luxury cruise full of the wealthy that eventually crashes on an island, breaking down all social statuses. Östlund’s comedy is fun for what it is, but it needs more subtlety in this dismantling of the 1%.

28. Causeway

James sitting down and holding a beer bottle in Causeway
Image via A24

1 nomination - Actor in a Supporting Role (Brian Tyree Henry)

Director Lila Neugebauer's debut film is a film that slowly grows on you, a film that puts up a tough front—with devastated characters played by Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry desperate for escape—but Causeway at its core is a tremendous film about heart, love, with its found families and shared pain. Causeway gives Lawrence her best, most reflecting performance in years, but it's Henry who gives maybe his best performance in a career that has been nothing but great. When Lawrence and Henry's characters are together, simply sharing a discussion and some booze, Causeway is a remarkable and beautiful film to experience.

27. Turning Red

Mei, Priya, Abby and Miriam in Turning Red
Image Via Disney

1 nomination - Animated Feature Film

Pixar has shown us time and time again that they know exactly how to push the right buttons to move us, to make us cry, to devastate us. But what Turning Red is doing might be even more impressive, a bright story that doesn’t skimp on the moving sentiments, but provides these emotions in a lovely, fun, and largely optimistic story of self-discovery and the first steps into womanhood. Turning Red can do all this in a film packed with panda transformations, ridiculous boy bands, needy Tamagotchis, and absurd first crushes. Turning Red proves that a Pixar film can be cheery, positive, and light, while also leaving a touching and powerful impression.

26. Ice Merchants

Ice Merchants

1 nomination - Short Film (Animated)

Not only is Ice Merchants, from director João Gonzalez, easily the most stunningly animated film nominated in the shorts program this year, it’s also maybe one of the most beautiful animated shorts ever nominated? Ice Merchants is an excellent bit of environmental storytelling, as Gonzalez creates a compelling world without any words. The short follows a father that works as an ice seller, who lives on the side of a mountain along with his child, as the pair skydive into the town below every day to sell their wares. But this also manages to be a short about loss, told through simple basics of storytelling and utilizing color-coded hints as to the larger story at hand. Through Ice Merchants, Gonzalez proves himself to be a major talent, and someone absolutely needs to give him the budget for a feature-length film that looks as tremendous as this does.​​​​​​​

25. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

guillermo-del-toro-pinocchio-on-ship
Image via Netflix

1 nomination - Animated Feature Film

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio shows that if you’re going to adapt this story yet again, it’s best to bring something exciting and new to it, as well as put some of your own personality into it. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio's dedication to fully exploring these characters and their origins as people and not as assistants in Pinocchio’s story makes this the best adaptation since Disney’s 1940 animated version. Co-directors Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson bring this story to life in a way we've never seen before, an absolutely gorgeous adaptation that after countless adaptations, finally makes this story feel fresh again.

24. Living

Bill Nighy in Living
Image via Sony Pictures Classics

2 nominations - Actor in a Leading Role (Bill Nighy), Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Adapting Akira Kurosawa's classic film about one man's attempt to leave a mark on the world with the little time he has left is a bold choice. But director Oliver Hermanus and writer Kazuo Ishiguro do an admirable job of updating this story. But Living largely works because of an unexpectedly quiet and somber performance from Bill Nighy, a performance that is introspective and heartbreaking in its choices. Ishiguro's screenplay even smooths out some of the (very few) rough edges to Kurosawa's story, especially in terms of how the lead interacts with the characters on his journey. It takes guts to adapt Kurosawa, but Living does a wonderful job with its source material.

23. An Irish Goodbye

An Irish Goodbye

1 nomination - Short Film (Live Action)

Ireland had a great showing at this year's Oscars, with The Banshees of Inisherin and The Quiet Girl both getting nominated, yet An Irish Goodbye certainly shouldn't be overlooked among these larger titles. Written and directed by Ross White and Tom Berkeley, An Irish Goodbye finds two brothers attempting to finish their mother's bucket list after her death. As older brother Turlough (Seamus O'Hara) tries to get these tasks done, his brother Lorcan (James Martin), who also has Down syndrome, takes his time with the list, knowing that wrapping this list up means he'll be saying goodbye to his estranged brother yet again. White and Berkeley's short—maybe more than any other short in the category—feels like a complete, satisfying story, one that is touching and hilarious in equal measure.

22. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

A woman looks at the camera while another looks in the mirror in All The Beauty And The Bloodshed.
Image via NEON

1 nomination - Documentary Feature Film

Laura Poitras' All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is both a look at the life and work of Nan Goldin, but also, a documentary that shows the community and the importance of using one's power to fight for what's right—even if the odds seem impossible. Goldin does this by protesting the Sackler family, in an attempt to get some justice for those who have died from opioids. Poitras does an excellent job of making Goldin's art essential to the doc, mixing her story with her pieces in a way where both inform each other. Poitras takes many threads and manages to weave them together into an impactful look at Goldin and the opioid crisis.

21. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris
Image via Focus Features

1 nomination - Costume Design

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the type of story like Paddington 2 or Ted Lasso, where optimism and kindness come to the forefront and create an extremely charming and lovely story that is impossible not to love. Here, that's largely due to a lovely lead performance by Lesley Manville as the eponymous Mrs. Harris, who simply wants to go to Paris to get her own Christian Dior dress. Yet even though this journey seems relatively simple, Manville fills the role with such pathos and heart that it leaves the audience at the end of their seat. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a quiet delight that exudes beauty, heart and charm into every scene.

20. The Quiet Girl

Carrie Crowley, Catherine Clinch, and Andrew Bennett in The Quiet Girl
Image Via Break Out Pictures

1 nomination - International Feature Film

Extremely tender and overwhelming in a way that creeps up on you, The Quiet Girl shows how important the simplest acts of kindness can be for a person who needs it. There's not a single moment in The Quiet Girl where you don't want to give Catherine Clinch's heartbreaking Cáit a massive hug and tell her everything will be okay. Director Colm Bairéad presents the casual meanness that Cáit's life is infected with, then offers her a respite of love and heart that would make anyone melt. Carrie Crowley and Andrew Bennett as Eibhlín Kinsella and Seán Kinsella, respectively, give such quiet yet powerful performances that will break your heart. The Quiet Girl is Ireland's first nomination in the International Feature Film category, and with filmmakers like Bairéad working today, it certainly won't be the last.

19. Close

Two boys running through a field in Close 2022
Image Via Lumière 

1 nomination - International Feature Film

Lukas Dhont's Close plays its story close to its chest, making the audience think it's one type of story, then shockingly shifting to another, but in a way that never feels false or truly surprising. But what's really moving about Dhont's film is the quiet way he explores how our lives change forever once love is lost. For young Eden Dambrine's Léo, that loss of love isn't just losing a single person, it's losing a second family, as we also the difficulties attempting to hold onto that family can cause. Close is a powerful story about learning to renavigate a life that you thought was always going to remain the way it was, and Dhont explores this idea in this assured and beautiful film.

18. All Quiet on the Western Front

Felix Kammerer as soldier on the battlefield in All Quiet On The Western Front.
Image via Netflix

9 nominations - Best Picture, Cinematography, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Sound, Visual Effects, Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

1930’s All Quiet on the Western Front is quite possibly the greatest war film ever made, so it’s impressive that Edward Berger’s own take on Erich Maria Remarque’s book largely manages to capture the same level of unrelenting terror and tragic inevitability that made that original adaptation so powerful. Berger’s version makes the audience feel the griminess of war, the never-ending nightmare that seeps into your skin like the blood splatter from your fellow soldier. Even in the rare moments of joy, All Quiet on the Western Front never forgets the horrors that surround these soldiers at every turn. War is hell, and Berger makes us feel every lick of the flames.

Alexei Navalny being interviewed in Navalny documentary
Image via Warner Bros.

1 nomination - Documentary Feature Film

There may not be a more shocking film—documentary or otherwise— from 2022 than Daniel Roher's Navalny. Exploring the life of Alexey Navalny, who attempted to run against Vladimir Putin, which ultimately led to his poisoning, surviving said poisoning, and leaving Russia. It's almost hard not to think of Lauren Poitras' Citizenfour, and how both films at the center are biding their time, waiting for the inevitable that will likely happen to them. But Navalny is fascinating as the story of a man fighting insurmountable odds, gathering an immense amount of support, and waking up a country that longs for change, yet is still well aware that that change almost certainly won't come. And if that's not enough for you, Navalny also features maybe the best prank in film history, a moment that is so incredibly dumb and remarkable, it's incredible it was captured on camera.

16. My Year of Dicks

My Year of Dicks

1 nomination - Short Film (Animated)

Don't get caught up on the funny name, My Year of Dicks, from director Sara Gunnarsdóttor and written by Pamela Ribon, based on her experiences as a teenager, is a remarkable short that stands above the rest. Told in five distinct chapters, each piece has its own style and tone, as we follow the 15-year-old Pam (Brie Tilton) as he attempts to lose her virginity in the early 90s. My Year of Dicks almost feels like Gunnarsdóttor has managed to fit an entire season of television into this twenty-six-minute short, yet this captivating story never feels rushed or crammed to handle the time restraints. In this abbreviated time, we can see the growth of Pam, the troublesome encounters she had with men, and her shifting understanding of what truly matters in a relationship. My Year of Dicks ends up being deeply funny, immensely relatable, and truly lovely.

15. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

puss-in-boots-the-last-wish
Image via DreamWorks

1 nomination - Animated Feature Film

Somehow, in 2022, maybe the best traditional animated film is a sequel to an 11-year-old Shrek-ivrerse spinoff. The animation in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is absolutely jaw-dropping, and somehow, director Joel Crawford's film is funnier than most comedies. This is also a better fairy tale parody than the Shrek films ever was, taking these classic stories and putting them in a new light that is often genuinely moving. The Last Wish also doesn't talk down to kids, exploring the very real threat of death, and even a representation of panic attacks that is a welcome surprise. If this is where the Shrek universe is headed, well then, I'm a believer.

14. Avatar: The Way of Water

Jamie Flatters as Neteyam shooting an arrow in Avatar: The Way of Water
Image via 20th Century Studios

4 nominations - Best Picture, Production Design, Sound, Visual Effects

Avatar: The Way of Water reminds us throughout that no director is quite like James Cameron in terms of scale, spectacle and ambition. When he’s at his best, Cameron’s films are tremendous experiences unlike any other. Cameron knows exactly how to construct a great action scene, not only in making the sequence exciting, emotionally powerful, and engrossing, but in just the basic mechanics of how a scene should function, putting other action directors to shame. Thirteen years after first introducing the world to Pandora, Cameron returns with a film that improves the weaknesses of the first film, improves the script and characters significantly, and creates one of the most extraordinary experiences one can have at the theaters.​​​​​​​

13. Babylon

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Image via Paramount

3 nominations - Costume Design, Music (Original Score), Production Design

With Babylon, an over-the-top story of old Hollywood and the shift from silent films to talkies, Damien Chazelle has created an orgy—both literal and metaphorical—of madness that can't help but remind of the wild adventures of The Wolf of Wall Street and Boogie Nights. Chazelle’s three-hours-and-change epic is frequently ridiculous, manic, and constantly heightened in a way that certainly isn't period-accurate. This mayhem is enough to make Babylon work, but Chazelle has filled this story with characters that show the fragility of life in the spotlight, and how easily it is for people to move forward and leave certain stars behind. Yet Chazelle’s absurdist take on this integral period in film history is less about the details and more about going along for this ride, excess to the extreme that leads to one of the best and most singular experiences in film all year.​​​​​​​

12. RRR

Two smiling men riding on a bike in RRR
Image via Variance Films and Sarigama Cinemas

1 nomination - Music (Original Song)

No film this year was as much film as RRR, S. S. Rajamouli's bonkers story of new friends, revolutionaries, insane action sequences, impressive musical numbers, wild animals, and basically anything else you could ask for. Rajamouli's gem throws everything and the kitchen sink into this movie that simply must be seen to be believed. But among all the unbelievable things on screen, RRR is so effective due to the friendship between Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) at the center, a bond that makes RRR more than just a spectacle, and grounds it in one of the best relationships in a film all year.​​​​​​​

11. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Marcel the shell standing on a desk in Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.
Image via A24

1 nomination - Animated Feature Film

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, like its title character, is far more than meets the eye. On the outside, it looks adorable and delightful—which it is—but on the inside, there’s a ton going on, as the difficulties and tragedies of life are seen through the eyes of a one-inch-tall shell. Camp and Slate are able to expand Marcel’s story in a way that doesn’t stretch out this concept, but rather, expands the possibilities of Marcel’s grandiose world and shows us our world from an entirely new perspective. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On is a film with massive ambitions and an even larger heart.​​​​​​​

10. A House Made of Splinters

A House Made of Splinters

1 nomination - Documentary Feature Film

In an incredibly tight race full of some real heavy hitters, the best film in the Documentary Feature Film category, A House Made of Splinters, is, unfortunately, probably the least popular of the group. Simon Lereng Wilmont’s doc centers on a temporary home for children that have been abandoned by their parents in Ukraine. This shattering story follows kids who want a fresh start from neglectful parents that love drinking more than their own kid, and kids that refuse to give up on their parents, no matter how many times they’ve been disappointed by them. A House Made of Splinters might be one of the most heartbreaking and bleak films nominated this year, but it’s also one of the best.

9. The Batman

the batman robert pattinson Zoë Kravitz social
Image via Warner Bros.

3 nominations - Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, Visual Effects

It takes a lot to bring a unique version of Batman to the screen, but Matt Reeves was clearly up for the challenge with The Batman, presenting a captivating and rich world that reinvigorates characters we've already seen on screen over and over again. With The Batman, Reeves prioritizes the shadows of Gotham, setting up this city in a way we've never seen before onscreen, bringing to life the world around Bruce Wayne. Instead of heroes and villains that live in black and white, Reeves has presented a city defined by the gray. The Batman doesn't redefine what we know about this character, but through Reeves' direction, we're showing a Batman story that feels fresh and new. While most other Batman films focus on the hero that comes out of the darkness, Reeves has focused on the darkness that hero came out of, which makes all the difference.

8. Women Talking

The ensemble cast of Women Talking looking in the same direction inside a barn.
Image Via United Artists Releasing

2 nominations - Best Picture, Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

Sarah Polley's Women Talking, her first film in over a decade, is one of the most mesmerizing and haunting films of the year, featuring one of the best screenplays and casts of 2022. With films like Away We Go, Take This Waltz, and the documentary Stories We Tell, Polley has shown the weight of shattering emotional decisions, but never have they felt as dire and urgent as in the conversation being had in Women Talking. Polley has returned to directing with what might be her finest film so far, a striking and potent look at women's rights, the stories we tell to avoid the truth, and the difficulties it takes to make the right choice.​​​​​​​

7. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Evelyn in battle in Everything Everywhere All At Once

11 nominations - Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan), Actress in a Leading Role (Michelle Yeoh), Actress in a Supporting Role (Jamie Lee Curtis & Stephanie Hsu), Costume Design, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Music (Original Song), Writing (Original Screenplay)

Almost certainly this year’s Best Picture winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once is deserving of the title, an absolutely unhinged story about the possibilities that life throws at us that is a truly unique vision unlike any other. Directors Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan find the heart in all this madness and create a film about family and choices that almost doesn’t feel like it should be real. Featuring some of the best performances of this year, with Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis all earning nominations, and some of the most mind-bending concepts ever brought to a film, Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the wildest rides you could ever go on in a movie.

6. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella, Madelyn Cine as Whiskey, Edward Norton as Miles Bron, Leslie Odom Jr as Lionel Toussaint, Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Image via Netflix

1 nomination - Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

It's a damn shame that one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences of the year only stayed in theaters for a week, and only earned a single Oscar nomination. If Knives Out was Rian Johnson's way of reconfiguring the mystery film, Glass Onion is Johnson’s way of once again defying the expectations of the genre in a wholly unique way, by withholding key details, giving some away earlier than expected, hiding clues in plain sight, and completely upending what the audience thinks is around the corner. It's so much fun to watch Johnson playing around in this sandbox, especially with a cast that is clearly having a ball with this material. Glass Onion proves yet again that Johnson is a film disruptor of the highest order.

5. TÁR

Lydia Tár conducting in TÁR.
Image via Focus Features 

5 nominations - Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role (Cate Blanchett), Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Writing (Original Screenplay)

There are few filmmakers who can pull off a slow burn the way that Todd Field does, and sixteen years after Little Children, Field returns with his best film yet in TÁR. About half of TÁR is dedicated to simply showing Cate Blanchett’s title character excel at her job as a composer and conductor, a genius at her craft who seems to be in complete control of her life and surroundings. But then, Field starts hinting at the manipulations, the microaggressions, and the people Lydia Tár has walked over to achieve her success. It's the type of story that demands the audience watch it a second time, so they can pick on the hints and small choices that show the true nature of Tár’s character early on. Watching TÁR and both Blanchett and Field’s at work is, well, like watching a great conductor orchestrate every note with perfection. It's great filmmaking that is quiet, subtle, and takes its time to get things just right.​​​​​​​

4. Top Gun: Maverick

Maverick and Penny riding a motorcycle in Top Gun: Maverick

6 nominations - Best Picture, Film Editing, Music (Original Song), Sound, Visual Effects, Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

When talking about Top Gun: Maverick, it's hard not to sound hyperbolic, but this long-in-the-works sequel absolutely deserves all the praise. Maverick improves upon the original in every conceivable way (well, the soundtrack doesn’t have Berlin, so that's one strike against it), and does so in a way that might make this one of the greatest sequels ever made. Top Gun: Maverick easily has some of the most exciting action scenes to ever hit the skies, and Tom Cruise gives a performance that shows every side of the actor that has entertained us for decades, reminding us why he's such a massive star that can still make a movie that earns over a billion dollars. Top Gun: Maverick is a marvel of a film, one that will truly take your breath away.

3. Aftersun

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Image via A24

1 nomination - Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Mescal)

In what feels like an incredible personal and meaningful true story from writer-director Charlotte Wells, Aftersun is a story all about perspective, whether in how the form of a room can alter how we see things, or how years away from an incident can make us feel an entirely different way about how we experienced something. There are moments in Aftersun where Wells shows us memories through the reflection of a turned-off television or through old video tapes, as if they’re almost too uncomfortable to face head-on. Centering around a father (Paul Mescal) and daughter (Frankie Corio) going on vacation together, Wells combines the joy with the unshakable pain, in an exploration of depression, love and memory. Aftersun feels lived in and real in a way that few filmmakers can present, but Wells does it beautifully here. If anything, Aftersun certainly deserved more than just one Oscar nomination.

2. The Banshees of Inisherin

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Image via Searchlight Pictures

9 nominations - Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role (Colin Farrell), Actor in a Supporting Role (Brendan Gleeson & Barry Keoghan), Actress in a Supporting Role (Kerry Condon), Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Writing (Original Screenplay)

When Martin McDonagh is firing on all cylinders, there's simply no other filmmaker like him. In The Banshees of Inisherin, McDonagh packs his incredible script with hilarious jokes, poignant moments of reflection, and a fascinating underlying metaphor of civil war. Ben Davis’ gorgeous cinematography brings to life the Irish coastline, and let's not forget about the star of the year: Jenny the donkey. But McDonagh’s latest is primarily a showcase for its impeccable cast, led by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and some of the best supporting performances of the year by Kerry Condon and a delightfully strange Barry Keoghan. For feck sake, McDonagh went all out with The Banshees of Inisherin.

1. The Fabelmans

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Image via Universal

7 nominations - Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role (Judd Hirsch), Actress in a Leading Role (Michelle Williams), Directing, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Writing (Original Screenplay)

Look, I'm not going to sit here and explain again why I think The Fabelmans is the best film of 2022, and considering everything Everything Everywhere All at Once does, it's hard to not think of that as the perfect Best Picture winner for this year. But I will say that what makes The Fabelmans such a powerful experience, and what makes it still as impactful after having watched it three times, is that it feels like Steven Spielberg finally giving us a glimpse into how he came to be after only giving us glimpses of that for his entire career.

When we think of the most iconic directors of our time, be it Quentin Tarantino or Martin Scorsese, their filmography makes sense because we largely know where they came from and where this love of film came from. Hell, you don't need to read a Tarantino biography to know the guy clearly worked at a video store for years. But with The Fabelmans, Spielberg opens himself up in a way that he's only hinted at in the past. And yet, The Fabelmans works because it's not a love letter to film, or a self-important biopic of sorts—it works because Spielberg makes this a story of how deep passion and love for one thing can overtake one's life, for good and for bad. Spielberg is aware that his love of film has caused problems along the way, and he highlights that throughout his childhood here.

But for someone who has been so integral to many of our childhoods the way Spielberg has, it's fascinating to see his own childhood and how he became the incredible director he is today. The Fabelmans isn't without its faults—the dialogue is sometimes clunky, and Michelle Williams' performance can take some getting used to—but it's that occasional clumsiness that makes this feel both theatrical and honest at the same time. The Fabelmans also feels like Spielberg at his most playful, directly referencing that he might make a movie of this story one day, and a final scene that is easily one of his best yet. Spielberg has long been one of the greatest directors of all time, and with The Fabelmans, Spielberg told his most personal story yet, and in doing so, made one of his greatest films.