Two years ago, I took on the wacky but truly inspiring challenge of seeing as many of the 93 International Feature Film submissions as I could get access to—eventually 89. It sucked all my time, energy and eye-power, but it also allowed me glimpses into many different cultures and exciting new stories being told from a panoply of talented filmmakers, worldwide.
Last year I simply focused on seeing the 15 films short listed. I had already viewed 11 when the list published as well as a few that did not make the list.
This year I was more ambitious, having seen 33 of the 92 submissions to date. When the list published on December 21, I had seen all 15 of the short-listed films! Most of the films that made the cut were among the most touted and celebrated movies (with producers that could afford to promote their films) so it’s no surprise, that with the recent rule change, the most popular titles breezed in.
AMPAS should give the rules a rethink so that some of the lesser promoted works stand a chance. There were quite a few among the fraction I saw that deserved a place at the select table.
My analysis will include the 15 as well as some of the films I viewed that were not selected. I urge those interested to seek out as many titles as possible. And wouldn’t it be amazing if, somehow the Academy made ALL the submissions available to the general public for viewing each year? It would behoove them to figure out a way. Start their own streaming service? But it’s a damn shame that very few get to ever experience these cinematic treasures.
Interesting side note: Of the films ostensibly about the filmmaking or filmmakers (World War III, Winners, January, and Last Picture Show, only the latter made the shortlist.
The Contenders (the few, the proud)
Argentina, Argentina, 1985
Austria, Corsage
Belgium, Close
Cambodia, Return to Seoul
Denmark, Holy Spider
France, Saint Omer
Germany, All Quiet on the Western Front
India, Last Film Show
Ireland, The Quiet Girl
Mexico, Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco, The Blue Caftan
Pakistan, Joyland
Poland, EO
South Korea, Decision to Leave
Sweden, Cairo Conspiracy
The Most Likely Nominees
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Edward Berger’s staggering and engrossing film version of Erich Maria Remarque’s 1928 classic anti-war novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, may find its way into a few other categories (cinematography screenplay, even director) since it received 4 other shortlist mentions (original score, makeup and hair styling, sound and visual effects) . This is powerful, visceral filmmaking and is now the front-runner to win. (The American adaptation won the 1930 Best Picture Oscar.) Germany has received 20 nominations and 3 wins.
Close (Belgium)
Two 13-year-old boys (Eden Dambrine & Gustav De Waele) who share a bond—a loving and intense friendship—find their relationship questioned and their connection irreparably damaged by fellow classmates in Belgian helmer Lukas Dhont’s emotionally devastating, yet sublime film, Close. The filmmaker and his cast manage to achieve so much with very little dialogue asking more questions than it answers. Young newcomers Gustav De Waele and Eden Dambrine deliver authentic performances. Belgium has copped seven nominations and no wins. Yet.
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave is a Noirish thriller/romance/murder-mystery that initially confounds, then begins to transfix once you acclimate to Chan-wook’s complex storytelling. Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) is a Busan detective called to investigate the death of a businessman who fell while mountain climbing. Or did he? Hae-joon meets the dead man’s wife, a Chinese national named Seo-rae (the amazing Tang Wei) and is smitten. Is she, as well? Or is she a black widow? South Korea has been nominated and won once in 2019 with Parasite, which also won Best Picture.
Argentina 1985 (Argentina)
Santiago Mitre’s powerful and frighteningly timely film, Argentina 1985, examines, in docu-detail, the ’80s landmark trial of the Juntas, exposing the human rights violations by the fascist dictators. The military leaders were tried for their horrific crimes (murder, torture, rape, disappearing) in civil court since the fearful government washed their hands of it. The brave prosecution team, led by Julio César Strassera (an extraordinary Ricardo Darín) did an exceptional job despite death threats. Mitre’s film can also be seen as an homage to the 1985 Oscar-winning gem, “The Official Story,” directed by Luis Puenzo. Argentina has been nominated 7 times, winning twice.
The Gems That Should Be Considered
EO (Poland)
One of the great surprises of 2022 is Polish auteur Jerzy Skolimowski’’s marvel of a movie, EO, a fascinating peek into the fictional world of a donkey. Skolimowski, at 84, has an astonishing talent for allowing his audiences to experience life as an innocent creature caught up in a world of erratic humans. And what film is complete without a final reel appearance by Isabelle Huppert? Poland has been nominated 12 times and won once (2014 for Ida.) A nomination would be amazing and add to the year of the onscreen donkey—Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness.
Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico)
Never count out the great Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman, The Revenant) whose astounding, surreal and, ultimately, profound epic, Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, is one of the most ambitious and exciting films of 2022. This semi-autobiographical, Fellini-esque odyssey centers on a successful journalist and filmmaker Silverio (Daniel Gimenez Cacho) and boasts one eye-popping sequence after another (often through a fish-eye lens) that peeks into the mind and world of one conflicted man and his travels through his own professional and personal purgatory. The film proved divisive, turning off several clickbait bloggers early on, but the initial group of AMPAS voters paid no attention to those naysayers. Mexico has been nominated 9 times and won once—fellow amigo Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma.
Joyland (Pakistan)
Saim Sadiq’s debut feature, Joyland, is an unsettling look at the crippling consequences of the single-mindedness of the patriarchy. Married but closeted Haider (an excellent Ali Junejo) has always been treated as less of a man by his family because of his sensitivities. When he meets and falls for a trans woman (Alina Kahn), the two begin navigating the complexities involved in a relationship where neither understand what the other needs. And Haider’s wife (a wonderful Rasti Farooq) is collateral damage. There are many themes explored in Sadie’s narrative, some more in depth than others. But Joyland sheds an important light on how repression often leads to destruction. This would mark Pakistan’s first ever nomination.
The Blue Caftan (Morocco)
Morocco’s is to be commended for its entry, Maryam Touzani’s The Blue Caftan an exquisitely-crafted meditation on love in a world where same-sex desire is not just frowned upon but could mean alienation, prison–even death. Master tailor Halim (Salem Bakri) is a devoted husband to his ailing wife, Mina (Lubna Azabal). The couple hire Youssef (Ayoub Missioui), a good-looking young apprentice, and feelings develop between the two men. Touzani has weaved together a sensitive, graceful, touching work about repression, connection and acceptance. Bravo to voters for appreciating this deeply affecting work. This is Morocco’s 18th submission with no nominations.
Saint Omer (France)
Alice Diop’s intense courtroom drama, Saint Omer based on a real-life case, examines the lives of two women: Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanga), from Senegal, who admits to murdering her own infant daughter and Rama (Kayije Kagame), a Parisian professor who attends the trial, initially to write a book about it—she eventually feels a strange kinship with Coly. Diop rather ingeniously dissects Coly’s bizarre and fraught journey ending in tragedy, laced with the racism and misogyny of both the French and Senegalese cultures. France has received 40 nominations and has won 12 (3 Honorary). Diop would make history as the first Black woman ever nominated for an international feature.
Potential Dark Horses
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
I was delighted to see Colm Bairéad’s bewitching film, The Quiet Girl, make the short list since it’s exactly the kind of endearing understated film that is usually overlooked. It’s 1981 and 9-year-old Cait (Catherine Clinch, a wonder) lives with her parents and four sibs, with a fifth on the way. She’s made fun of at school and at home for being reserved and, well, different. Her useless parents send her to live with cousins for the summer, where she is warmly embraced and finally treated like a human being. She blooms. But the summer comes to an end and Cait is expected to return home. Bairéad’s work is rich with nuance and subtext. A nomination would be an unexpected pleasure. Ireland has yet to receive a nod.
Corsage (Austria)
Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage channels Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and reimagines a short span in the life of the famous 19th century Empress Elizabeth, known as Sissi, an ambitious, restless woman trapped in a world that has placed smothering limitations on what she can do. Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) is both melancholy and defiant as Sissi. The film includes anachronisms galore along with a wholly fabricated death scene (she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist) that is in keeping with Sissi’s taking control of her own destiny. Austria has received 4 nominations with 2 wins.
Last Film Show—India
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher that India decided on Pan Nalin’s Last Film Show over S.S. Rajamouli’s wildly entertaining and thought-provoking cinematic extravaganza RRR —not because Last isn’t good, it is a charming, engaging love letter to movies—but because the former is so much…more! Regardless, Nalin’s work gleams because of its sheer adoration for the medium (and its express homage to Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso.) India’s has 3 nominations, no wins.
Return to Seoul (Cambodia)
Davy Chou’s evocative and maddening film, Return to Seoul, centers on a young French woman (a beguiling Park Ji-Min) who returns to Korea in search of her biological parents. Over the next eight years we share her frustrations and become exasperated ourselves watching her many disarming life choices. Chou’s work is both bizarre and mesmerizing. Cambodia has been nominated once.
And the Rest
Holy Spider (Denmark)
Denmark’s entry, Holy Spider, is a lurid thriller about a real-life serial killer who murdered numerous women feeling justified that he was cleansing Iran of sin. Director Ali Abbasi seems to take misogynistic pleasure in meticulously depicting the slaughters, all the while focusing way too much on the life of the assassin, instead of the victims. The film is timely and has its champions—I am not one. Denmark has received 14 nominations and 4 wins, most recently two years ago with Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round.
Cairo Conspiracy aka: Boy from Heaven (Sweden)
Tarik Saleh’s thriller, Cairo Conspiracy, did not engage me—although the power struggles between holy men and elite politicos is certainly an interesting one. The film centers on Adam, a fisherman’s son who is offered the great honor of studying at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo. When the Grand Imam dies, Adam finds himself caught up in a deadly game being played by the highest and mightiest religious and political leaders. The logline sounds a lot more exciting than the actual film. Sweden has 16 nominations and was awarded 3 times—all for Ingmar Bergman films and not since 1983’s Fanny and Alexander.
The Gems That Were Overlooked
World War III (Iran)
Houman Seyedi’s startling, audacious and truly entrancing satire, World War III, deserved consideration. The film centers on a subjugated day laborer working on a film set who, in a series of odd occurrences, is practically bullied into playing the part of Adolf Hitler in a movie about the Holocaust. And that’s just the beginning. Seyedi and co-screenwriters Arian Vazir Daftari, Azad Jafarian searingly comment on power, class and how everyone has a breaking point. And the ending is priceless. This brilliant black comedy may have been too brutal for AMPAS member—or perhaps it hit too close to home. Iran has won twice, both Asghar Farhadi films. (“A Separation” & “The Salesman”)
Beautiful Beings (Iceland)
Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s harsh yet stunning feature, Beautiful Beings, might have had too many themes that made voters feel uncomfortable. The film examines the effects of physical, emotional and sexual abuse from adults on children as well as school bullying. But the film also depicts how unlikely friendships can end up saving lives. There’s even an element of the supernatural in this gem. Beautiful Beings boasts a cast of electrifyingly good teen actors led by the handsome and charismatic Birgir Dagur Bjarkason. If this one reaches our shores, seek it out. Iceland has received one nomination.
Blanquita (Chile)
The only flaw in Fernando Guzzoni’s absorbing and gritty film, Blanquita, is that it should have extended the narrative a bit more at the very end. Otherwise, this story, inspired by real Chilean events in early 2000, is a potent Jason vs. Goliath look at a priest and a young girl taking on the vengeful government leaders to force justice for those who sexually abuse children. I’m guessing the brutal and disturbing nature of the work turned voters off. Chile has two nominations and one win.
Winners (UK)
Winners, Scotland-based Hassan Nazer’s enchanting meta valentine to film–and specifically Iranian filmmakers–follows two kids from a small Iranian village who find an Oscar and the mayhem that ensues. The film argues that sudden fame can be a detrimental thing. It also comments on class and cultural differences (in places that aren’t the US and Europe). This dense work remains light and uplifting throughout, perhaps a bit too light. The United Kingdom has received two nominations.
Other Submissions Definitely Worth a Look
Nostalgia (Italy)
Based on the novel by Ermanno Rea, Mario Martone’s moody and compelling film, Nostalgia centers on Felice (Pierfrancesco Favino) who returns to Naples and must confront the reason he left at 16—fleeing the wrath of a childhood friend, Oreste (Tommaso Ragno) who is now a feared mobster. Nostalgia balances the somber with the hopeful (although the ending is sadly predictable). There’s a homoerotic charge to the Felice/Oreste relationship that Martone is afraid of exploring. Italy has been nominated 32 times, winning a record 14 awards (3 Honorary).
A Long Break (Georgia)
Data Firtskhalava’s arresting Georgian entry, A Long Break, is ostensibly about a 13th year reunion of school chums, now damaged men, but the planner has a secret motivation–exposing and punishing a former bully. The ominous feel and growing tension don’t have the kind of payoff that U.S. audiences expect, but the film asks urgent questions and never harshly judges its characters. Georgia has been nominated once.
January (Latvia)
“I’m never gonna find out who I am,” grouses 19-year-old Jazis (an irresistible Karlis Arnolds Avots) near the end of Viestur Kairish’s captivating coming of age story, January.The film is set in the early ‘90s, a politically turbulent time in Latvian history as they fought for independence and even with the USSR in tatters, were still met with violent resistance. Much of this is experienced and recorded by filmmaker wannabe Jazis—who also falls in and out of love for the first time. January is a testament to how even indifferent youth can be galvanized into fighting for a cause. Latvia has yet to be nominated.
Our Brothers (Algeria)
Rachid Bouchareb’s discomfiting Algerian entry, Our Brothers, is based in fact and centers on the murders of two young men, Malik Oussekine and Abdel Benyahia, by Parisian police during student protests in 1986. It’s a horrible stain on France’s history and Bouchareb does not sugar coat it. Nominated 5 times, Algeria won once, the first time it submitted with Costa-Gavras’ Z in 1969.
Darkling (Serbia)
Dušan Milić’s harrowing feature, Darkling is set in post-war Kosovo when pogroms against the Serb population were at an extreme (more than 4000 ethnic Serbs and Metohija were expelled). The film focuses on one family who refuse to leave despite outside forces that will stop at nothing to purge them from their land. This gripping film builds to an intense final reel but would have had more power if it had ended just a few minutes early. Still, well worth a viewing. Serbia has yet to be nominated.
Girl Picture (Finland)
Finnish director Alli Haapasalo’s visually enticing queer-themed, Girl Picture, tells the story of teen besties Mimmi (Aamu Milonoff) and Rönkkö (Eleonoora Kauhanen), their friendship, and their desire for love. Mimmi begins a stormy relationship with Emma (Linnea Leino), a champion figure skater while Rönkkö has one unsatisfying sexual encounter after another. Finland has received one nomination in this category.
Klondike (Ukraine)
Maryna Er Gorbach’s black comedy-drama, Klondike is set on the Russian/Ukrainian border when Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down in July 2014, in the disputed region of Donbas. 298 passengers and crew lost their lives. But Gorbach focuses on the personal story of a fed-up pregnant wife, Irka (Oxana Cherkashyna), her politically confused husband (Sergey Shadrin) and her pro-Ukranian, nationalist brother (Oleg Scherbina). When their house is “accidentally” blown to bits by anti-Ukranian rebels, the lunacy builds to an intense, harrowing finale. Ukraine has never been nominated.
Predicted Nominees:
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
Close (Belgium)
Argentina 1985 (Argentina)
Saint Omer (France)
Please Consider
EO (Poland)
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
Joyland (Pakistan)
The Blue Caftan (Morocco)
My Personal 5
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina 1985 (Argentina)
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
EO (Poland)
Runner-up: Close (Belgium)
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