At the end of an awards season that has felt like its own marathon came the finishing line of the Oscars’ Best Picture. This year has seen some of the stiffest competition for this award in a long time, with many comparing to the likes of some legendary lineups, like 2020 (“Parasite,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “The Irishman,” “Little Women”) or 2008 (“There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men.”)
Don’t get me wrong, I liked every nominee for Best Picture this year, but some way more than others. There were also some pretty bad snubs for this award, in my opinion, and I think they deserve honorable mentions. “Sirāt” (Dir. Oliver Laxe), “It Was Just An Accident” (Dir. Jafar Panahi) and “No Other Choice” (Dir. Park Chan-wook) are all foreign films that landed in my personal top 10 of the year. Honestly, all of the foreign pictures in awards contention this year were phenomenal, and made up so much of the substance of such a strong year for movies. All are worth checking out. But without any more fluff, here’s my ranking of the nominees from worst to best.
10. F1 (3 STARS)
I left “F1” with a lot to be desired. After being introduced to “Rush (2013)” two years ago, I had high hopes when I saw that F1 had found a script they were willing to put their name on. I was less enthused when I found that aspect to be especially weak, with one-dimensional side characters and some awful cringe moments in the dialogue.
However, the visuals and audio were exceptional, and did a great job of placing me in the middle of the action. The sound even earned the film its sole Academy Award.
I think it was a wise decision to get director Joseph Kosinski for this movie, who’s garnered an impressive action resume with “Tron: Legacy (2010)” and more recently, “Top Gun: Maverick (2022).”
While a viewing in the theater would’ve definitely given this a better impression since it elevates the strengths of a film like this, I still don’t think I would’ve liked it better than anything else on the list.
9. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (3.5 STARS)
This might be a potentially divisive placement, but upon a much-needed rewatch, the latest from the six-time Oscar winner in 2026, director Paul Thomas Anderson, fell a bit flat.
The marvels of IMAX 70mm perhaps clouded my judgment a bit on first watch, but it’s become clear how real character development is sacrificed for more chaos. That chaos helps bring the movie’s undeniable tension, but it didn’t leave me thinking like most other films on this list.
That tension does make the movie, though, aided by an excellent soundtrack and cinematography. You’ll be gripping your seat, either from that or if you’re like me, out of frustration with weak character work.
It needs to be said how horribly this film stereotypes black women. Taylor’s performance is emotional, but I hated how the film uses her as a prop to fight over rather than fleshing out her intentions.
8. FRANKENSTEIN (4 STARS)
Director Guillermo del Toro has shown he can capture a unique beauty from any adaptation, but his crack at Frankenstein has proved it. The sets and look of the characters were historical, yet flashy, earning GDT three Oscars on Sunday.
I’m still carrying some of the iconic images from this film. The fire angel dream sequence and bringing the creature to life were some of the most electrifying scenes from the year.
The acting in this one is incredibly underrated as well. Actress Mia Goth shows a palpable tenderness toward the Oscar-nominated actor Jacob Elordi that cements the emotional core of the movie.
Although the score earned a nomination, I found that to be a pretty egregious reach compared to others on this list. Other than that, I didn’t find a lot of faults with this movie, only that it’s proved to be a bit more forgettable compared to the rest of the crowd.
7. HAMNET (4 STARS)
This film was my final watch to catch up with the list, and what a treat it was. While ‘treat’ may be generous considering the heart-wrenching subject matter, this movement through Agnes’ grief is more like a dance. It’s graceful, natural, elegant and imperfect. It’s vulnerable and especially human.
The unique ways director Chloe Zhao captures the natural environment are incredible. The way the roots cradle Agnes while she gave birth was a huge highlight in the photography for me. Best Actress winner Jessie Buckley’s performance as Agnes deserves its own mention. Her raw intensity in the hopeless moments of this movie brings everything together. And her reaction to the play in the final scene? Chef’s kiss.
My qualms with this movie were mostly structural. The moments the movie chose to share with us felt disconnected at times, or rather, that there were crucial moments we were missing off-screen. The scattered Shakespeare references felt very on the nose to what’s happening plot-wise, when I would’ve liked something a bit more thematically cohesive.
6. TRAIN DREAMS (4 STARS)
I will curse Netflix forever for its flimsy two-week theater runs. Missing this cinematic titan on the big screen is such a big miss on my part. While I would argue Hamnet’s cinematography of nature was more unique, in “Train Dreams,” it is straight-up staggering. The sky looks like a pastel painting in practically every shot, and there were a ton of images that have stuck with me; the boot nailed to the tree being the prime example.
Actor Joel Edgerton’s quiet performance went largely unrecognized amidst the premier award programs, but this meditation of grief spanning Robert Granier’s whole life made this film feel bigger than its narrow scope.
There were some points where it dragged, and I can only control my ADHD so much. I found that main issue to be slightly less annoying than “Hamnet,” but these two are interchangeable in my ranking, and very similar thematically. I highly recommend checking out both if either looks interesting to you.
5. ‘SINNERS’ (4.5 STARS)
We’re getting into the true heavy hitters here. It’s tough to say much that hasn’t already been said about “Sinners.” Despite what might be considered a low placing, I’ve seen it more than any other film on this list, and to be honest, the rewatchability might be its strongest attribute. Creator Ryan Coogler excellently nails down the time period of the antebellum South, with awesome costumes, characters and music that could’ve only come through that era.
This film just oozes charm and definitely has that X-factor too. I doubt anyone will forget the musical vision in the middle of the movie. As the now most-nominated film in Oscar’s history, it’s clear that it’s captured the hearts of its contemporaries just as much as the general public. I would’ve been elated seeing this cast rush the stage for Best Picture. Unfortunately for Coogler, the Academy decided it was Anderson’s night.
4. ‘THE SECRET AGENT’ (4.5 STARS)
Even as a complete rookie to Brazilian cinema, I can tell that director Kleber Mendoça Filho’s most recent film is one of those ones. As the tagline suggests, 1977 Brazil was a place of great mischief under its military dictatorship. It was a bit of a lawless land, and Filho used a lot of his own memory growing up in Brazil during this time to inform decisions about the film.
His political thriller utilizes actor Wagner Moura to his fullest potential. Not to be outdone by all of the twin performances of 2025, Moura plays three distinct characters, but mainly portrays academic researcher Armando Solimões, who tries to disappear under a fake name, Marcelo Alves. The film treats these two as sort of separate characters, but we know they have the same being, chasing the same goal. Moura also plays Armando’s son Fernando in the final scene of the movie, showing how political trauma continues to torment later generations if it’s not addressed.
This film is a true love letter to Brazil, from the casting, the performances, the music and atmosphere. My main gripe is that, as an outsider, this was tough to follow on first viewing. It was, of course, my own problem, and a repeat viewing was incredibly rewarding. If you feel you can’t spare the time, I recommend reading up on the time period before or after to get a better sense of what the time was like. This one was snubbed pretty badly in my opinion, seeing no wins from its four nominations, but the next one got it even worse.
3. ‘MARTY SUPREME’
(4.5 STARS)
I thought Timothee Chalamet deserved the Best Actor this year for his performance. While Michael B. Jordan undoubtedly deserved the award as well, it felt like the industry’s punishment of Timothée Chalamet for being a little too loud. I felt this was vindicated, seeing Sean Penn win his category after doing pretty much no campaigning, and he didn’t even bother showing up for the ceremony. The whole thing rubs me the wrong way, since it feels like a power move. I mean, most of the input about the award I’ve been seeing has been hating on Chalamet instead of giving Jordan his flowers.
Outside of the awards drama, “Marty Supreme” still needs its flowers, too. It’s the pivotal Safdie romp. Director Josh Safdie takes everything he and his brother did on “Uncut Gems” (2019) and pushes the envelope. He infuses the movie with more New York influence, making the main character even more unlikable, but somehow, you root for Mauser more. The cast of characters is more zany, and the meta pop culture references are more niche and rewarding to chronically online viewers like me.
The music builds on this trend. Daniel Lopatin, who makes solo music as Oneohtrix Point Never, adds more instruments to his score suited for more complex motifs. To miss a score nomination from the academy is a failure on all accounts. Plus, the synths just absolutely rip.
The film itself is an all-gas-no-brakes story about the American dream, and what it takes from you, in terms of both in terms of the effort and the toll on your psyche. All aspects of the movie aid in its tension, and unlike “One Battle After Another,” I feel that it really opens up the members of its ensemble, bearing their flaws while more explicitly pointing to their intentions.
2. ‘BUGONIA’ (4.5 STARS)
Director Yorgos Lanthimos is a filmmaker who has mystified and amazed me every time I’ve decided to watch one of his movies, and luckily, I got to this one in the theaters on the very last day of its run. Every time I made a claim about the plot in the moment, it was almost immediately refuted. The twists and turns this film took were unpredictable and, at times, jaw-dropping.
Actors Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons and newcomer Aidan Delbis all deliver career-defining performances, in my opinion. Plemons is one of the bigger Academy nomination snubs, missing out on best lead actor, but getting replaced by Moura is begrudgingly acceptable. And although Ethan Hawke carried “Blue Moon” (2025), my heart aches that Plemons isn’t on that shortlist instead.
This score manages to be even more wonky and genre-bending than “One Battle,” which sort of robbed some of my enjoyment of its strongest aspect. The dark and eerie tone of the score helps elevate the tense scenes in the basement, and when we finally move out, it’s like an eruption. All in all, “Bugonia” has earned Lanthimos a lifelong fan out of me.
1. ‘SENTIMENTAL VALUE’ (5 STARS)
I could say the same for Joachim Trier. After watching this and his 2021 piece, “The Worst Person in the World” in back-to-back days, Trier’s talent of capturing the beauty in the mundane is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
The decision to forge the Borg family home into a character at the beginning of the film was a genius one. The way it personifies the relationship between all of the characters who occupy it is a beautiful display.
The acting in this movie is on another level. Actors Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Stellan Skarsgard would all have won their respective acting Oscars if I were given a say. Not to say the seasoned Elle Fanning doesn’t deserve her praise, nominated alongside Lilleaas. The way they all encapsulate the tenuous father-daughter relationship, each in their own way, felt incredibly raw and real.
Both times I’ve seen this, when Labi Siffre’s “Cannock Chase” appeared in the end credits, I was floored by the chills. I realized I was always bound to love this film. Trier and Reinsve have also earned the permanent yes from me, and if given the choice, their “Sentimental Value” would be my Best Picture winner.
