Hans’ Oscar Bites

Oscar Bites #17 – BEST DIRECTING

As we get into the bigger categories, we’re going to start seeing the weight of our two big frontrunners represented, although I personally think the writing’s been on the while for a while for one film.

The nominees are:

• Chloe Zhao, Hamnet
• Marty Supreme, Josh Safdie
• Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
• Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
• Ryan Coogler, Sinners

In order of preference:
5) Josh Safdie, MARTY SUPREME
I feel bad about consistently ranking marty Supreme last as I do think it’s really solid! Harkening back to my talk in my Editing bite, I think Safdie does really well with a lot of the elaborate table tennis and action sequences throughout this film. Where I think he loses me a little bit is not reining in Timothee just a smidge from going full Timothee with it all. He certainly does a better job than James Mangold last year with A Complete Unknown, but otherwise the bevy of solid supporting performances throughout show a really steady hand from this up and coming director.

4) Chloe Zhao, HAMNET
Zhao finds herself in the interesting position as not only the sole woman, but the sole previous winner in this category. She is know for distinct visual and narrative style that focuses on a lot of pensive lingering on shots and scenes to let them breathe. Her greatest strength here, as it was in Nomadland with all of the non-professional actors, is working with kids and getting performances out of them that had people wondering if Jacobi Jupe could be in the running for a nomination (I personally didn’t think so but hey! It’s the titular role!).

3) Joachim Trier, SENTIMENTAL VALUE
If performance quality and visual language are the hallmarks of a good director, then Trier has done some pretty remarkable stuff here. All of our leads deliver stellar (and Stellan) performances that of course nabbed them all nominations, while still allowing each performance to tell its own distinct story. The way he frames the house as a character unto itself goes a long way toward making this movie fully lived in.

2) Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
As feats of directing, these are two of the most difficult films to rank. What PTA has done here is nothing short of a miracle. Juggling camera setups in all sorts of settings, directing professional and first time actors side by side, nearly netting a record-tying 5 acting nominations (alas, Chase Infiniti). PTA has always been nothing if not a consummate filmmaker fluent in the language of film and although I’m not aligned with his vision fully 100%, I can acknowledge this will be a likely very worthy and long overdue win.

1)Ryan Coogler, SINNERS
While PTA is juggling setups and performances, I feel like Coogler here is crafting a mood, a vibe, and the natural flow of a narrative that feels like we are right there alongside the twins and the partygoers at the juke joint. I think PTA’s directorship on a technical level is slightly better but I’m a feels and vibes guy when it comes to movies a lot of the time and I know a big part of that vibe from Sinners comes from Coogler’s clear passion for his story and close partnership with his frequent collaborator Michael B. Jordan. Look out for the passion vote on this one.

– WILL WIN: PTA, One Battle After Another
– COULD WIN: Ryan Coogler, Sinners
– SHOULD HAVE BEEN HERE: Zach Cregger, Weapons