A conversation: Debating our picks for the 2024 Oscars

In the spirit of collaboration, the film writers and editors of The Mancunion sat down to decide who should come out on top in all of the main categories at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony on March 10. The resulting discussion ranged from civil debate to outrage and indignation. What follows is an attempt to encapsulate this back and forth as we present the definitive picks for the 96th Oscars. 

Best Original Song

Nominees: The Fire Inside – Flamin’ Hot, I’m Just Ken – Barbie, It Never Went Away – American Symphony, Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) – Killers of the Flower Moon, What Was I Made For? – Barbie

Alex: For sheer cultural impact, it’s ‘I’m Just Ken’. If we’re talking about the whole landscape, impact inside and outside of film, it’s ‘I’m Just Ken’.

Dani: I think ‘What Was I Made For?’ is the better Barbie song.

Dan: Yeah, ‘I’m Just Ken’ is just completely average.

Erin: Woah, woah, woah.

Imogen: I agree with Dani. Everyone was saying people going on about ‘I’m Just Ken’ over ‘What Was I Made For?’ when the film came out had missed the point of Barbie.

Dan: What even is ‘What Was I Made For?’. The Dua Lipa song is better.

Imogen: That is controversial.

Florence: I would say that ‘I’m Just Ken’ is important. Feminism requires men to participate and ending toxic masculinity is maybe even more important for the trajectory of the feminist movement. 

Erin: ‘I’m Just Ken’. I’m just a woman.

Erin: ‘I’m Just Ken’. Unseen. Unpredicted. Ryan Gosling can sing.

Alex: But also how good was the Barbie soundtrack? It really spoke to every single age demographic. For me, it’s Charli XCX and Pink Pantheress but the fact we’re debating over two Barbie songs just says it all.

Dominic: They’re not giving anything to the Cheeto film [Flamin’ Hot].

Dan: Yeah, it’s a symbolic win for Barbie as a whole.

Our pick: I’m Just Ken – Barbie

Best Original Score

Nominees: American Fiction, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Imogen: OPPENHEIMER.

Erin: I think Imogen is a bit biased. [Because she wrote most, if not all, our Oppenheimer pieces.]

Imogen: No no, it’s swept the board so far. It’s won all the awards when it’s been nominated.

Dan: No, but should it win?

Imogen: Yes. Yes. Ludwig Göransson has said he used like mathematical equations to inspire the soundtrack. Give it to the man.

Alex: Fairs, okay, that’s sick.

Imogen: And all the scenes where Oppenheimer is like visualising another world, that’s like what Ludwig was doing to create the score. 

Dan: Yeah, the issue is none of the other scores really stand out. 

Dominic: I thought American Fiction’s was pretty nice.

Erin (from background): Do we even know what score is? Do we sit there and think ‘I love this little bit of soundtrack’?

Alex: What’s your case for American Fiction then? [In a non-agressive way]

Dominic: I mean it just sounds nice, it complements all the emotions well. I think Oppenheimer should win but it’s not like miles and miles ahead.

Dan: Okay, I think we go for Oppenheimer then, Imogen’s made the case.

Imogen: Listen, if we had more time then I’d go into depth, okay.

Erin: I liked it when he was like ‘Shit. I just killed a load of people’, then passed Rodrick throwing up in some dirt. Poingant that. 

Our pick: Oppenheimer

Best Film Editing

Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Oppenheimer, Poor Things

Dan: Personally I would go for Anatomy of a Fall, it’s probably going to go to Oppenheimer but the editing in that film is messy at best.

Erin: But is it meant to messy on purpose?

*crowd responds no*

Dominic: It’s like deliberately meant to be smooth and it’s not. 

Imogen: I like the editing of some scenes like the bit where it’s almost like a cubist portrait of him learning about the world. The beginning is better but it does fall apart a bit towards the end.

Dominic: Yeah, I think between scenes it can feel a bit disjointed at times.

Dan: If anyone’s seen Anatomy of a Fall, the whole film is so precise and how it relies on this court case. I just feel like that deserves the win. 

*confusion about writing and editing choices ensues*

Our pick: The jury’s out on this one as not enough people had seen Anatomy of a Fall to back up DC’s passion and there were no strong opinions on any other titles. In fact, only two people on the panel had.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers, Maestro, May December, Past Lives

Dani: Ohh, c’mon Past Lives. It has to be Past Lives.

Imogen: It will go to Oppenheimer. It will go to Nolan.

Dan: But it’s not nominated, that’s adapted. Did you listen to the nominations?… I think it should be Anatomy of a Fall again. 

Dani: What I’ve heard about Anatomy of a Fall is like the use of languages, like each language has a different function. 

Dan: Well if you wanna talk about that you could also talk about Past Lives, the whole screenplay is written in a dual language and she had to use like a different screenwriting software than the norm because it wouldn’t allow her to write in Korean. 

Dani: Also Past Lives is just so heartfelt but I’m not sure that’s the screenplay.

Florence: I don’t know, there are some bits where characters have really poetic dialogue, it jumps out at you. Like I’ve never had a conversation that was that pretty.

Dani: Yeah, the In-yun idea. That’s beautiful. 

Dan: But I think Anatomy of a Fall, if you just watch that one scene which is the argument between the couple, that’s just like peak. 

Florence: They maintain the tension throughout.

Dani: I think I wanna say Anatomy of a Fall even though I haven’t seen it.

Our Pick: Anatomy of a Fall

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: American Fiction, Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest

Alex: What is Barbie even adapted from?

Dominic: The characters of Barbie, it’s this thing like even if you have original characters it goes in ‘Adapted’.

Alex: Yeah, to be fair no one is going into Barbie and thinking ‘I wonder who this Barbie character is?’.

Florence: Yeah, it’s messy source material. Like the legacy of Barbie is not problem-free. And there are Barbie films and I feel like she cut quite a good course.

Dominic: I think we should vote for Barbie then.

Dominic: I agree.  I think screenplay-wise American Fiction is a bit messy because the two main plot lines don’t really integrate together at all. 

Dani: But what about Zone of Interest?

Christopher: It’s more of a visual film. And the sound. 

Imogen: I mean I think it will go to Oppenheimer because he took it from a 700 page book, wrote half of it in first person and it is Nolan. But I think based on our discussion it should go to Barbie.

Dani: So, Barbie.

Our Pick: Barbie

Best Directing

Nominees: Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet, Killers of the Flower Moon – Martin Scorsese, Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan, Poor Things – Yorgos Lanthimos, The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

Erin: It’s just the same films over and over again.

Florence: I think Scorsese’s got enough by now surely. 

Dani: This isn’t really based on the film itself but Yorgos. Yorgos Lanthimos. Love him. I want him to win, he has such a distinct style. 

Erin: I don’t like Emma Stone’s accent. 

Dominic: I don’t know, I think I’m going Anatomy of a Fall again.

Imogen: And I’m going Oppenheimer.

Alex: Oppenheimer is Nolan’s masterpiece. All the beautiful things about his filmmaking is in Oppenheimer, it might not be the best but it’s the best representation of what he can do.

Erin: I don’t think it should win because my housemate Tom fell asleep in the cinema. 

Imogen: That’s on Tom, I’ve watched it three times.

Dominic: I think Glazer should win it.

Christopher: I think Nolan should win it, not because he’s overdue but on the film alone. It’s like colossal. 

Our Pick: Christopher Nolan

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Nominees: Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer, Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple, America Ferrera – Barbie, Jodie Foster – Nyad, Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

Erin: I vote Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple.

Dan: I’d go for Jodie Foster for Nyad, and it shouldn’t be Emily Blunt. 

Florence: I think America Ferrera did a pretty good job, I feel like she redeemed the film from being too like you know. 

Imogen: I don’t know the speech was kind of preachy in a way. But yeah I think the film in general is quite on the nose and she did a good job with what she had.

Dan: I’m happy to side with Da’Vine Joy Randolph actually, she gives a great performance.

Dominic: There’s a lot of subtlety to her performance.

Florence: Yeah, Barbie didn’t really do subtlety.

Our Pick:  Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Nominees: Annette Bening – Nyad, Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon, Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall, Carey Mulligan – Maestro, Emma Stone – Poor Things

Erin: Absolutely not Emma Stone.

Saoirse: Not Carey Mulligan.

*A crowd of responses saying Lily Gladstone*

Dominic: I think the scenes where she’s showing the pain her character is going through are really powerful. It’s this visceral pain. I don’t think she has that much screen time but for me, it’s a really impactful performance.

Dan: I don’t know, I think Hüller’s role is just the best of the year. That whole film is a balancing act of whether is she guilty or not and she pulls it off. Whereas, as amazing as Lily Gladstone is and I don’t want to undermine it, I feel like she has less complexity to play. 

Dominic: Yeah but even if it’s not like complex, it still creates a lot of emotion which is what it’s supposed to do. 

Our Pick: Lily Gladstone

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Nominees: Sterling K. Brown – American Fiction, Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon, Robert Downey Jr – Oppenheimer, Ryan Gosling – Barbie, Mark Ruffalo – Poor Things

Erin: Ryan Gosling.

Dan: Are you for real? *Face of pure disgust and disbelief. He’s still not over ‘I’m Just Ken’, and clearly lacks the Kenergy for any more Barbie nominations*

Dani: I think Ryan Gosling, yeah.

Dan: You’re seriously voting for Ryan Gosling? *Looks with shock at co-editor*

Dani: Yeah, he’s incredible in that role.

Erin: He danced, he sang, he acted – he’s a triple threat.

Dani: Like the way his face looks like it says that his brain is empty like how? Do you know what I mean?

Alex: Also Barbie the press tour people had people on lock all summer and that was him. He acted beyond the screen… However, Robert Downey Jr. was fantastic.

Dan: Yeah, as much as I don’t care about that subplot in Oppenheimer, Downey Jr.’s role is very well done.

Dani: What?? I didn’t think about him for one second after I left that cinema.

Imogen: I think he’s really good at the end when it’s all being pieced together but he doesn’t stand out at the beginning.

Christopher: Well, that’s the point though. His character is meant to stay in the shadows and he comes out at the end and it’s like his villain reveal. 

*Side note: It was only mid-conversation that Erin realised Sterling K. Brown is Randall from This is Us. She regrets not fighting for him. He’s a winner in her heart regardless.*

Our Pick: Ryan Gosling

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Nominees: Bradley Cooper – Maestro, Colman Domingo – Rustin, Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers, Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer, Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction

Imogen: Cillian Murphy. And he deserves it hands down.

Saoirse: Irish king.

Dan: Yeah it probably should be Cillian Murphy.

Erin: Yeah and it’s for St. Patrick’s Day. You’ve gotta give it to him.

Alex: It’s because of the 25 years leading up to it as well, Cillian Murphy deserves his flowers.

Dan: If you wanna make that argument then it could also go for the others too.

Erin: Yeah but we’re not.

Dan: Cillian Murphy sweep.

Imogen: And he was on the cover of GQ. We love it.

Our Pick: Cillian Murphy

Best Picture

Nominees: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, The Zone of Interest

Alex: Um, Oppenheimer. I preferred it to Barbie.

Christopher: Oppenheimer. Just from the filmmaking perspective and the cultural context, it’s such an important film. It’s definitely the best film of 2023. 

Dominic: Yeah I think Oppenheimer. Best Picture isn’t really the best film. It’s one of the best but it’s had by far the most cultural impact.

Dani: I pick Barbie… I don’t actually think that, I think it should be Past Lives. 

Alex: The turn! That was like watching Kruyff.

Dani: No but like, Barbie is not my favourite film but I prefer it to Oppenheimer. But in my heart it should be Past Lives.

Imogen: Okay but if we said Dani, you’re replacing everyone on the Oscars team.

Dani: Past Lives.

Sumayyah: The only one I’ve seen is Barbie.

Saoirse: I’m gonna vote Barbie. Barbie invented feminism really. 

Erin: Oppenheimer, no. It’s too long. I get it for the Titanic for the ship sinking but when it’s longer than that, it’s too long. But I don’t like any of them. I get it but I wouldn’t watch any of them again. 

Imogen: Oppenheimer. I think it’s going to become one of the greatest films of the century.

Dani: That is a statement.

Saoirse: Are you on their payroll?

Imogen: Okay maybe not the century but I think it’s gonna be a historic film and one of the greats.

Alex: Imogen, why do you love nuclear war so much?

Imogen: Why are you here?

Florence: I’d say Anatomy of a Fall because I trust the French on films… sometimes. 

Dan: I think at this point Oppenheimer has won so I’m going to go for Killers of The Flower Moon. I think it’s the much better three-hour epic and I think it has a lot more to say about society today than Oppenheimer does. 

Our Pick: Oppenheimer

Keep up to date with the 2024 award season at The Mancunion…

– Hair, makeup and costume design nominees at the 2024 Academy Awards

– Opinion: Every Best Picture winner of the 21st century, ranked from worst to best

– The best films of 2023

– Let’s break down the 2024 Oscar nominations

– Men’s fashion is finally having its moment during the 2024 awards season