Every year when Oscars roll around, there is one category that holds particular interest to me because it rewards creativity and hard work to the filmmaker who fought so hard to make their vision come true. Last year’s Best Director Oscar saw a historic win in Kathryn Bigelow, the first female to win the coveted award for her Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker. This year’s nominees announcement caused a wave of fury and outcry when fan favorite Christopher Nolan was snubbed for director even while Inception earned a Best Picture nomination. Still, despite this controversial omission, the lineup of directors this year is a formidable list of seasoned veterans, most of whom are all vying to take home gold for the first time.
The Nominees:
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter
Darren Aronofsky has never be nominated for an Oscar before, aside for a nomination for Mickey Rourke‘s performance as Randy from his previous film The Wrestler. Black Swan has many thematic similarities to The Wrestler while bringing to the forefront Aronofsky’s signature psychological kinetic directorial style that was somewhat lacking and restrained in his aforementioned film. Definitely known as an innovative filmmaker in both technique and concepts, Aronofsky would likely be primed for a victory if Black Swan, a box office hit, packed more of an Oscar punch for voters. However, the film’s horror tropes and lackluster philosophy will most likely be its undoing for victory and most likely the spotlight will go to Portman’s pitch perfect performance as the tortured dancer who suffers a mental breakdown.
The only previous winners from the list of contenders are the Coen Brothers, who took home the Best Director Oscar twice for Fargo and No Country For Old Men. This year’s entry, True Grit, is an authentic re-imagining of a classic western which should surely be appealing to certain members of the academy who yearn for the days of films past. Still, despite this appeal, there seems to be something lacking overall within True Grit, especially when compared to their impressive body of work. The Coen Brothers have definitely proved themselves as one of the most interesting American cinematic forces working today and this nomination will surely cement this reputation yet True Grit doesn’t seem to have enough impact to get’er done this time around.
David Fincher has become a serious heavyweight filmmaker over the years and deservedly so with some great films under his belt (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac) that are both critically praised while having a cult-like mass appeal post release. He was previously nominated for The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons which failed to clench the prize against Danny Boyle‘s Slumdog Millionaire, but with The Social Network he looks primed for his first dance with Oscar. Transforming a razor-sharp script from Aaron Sorkin, a subject matter that is both controversial and relevant and whipping it into a frenzied mix of social media, treacherous betrayal and a technology that is enveloping our minds faster than we can think. In my opinion, The Social Network and Fincher will likely be the big winners of the night by swaying voters with the unique portrayal of the minds behind the madness of Facebook.
That is unless the Academy opts out of The Social Network and decides to reward a more classic approach to filmmaking, i.e. Tom Hooper for his British historical drama The King’s Speech, which has picked up some late-in-the-game . Hooper, the youngest of the nominees, is probably best known for his previous film, the charming soccer drama The Damned United. Like his previous film, The King’s Speech excels in the acting department, creating some of the best performances this year from its two leads Geoffrey Rush and Colin Firth. Their relationship and chemistry could only have been so magical and personal under the hands of an experienced director with subtly and precision, which is exactly what Hooper displays in his film. Almost seemingly hand crafted for the Oscar crowd, Hooper and The King’s Speech has a good shot of upsetting some of the more recognizable filmmakers hoping to win big with its charm and well intentioned message.
Rounding out the list of nominees is David O. Russell with the boxing family drama The Fighter. Russell is known for his somewhat eccentric comedic style with the likes of Three Kings, Spanking the Monkey and I Heart Huckabees all of which have been cherished over the years by most, but not as yet recognized by the academy. With The Fighter, he created a painstakingly accurate portrayal of two brothers from Lowell, MA struggling to lift themselves above the conflict surrounding their current lives. Russell paints a gritty and convincing lieu of reality and is able to extract one of the best performances ever from Christian Bale, if not Mark Wahlberg. While The Fighter is surely an enjoyable film it doesn’t seem to pack enough punch to knockout voters and most likely the only gold it will see will be in the hands of Bale.
Will Win: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Should Win: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Should Have Been Nominated: Christopher Nolan (Inception) and Gaspar Noe (Enter the Void)