With the Oscars just around the corner—taking place this Sunday, February 24—offered here is a quick look at the five Best Picture nominees, previously un-reviewed by the Star: Zero Dark Thirty, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Silver Linings Playbook, Django Unchained, and Amour.
Zero Dark Thirty: Hauntingly, Kathryn Bigelow’s latest direction begins with a black screen, as the audience listens to 911 phone calls made from the World Trade Center the morning of 9/11, and from here never lets up. Though it may be better-known for its controversy, ZDT may actually be a surprising work of art.
Beasts of the Southern Wild: At first glance, the quiet indie flick may seem more geared toward issues of poverty and survival, but at its heart, it centers deeply on the touching relationship between a father and daughter, and the way in which such relationships are a bedrock of one’s life.
Silver Linings Playbook: Alongside the rest of the field, David O Russell’s film seems misplaced: it’s dramedy, fluff romance, gooey optimism. It has none of the relentless questions or haunting situations of its fellow nominees, and its treatment of mental illness comes off as less than authentic, and more in line with its emphasis on blind positivity.
Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Django leaves the impression of being more dedicated to the memory of spaghetti westerns and the glory of blood-letting than to the real humanity and personhood of the characters involved, but it left me wondering how through his hyperbole, Tarantino speaks, however superficially, to the outrageousness of slavery’s horrors.
Amour: Perhaps the most poignant of the nominees, this soft-spoken French-language film confronts mortality and questions about the end of life, as an elderly couple deals with the wife’s deterioration, and her husband’s caretaking of her. Through its shots and performances, Amour forces its audience to join momentarily the isolation and grief of old age.