Best Director

The link between Best Picture and Best Director is self-evident. In fact, since the former category has increased its number of nominees from five to ten, many purists have been considering the films whose directors are also nominated as the top five, the leaders, the “real nominees.” This year, the real nominees don’t include Inception.

I am well aware Inception and its creator Christopher Nolan had many detractors, ranging from disappointed fans of his dark, indie days to respected critics whom the film failed to engage. I am also aware that the Academy rarely welcomes science-fiction blockbusters with warmth, open arms and a shower of golden statues. Yet Inception took the world by storm the way very few films do – it grossed nearly a billion dollars and remains critically lauded – and this is entirely due to Nolan’s vision, to the complex world he created and so triumphantly shared with us. It wasn’t merely a candy-coated blockbuster, it was an adventure and an event which hit us well beyond our surface. If quality isn’t enough (and it isn’t – the Oscars are known to factor in much more), Nolan is also well overdue: he who has brought us the exceptional Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight, has not once received a nomination for his directing. His omission is, quite simply, baffling.
You may now consider my revolt over and my tirade, a reminder that, despite the excitement of Oscar season, the public’s adoration is what classics are made of.

The chosen nominees may make Nolan’s a tad easier to swallow, however, because all five have delivered remarkable work in 2010. The aforementioned Best Picture/Director correlation suggests Tom Hooper and David Fincher are the only two still fighting for the highly coveted statuette, despite very different approaches to film. Hooper has directed The King’s Speech with careful attention to make even a speech impediment radically moving by bringing out surprisingly emotional performances out of his excellent cast. Fincher, with as much care and a downright naturalistic philosophy, rather made The Social Network a cold, sleek and patient reality study – a laboratory. The two are rivalled only by Darren Aronofsky, whose daring mind and unflinching intensity has given Black Swan its soul. It is evident he allowed no compromise to meddle with his vision – and seeing the unconventional resulting film, after opening in only eighteen theatres, become a cultural phenomenon is truly invigorating. Following the trio is David O. Russell, notorious for his fist fight with George Clooney and, perhaps ironically, his directing of the boxing drama The Fighter. Where his fellow nominees relied heavily on style, he wisely chose to show restraint, handing a blank canvas to his incredible actors. Putting the weight of the picture on their shoulders was the best card he could have played: it is their impeccable, fiery performances that made an otherwise predictable biopic memorable. Rounding off the list are the Academy (and mine, admittedly) darlings Joel and Ethan Coen, for their helming of the jaw-dropping True Grit. Their presence, though slightly surprising, makes sense. True Grit, their most straightforward and intrinsically human effort to date, has resonated with audiences more than any of their past films. I’d say it has made denying their mastery of the art truly ludicrous. Yes, despite all uproars it might have caused, the Academy’s is a fine list – a testament to a great year of film making.

 

My bet? Tom Hooper. For better or worse, The King’s Speech will not be stopped.

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