I’ve mentioned how there are already some films “locked” for a Best Picture nomination, they are “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “TÁR,” “Elvis,” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.” Some would add “Women Talking,” so let’s just say it’s the eighth lock.
That leaves us with two open slots — you have around 6-7 films seriously fighting it out for them: “Babylon,” “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “RRR,” “The Woman King,” “Triangle of Sadness” and “Glass Onion”.
Fresh off its impressive Oscar and BAFTA longlist shoeing, Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” has snuck into the top 10 of Gold Derby’s experts-driven algorithm. It’s not that surprising. I’ve been seeing more marketing from Netflix on the WWI film, they’ve finally realized that they might have a legitimate Best Picture nominee here.
Since late Summer I’ve been saying that Netflix’s top priority for awards season was going to be “Glass Onion,” and they probably, somewhat, still see it as an Oscar player, but ‘All Quiet’ just has more steam going for it right now. Berger’s film has also found a surprisingly big audience on Netflix, and deservedly so, it is a technically accomplished picture.
I have yet to rewatch it since my initial screening in September at TIFF, but I will say that “All Quiet on the Western Front” doesn’t reinvent the war movie. There’s gloss. There’s familiarity. It’s overlong. But that doesn’t necessarily make the film unworthy. The action is gruellingly realistic and ambitiously staged.
It should also be be seen on the biggest screen possible and the fact that it’s streaming on Netflix means that most audiences won’t be experiencing Berger’s film at its full cinematic capacity. However, Guild screenings, with plenty of Academy voters in attendance, have been packed the last few months. I believe that a Best Picture nod is a very real possibility now.