The Contrarian: 2024 Academy Awards
Film Critic Jack Hanley Brings You His Annual "Anti-Oscars" Cinephile Edition
Each year, Kinophila and HanleyOnFilm critic Jack Hanley crafts a nominee list in eight categories comprised entirely of often the more deserving films and performances ignored, snubbed, or neglected by the Academy Awards nomination committee. We select the year’s most compelling and brilliant performances and films NOT on the official ballot. You won’t find the usual cloying, middle-America, Studio-padded Oscar-fodder here- only the best of the year in American cinema. We hope you find a way to watch and experience these brilliant films and performances before the Academy Awards and wonder...what could have been?
Personal favorites in bold.
Best Documentary Feature
Dahomey (Dir. Mati Diop)
Daughters (Dir. Natalie Rae and Angela Patton)
Separated (Dir. Errol Morris)
Zurawski v Texas (Dir. Maisie Crow and Abbie Perrault)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Dir. Benjamin Ree)
Best International Film
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (Dir. Radu Jude) Romania
Hard Truths (Dir. Mike Leigh) UK
Close Your Eyes (Dir. Victor Erice) Spain
Kneecap (Dir. Rich Peppiatt) Ireland/UK
Evil Does Not Exist (Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi) Japan
Best Actor In A Supporting Role
Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)
Chris Hemsworth (Furiosa)
Jack Haven (I Saw The T.V. Glow)
Josh O’Connor (Challengers)
Best Actress In A Supporting Role
Tilda Swinton (Problemista)
Natasha Lyonne (His Three Daughters)
Aubrey Plaza (Megalopolis)
Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson)
Katy O'Brian (Love Lies Bleeding)
Best Actor In A Leading Role
Jesse Plemons (Kinds of Kindness)
Justice Smith (I Saw The T.V. Glow)
George MacKay (The Beast)
Hugh Grant (Heretic)
Daniel Craig (Queer)
Best Actress In A Leading Role
Angelina Jolie (Maria)
Kani Kusruti (All We Imagine as Light)
Julianne Nicholson (Janet Planet)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
Juliette Gariépy (Red Rooms)
Best Director
Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw The T.V. Glow)
Ali Abbasi (The Apprentice)
Radu Jude (Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World)
Yorgos Lanthimos (Kinds of Kindness)
Molly Manning Walker (How To Have Sex)
Best Picture
The Apprentice
Challengers
I Saw The T.V. Glow
How To Have Sex
Kinds of Kindness
Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World
Seed of The Sacred Fig
Maria
Love Lies Bleeding
The Beast
Jack Hanley is a Boulder-based film scholar, podcaster, and critic. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and Flicker with Jack and Scott on YouTube. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com