Have now seen 7 of the Academy’s nominated movies for best picture. I won’t make a prediction, but if I had a vote, I’d vote for Get Out. It’s brilliantly conceived, flawlessly executed (omfg, those performances!), culturally resonant at a deep level, scary, funny, and thought-provoking. I also think that Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” is as appealing and smooth an instance as I can think of in recent years, as far as a song that fits its movie that perfectly.
Shape of Water would be my next choice. The Cold War, homophobia, male privilege, and disability issues as a set of intersecting contexts is amazing and hypnotic for this kind of beauty-falls-in-love-with-the-beast love story. So good!
But, imo, Get Out takes bigger strides in a more original and perfect way in how it relates the tropes of its genre to the moment we’re in. It is excellent, the very thing I want from art, in balancing originality and established form, and in keeping me thinking and feeling and awake and alive while I’m also being entertained and amazed.
