The Communicator

In an Oscar Best Picture race with no glaring front runner like “Oppenheimer,” we can only speculate what will happen at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 2. For Boston University College of Communication students, the conversation is centered on “The Brutalist” and “A Complete Unknown.”

“The best picture winner is often a case of damage control,” said Aaron Homem, current MFA in Film and Television Studies student. “[The] preferential ballots make certain things go to the top because they are the least offensive to the most people.”

He believes of the last four Best Picture winners, “Oppenheimer” (2024) is the only film with a justifiable win. The other three, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2023), “CODA” (2022), and “Nomadland” (2021), fall into the category of “least offensive to the most people,” Homem said.

On Jan. 23, Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott announced the 2025 Oscar nominees in a live telecast to kick off the race. The nominees for Best Picture are: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Perez,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance,” and “Wicked”.

“What I like is, ‘The Brutalist,’ for example, isn’t really a mainstream film, but is still up for almost every single category. It’s the same with ‘Anora’,” said Timothy Santora, current MFA in Screenwriting student. “The Brutalist,” directed by Brady Corbett, stars Adrien Brody as an ambitious architect immigrating to the United States.

Santora, however, has his own skepticism about the history of Best Picture winners. “[The Oscars are] not a true reflection of the success or longevity of a film or what the masses think.” Despite his appreciation of the Academy recognizing indie films, he wonders how successful “The Brutalist” was in theaters. The film is a three and a half hour spectacle with a built-in intermission.

For Homem, “The Brutalist” was his favorite film of the year, but he has concerns about the Oscar electorate fulfilling their duty as informed voters. “I don’t necessarily believe ‘The Brutalist’ will win,” he says. “ I have to trust a variety of people to stake three and half hours to watch it.”

However, even if “The Brutalist” is not awarded Best Picture, Santora believes that the nomination and attention the film is receiving may be a good sign for the film industry. “[‘The Brutalist’ is] not a giant studio pumping money into a movie. Yet it’s up for a lot of things.” The film is nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Director, Original Screenplay, and Production Design.

Homem hopes that Adrien Brody will take home the award for Best Actor, but Timothee Chalamet has been running a strong campaign for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” that is “very centralized on his charisma.” The other contenders in the Best Actor category are: Colman Domingo for “Sing Sing,” Ralph Fiennes for “Conclave,” and Sebastian Stan for “The Apprentice.”

Chalamet is working hard on his Oscar’s campaign to secure the attention of the voting body. On Jan. 26, he commanded the “Saturday Night Live” stage as a host and musical guest, performing Bob Dylan songs. Despite finding Adrien Brody’s performance to be far more reaching, Homem remains doubtful Brody will come out on top. “Will Timmy win? Probably,” he said.

Is “A Complete Unknown” the least offensive to the most people? “If it wins, I’m still not going to love it,” said Homem. “I love Bob Dylan, but just don’t see much merit [in the win].”

The 2025 Oscars will be hosted by Brookline native and Harvard alum, Conan O’Brien, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, on ABC.

Regardless of the outcome, “it is incredibly difficult to make a film,” said Santora. “Everyone on this list is deserving.”

What do you think of “The Brutalist” and “A Complete Unknown” or other Oscar Nominees this year? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below.