Lights, Camera, Oscars: The Best Picture Nominees of 2025

2025 Oscar Nominees: Where Timothée Chalamet Battles… Timothée Chalamet?

Once a year theater audiences experience the best and most confusing moments of the film awards season through the question “Which viewer watched these nominated films?”. The group of Best Picture nominees for 2025 matches the previous nominations. The next Oscars awards season demands attention through marathon viewing events apart from casual conversations requiring brief info about actors and their films and the awards race.

The 2025 Best Picture nominees feature a collection of both political thrillers and musical crime dramas. People managed to find Timothée Chalamet starring in two total film releases. The following discussion enters whether your interest lies in “cinematic excellence” or favorite movie recognition because we are about to start our evaluation.

The Nominees: From Masterpieces to “Wait, Really?”

Hollywood is producing fresh stories and remakes from the past with higher production quality. Every contender for the 2025 Best Picture award ranks below based on critics’ evaluations accompanied by some facetious observations.

Front-Runners: The Films That Scream “Give Us Gold”

1. I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) (97% RT)
Viewers experience more than a movie when they watch this Brazilian thriller due to its intense quality. This story takes viewers on a deep journey through family power battles while exploring major political upheavals and heavy legacy expectations that could bring the win at the Oscar Awards. Through her performance in Tropical Storm Fernanda Torres establishes herself as a noteworthy actor who might become famous nationwide.

The Academy strongly supports essential motion pictures because this one offers viewers both deep emotional impact and thoughtful meaning.

2. The Brutalist (94% RT)
The movie stars Adrien Brody as László Toth who escapes Europe after World War II to construct brutalist architecture which stands among the nation’s most unattractive buildings. In his film director Brady Corbet combines architectural expression with immigrant drama through a cinema experience critics describe as “a soulful punch to the gut.” The film captures both drying paint slowness and deep existential feelings that fans of such elements will enjoy.

3. Dune: Part Two (92% RT)
Cinematic director Denis Villeneuve presents his sand-swept blockbuster in this new entry alongside Timothée Chalamet who rides worms alongside Zendaya’s capitalistic eye rolls. The upcoming film release of 2025 will be known as the Avatar of that year because of its stunning visuals yet guaranteed loss of the Best Picture award to a grief-themed movie.

Dark Horses: Films That Could Pull a CODA

4. Anora (93% RT)
Sean Baker presents his most recent independent film as it analyzes the sex industry through honest portrayals about adult love relationships. Mikey Madison brings to Anora a powerful and emotional representation of a stripper who endures a devastating love experience.

Audiences will give a standing ovation after witnessing Anora assert her independence in this scenes.

5. Conclave (93% RT)
Ralph Fiennes takes on the role of a papal candidate in Edward Berger’s political drama All Quiet on the Western Front. Think House of Cards with more incense. Audiences love the “immaculate execution” of the film yet they truly watch for Fiennes’ eyebrow expressions.

6. Nickel Boys (90% RT)
RaMell Ross takes on the task of adapting Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-award-winning book that revolves around an African American teenager’s experience within a discriminatory reform institution. The approach sticks out artistically without warning viewers that they will need counseling after watching.

Wildcards: The “Why Are You Here?” Squad

7. The Substance (89% RT)
The main character played by Demi Moore uses a youth serum during an injection which then turns her into a horror-laden creature from the mind of David Cronenberg. Coralie Fargeat of Revenge presents a mixture of body horror elements with feminist attitude in her work. Perfect for date night!

8. Wicked (88% RT)
The Wicked adaptation directed by Jon M. Chu features witches played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande who maintain a bitter relationship even though they share a passion for harmonies. Wicked has already earned $1 billion as it presents audiences with a two-part musical variety show. Defying gravity? More like defying taste.

9. A Complete Unknown (81% RT)
Timothée Chalamet reprises his role as Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s biographical movie. Reviewers argue that the portrayal fails to penetrate Dylan’s inner experience although they agree the performer has created an award-worthy likeness with his wig.

10. Emilia Pérez (72% RT)
A musical crime thriller about a trans cartel leader? These types of creative premises rarely become common within mainstream cinema. Most critics agree that Karla Sofía Gascón delivers a stellar performance while the movie’s innovative concept might appeal to voters searching for inventive material.

Demographics Prefer This Film Because It Combines Violent Action Together With Dramatic Storylines Alongside Unique Musical Elements.

Why These Films Matter

The top nominees from 2025 unveil powerful thematic content which includes stories about immigrant challenges (The Brutalist) as well as portrayals of racial inequities (Nickel Boys) and an existentialist space saga (Dune). The upcoming Academy Awards event shows potential to become a memorable occasion as viewers decide between the stories and the possibility of watching Chalamet clinch dual Oscars during one ceremony.

Get your popcorn ready while choosing your preferred picks for what will be an exciting discussion about the nominated movies.