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We had five films release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Suburbicon

At one time, it was thought that George Clooney would be another actor-turned-director who would become an Oscar legend. His debut feature, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind , was well received, but it was his second director effort that would earn Oscar attention: Good Night, and Good Luck.. Starring David Strathairn as legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow, the black-and-white film was nominated of six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director. The film went home empty-handed, but it was generally thought that this would be the first in a long career of Oscar nominees.

His third film, Laetherheads wasn’t well received, nor was his fourth film, The Ides of March. The latter was, on paper, Oscar catnip, but the end result ended up isolated and alone during Oscar season even after surprisingly showing up National Board of Review top films list. The film did manage to pick up one Oscar nomination, but it was in the Adapted Screenplay category and nowhere else.

He was also an Oscar failure with his next film, The Monuments Men. Enter his six film as a director: Suburbicon, the filming of a long-abandoned Coen Bros. screenplay. That fact alone should have been a warning, but the trailer looks like a wonderful dark comedy. However, critics haven’t been supportive of the film and it managed to bomb at the box office in its wide opening. While Julianne Moore could still enter a highly competitive Best Supporting Actress slate, the film’s only two chances at nomination are in exceptionally weak categories with limited competition this year: Best Actor for Matt Damon and in Best Adapted Screenplay. A case could be made for some tech considerations, but those seem less likely as well.

The Divine Order

Petra Volpe’s exploration of the push for women’s voting rights in Switzerland in 1971 has been submitted for consideration at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. Although the film doesn’t appear to have incredibly strong reviews, the subject matter is a pressing one and could be an attractive option for voters in the Foreign Language Film category.

The film must first bypass several other prominent films and triumph over more celebrated releases to earn a spot, though it’s always a possibility.

Fรฉlictรฉ

The small African nation of Senegal has made its first Oscar submission with this year’s Fรฉlicitรฉ, a film about a mother who delves into a seedy world in order to help her son who was injured in a motorcycle accident. The woman, a gifted bar singer in Kinshasa must face nearly insurmountable odds to protect her son.

First-time submissions are hardly ever recognized at the Oscars, but the trailer suggests a film with a lot of warmth and drama, two things Academy voters tend to love. The film could be a longshot contender for consideration at the Oscars, though without the prominence of a major cinematic voice behind it, it may have a steep climb.

Novitiate

A solid set of reviews have been released for Margaret Betts’ Novitiate, a 1960s-set drama about the head of a convent who resists the upcoming changes in Vatican II, a sweeping update to the church’s views and goals.

As the traditionalist head nun, Melissa Leo has received strong reviews, many saying she’s a surefire nominee for Best Supporting Actress. The film itself hasn’t generated much Oscar buzz other than this, which should put a lot of this Leo talk into perspective. While sole-nominees come around quite often, a role like this in a film like this should be supported by significantly more Oscar talk. However, as Leo is already an Oscar winner, a third nomination shouldn’t be that difficult, nor should being the sole contender from her film be much of an impediment.

The Square

This comedy from director Ruben Ostlund earned the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the most prestigious festival prize there is. That fact alone should make it a solid contender for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination, but the Academy hasn’t been in love with many Palme d’Or winners in recent years. Blue Is the Warmest Color was the last in a long streak of prominent Oscar nominees that landed an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. That was four years ago. Not a single one of the three intervening films was an Oscar contender. Before that, films like Amour, The Class, The White Ribbon, and The Tree of Life were all solid Oscar players.

That won’t necessarily hurt The Square, but the challenging narrative might be. The satirical drama has been been said to be confusing, which isn’t a good thing for Oscar voters. They like their movies with a nice dollop of easily-relatable drama. One of the film’s stars, recent Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss, might be a boost to help get it seen, but it might struggle to reach the finalists list and a nomination would be even less likely and a win would probably be out of the question.

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