Room

This indie drama follows the trials of Joy and her son Jack inside the shed formally known as ‘room’, which lies commonplace in the back yard of the man who lured her into imprisonment years before. It is effectively a snow globe with the glass blacked out, the turmoil of comprehending a life outside is exceptionally acted and directed with an immersing elegance. Stressful, engaging and manging to avoid the Anakin-curse by creating a sympathetic and multi-faceted child protagonist who isn’t entirely irritating, Room thoroughly deserves to win.

Spotlight

Spotlight was almost certainly conceived with a gold-plated britannium glint in director Tom McCarthy’s eye. The film checks the boxes of a dedicated array of famous actors to parade and preaching on a controversial topic, this time paedophilia in the Catholic Church. The most irritating aspect of its obvious baiting is that Spotlight is actually a neat and exceptional film. It lacks the visual glow of some of the other competitors but it remains story-telling at its finest. It might be damaged by the fact that it’s exactly the film one would expect to win, especially given the victory of the unorthodox Birdman last year. 

The Martian

Effectively a two-hour Skype call where Matt Damon never hangs up, The Martian is charming, exhilarating and significantly less of a migraine than comparable space flick Interstellar. Mark Watney, a botanist, is stranded on Mars and naturally documents his relationship with his new residence.

With a highly likeable performance from Matt Damon, and significant plot points that revolve around potatoes, The Martian retains a consensus of being not only an excellent film but one that stands out among the other nominees.

The Big Short

Banking is not always the most glamorous of topics on film, but The Big Short is just glossy enough to make it interesting for its runtime. Effectively a two-hour documentary, The Big Short follows various investors who bet ‘against’ the banks in predicting the housing market crash that occurred in 2008. Containing mixed performances, with the exception of Christian Bale, The Big Short is not quite as shocking as it would like. Solid direction and a sharp script do give it an edge, however, meaning that The Big Short deserves the unintentionally demeaning title of dark horse in this year’s race.

The Revenant

The Revenant has momentum behind it from the BAFTAs and Golden Globes, and has the statuette to lose. It follows Hugh Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio who, after the infamous bear mauling, is left to fend for himself in an unforgiving glacial environment. Simple revenge storytelling at heart, The Revenant is a long and arduous trek, visually stunning and the antithesis to the plot-driven, intricate dialogue of films such as Spotlight. Like contracting chickenpox, The Revenant is a film that can only really be experienced once. Not quite as good as you’d expect but  memorable enough to deserve to win.

Brooklyn

Lacking the impact of its peers, Brooklyn recounts the tale of an Irish immigrant’s experiences in, unsurprisingly, Brooklyn. Undoubtedly helped by not having to feign an Irish accent, an understated yet powerful performance from Saoirse Ronan makes all the difference. A film with as much gentle soul as Brooklyn is always a gratifying experience, if not as memorable as some of its fellow nominees.

While it lacks the lasting impression to win, it certainly carries the merits to deserve to be considered.