The Interested Bystander’s 2023–2024 Oscar Preamble: August 2023

Maestro (c) Netflix

With a slow August and the continued actors and writers’ strikes (I support!), I decided to tackle the early Oscar discourse with a preamble of predictions for possible Oscar nominations for movies which haven’t opened yet and a suggestion of an Oscar-worthy movie that has already been released in each category for you to catch up on. Enjoy! 

Film Review: Ira Sachs’ “Passage” Gives Us a Fascinating Portrait of a Charismatic but Self-Obsessed Film Director and the Poor Souls Caught in His Orbit

Passages (c) MUBI

Film: Passages 
In Cinemas 

Premise: Thomas (Franz Rogowski) is an up-and-coming German film director working in Paris who has just wrapped his latest film Passages and is now set for the long arduous task of editing. At the wrap party, his British husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) is there to support Thomas but loses steam early in the evening (Martin has been, there done that). Who is excited to be there is Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), one of the film crew, and her openness and spontaneity is what makes Thomas attracted to her and sleep with her that night. The morning after, Thomas (who still rides his bike everywhere–see, he’s just like us) tells Martin about his dalliance, which Martin doesn’t take well, however he isn’t totally surprised either (by Thomas’ promiscuity or his fluid sexuality). Agathe has recently broken up with a boyfriend and seems intrigued with Thomas. The trio goes through ups and downs with Thomas seemingly bored with Martin but also doesn’t want him not to be needed by him either. Both Martin and Agathe seem to know that Thomas’ emotional passion runs hot, and they will just have to wait to see what will happen once he finally comes down to earth.