Oscar Winners (Ranked) (2023)
(Best Actor)

Nah on my life, do you understand how disappointed I am in literally every single one of you 😭
I’ve been putting this film off for a hell of a while SO WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS IS A BOTTLE FILM?
Every review recently I’m talking about how I love bottle films and been looking like a dickhead not knowing the film that won an OSCAR is a bottle film. 

With all of that being said - what a brilliant emotional wreck of a film. 

There was a lot of talk about how they only gave the best actor award to Brendan Fraser because of his longevity rather than his performance in this film but after seeing this it’s so clear that he deserved the award. 
His performance is nothing short of transformative. I feel like it would even be a disservice to say that he perfectly embodies Charlie because it’s just so much more than that. 
He brings such an authenticity to this role like no other on both a heartbreaking but relatable approach. His ability to convey such vulnerability and pain is purely palpable in every scene yet you can also feel the absolute yearning for connection that he’s trying to give out. 
His subtlety in expressions contrasted with his with the weight of his presence on screen really allows you to feel both his despair and hope. 

The cinematography is just fantastic, as a huge fan of bottle films (don’t think anybody knows that) 🙃 it can be so hard to actually convey what you’re trying to get across but Matthew Libatique just perfected this. You could watch this film on mute and still massively understand the emotional state of Charlie and his family. 

Bar from stranger things and the menu I’ve not seen a single project that any of the other supporting cast has done but as a whole they were genuinely fantastic specifically Hong Chau. 

But the characters themselves were just something different man and is why I love short casted films. Every single character - yes even the pizza guy,who I was kinda convinced was god or an allegory for him - added so many different layers to the story showcasing basically every element of the complexities of familial relationships and the challenge of forgiveness. 
The interactions were often raw and unfiltered reflecting the harsh realities of life that many of us can relate to. In no way does it shy away from uncomfortable truth in both actions and words making it a massively powerful commentary on human existence and the search for meaning. 

It’s just an absolutely emotionally charged thought provoking film that no doubt will leave a lasting impression on me. 
What an impressive film. I really did love this one. 

And that’s the 94th Academy Awards completed!

Oh and btw this isn’t going in my top 4 purely because it’s my newest 5 ⭐️ film it’s going in there because it deserves to be. 
Whiiiiich now makes all of my top 4 “a moving relationship story” which I genuinely would’ve never of said is my favourite genre but man it really is. 
When it’s done correct nothing beats it. 

This was everything I wanted and so much more. 
Idk if it’s because I was expecting so little from both this and The Holdovers but they’ve both just absolutely blown me away. 

Fuck you Darren Aronofsky making me cry for 2 hours straight. 

Rewatch