2025 Oscars Race Leans in to Unconventional Screenplays
The 2025 awards season has been honoring some films that really went for it with regards to topics and tones rarely seen on nominations ballots. From body horror (writer/director Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance), to sex worker levity (Sean Baker’s Anora) to the intentionally trans-positive mob-boss musical Emilia Pérez written and directed by Jacques Audiard, the 97th Academy Awards stage could potentially mark a shift from the traditional tone of dark dramas that tend to win Hollywood’s biggest accolades.
Before we take a look at the most unique nominees for Best Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay, let’s look at the full list of nominees:
Best Original Screenplay
A Real Pain - Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance - Coralie Fargeat
September 5 - Tim Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder, Alex David
Anora - Sean Baker
The Brutalist - Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Best Adapted Screenplay
Emilia Pérez - Jacques Audiard
Sing Sing - Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley
A Complete Unknown - James Mangold, Jay Cocks
Conclave - Peter Staughan
Nickel Boys - RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
The full list includes some very predictable nominees. A Complete Unknown is a biopic about Bob Dylan; we know the Academy loves a biopic. Conclave is a historical drama about the process of selecting a new Pope — this sits in good company with The King’s Speech, The Queen, or, hey, 2019’s The Two Popes. Even Nickel Boys, while a still-timely story stirringly brought to the screen, is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tackles racism with the haunting and melancholic tone that can make oft-nominated films so tough to watch. September 5 has a very Argo-esqu vibe to it. I’m inclined to add The Brutalist and even Sing Sing to the list of films that I would expect the Academy to honor with nominations.
And to be clear, it is not a critique to witness a great film being acknowledged for telling a story in a successful and even familiar manner. It is, however, exciting to see a shift that rewards ingenuity and untold stories, even if mistakes were made along the way (or especially so?).
Let’s get into it. These five films raised eyebrows and conversation this awards season. Here’s why.
The Substance written by Coralie Fargeat
The Substance is an over-the-top body horror thriller that tackles the pressure women in society feel regarding aging and beauty. This was a film that really went for it, holding back zero subtlety or opinions. The film is nominated for four other Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress for Demi Moore, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Might it take home a statue for Best Original Screenplay? The Critics Choice Awards thought it was worthy, but with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences body being predominantly male, it remains to be seen.
Read our full analysis of The Substance.
Anora written by Sean Baker
Anora, which was written, directed, and edited by Baker, is a dramedy that finds a sex worker marrying the young, party-boy son of a Russian oligarch and then facing off against her father-in-law’s henchmen when news of their elopement breaks out. RollingStone slots Anora into that “always-popular ‘little indie that could’ category” for the 2025 awards and predicts big wins for the film, including Best Picture.
Read our full analysis of Anora.
Emilia Pérez written by Jacques Audiard
Emilia Pérez, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, has made headlines in both positive and negative ways as awards season ramps up. There is no doubt that it is a compelling film — it has garnered accolades such as the 2025 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and the 2024 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize — and yet it has been decried by many of the very communities for which it represents. Still, the film about a cartel boss who left her life and family behind when she transitioned to female definitely took big creative swings.
A Real Pain written by Jesse Eisenberg
A Real Pain follows a pair of cousins who reunite after the death of their grandmother to follow a Jewish heritage tour through Poland, reigniting old familial tensions and personal failings. The film stars Eisenberg and Keiran Culkin as the cousins, both of whom gave deeply nuanced performances in the touching indie film (for which Culkin has swept the Best Supporting Actor category this season). I debated adding this film to the list as I wasn’t surprised per se to see it nominated — rather, I was delighted. A Real Pain is more simple than many of the films you expect to see nominated for Academy Awards — compare it to Dune 2 or Wicked or any historical drama; in size and scope and budget, it is one that is accessible for emerging filmmakers to dream about making. It is a story about relationships, about compassion and empathy, about mental health, and about how we can hold space for each other and ourselves in a quite frankly overwhelming world. It is sublimely done — so much so that the writing and acting look effortless. It could have been easy to overlook it but I’m glad the Academy didn’t.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Conan O’Brien will host the ceremony, which will be televised in the United States by ABC and streamed on Hulu, the first Academy Awards ceremony to be broadcast as such.
Next Up: Examples of Great Genre Films