Entertainment
Oscars 2022: Final predictions in all 23 categories
This 12 months’s Oscars are all about wild swings. A minimum of that’s how the present’s producer, Will Packer, is placing it, and who am I to argue with the man who dares to maneuver eight Oscars off Sunday’s stay telecast to make room for … properly … who is aware of. Packer guarantees a ceremony that can be “important, kinetic and related,” and with a skateboarder and snowboarder in the home, it appears to be like like he’s acquired the “kinetic” half coated.
We’ll wait and see concerning the different two buzzwords.
With the Oscar ceremony’s traditions being turned the other way up, it feels applicable that the awards themselves are in all probability going to go their very own method this 12 months, bucking precedents left and proper. You desire a finest image winner with solely three complete nominations? “CODA” has you coated. How a couple of director successful an Oscar, however her film getting nothing else? It’d occur with Jane Campion and “The Energy of the Canine.”
What different surprises are in retailer? Listed here are my closing predictions for the 94th Academy Awards, making observe of the classes that may very well be ripe for an upset.
BEST PICTURE
“Belfast”
“CODA”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Drive My Automotive”
“Dune”
“King Richard”
“Licorice Pizza”
“Nightmare Alley”
“The Energy of the Canine”
“West Aspect Story”
Will win: “CODA”
Ought to win: “Drive My Automotive”
Might shock: “The Energy of the Canine”
After I noticed “The Energy of the Canine” shortly earlier than the Telluride Movie Competition, I wrote that Campion might win the director Oscar, however the film itself would fall brief. On the time, I figured it will be knocked off by one thing I hadn’t seen but — “West Aspect Story,” “Don’t Look Up,” possibly “Home of Gucci.” (RIP.) I can’t fairly consider that the probably Oscar winner is a film I had seen months earlier than on the (digital) Sundance Movie Competition, a stunning coming-of-age story that may nonetheless scale back me to tears even after seeing it a number of occasions.
I underestimated “CODA.” And even after the room exploded with applause after it gained the Display Actors Guild Awards’ ensemble prize, I nonetheless had my doubts. “CODA” earned simply three nominations, with no nods for director Siân Heder or movie editor Geraud Brisson, classes a film traditionally must win finest image. (1932’s “Grand Lodge” was the final film to win finest image with out not less than one among these nominations.)
Ultimately, these omissions probably gained’t matter as a result of individuals simply love this film. Its story of familial connection is common, whereas spotlighting Deaf actors in a groundbreaking trend. It’s a feel-good film for a feel-bad period. “Canine” might nonetheless prevail if it lands excessive on the preferential ballots of academy members voting for different auteur-driven movies like “Drive My Automotive,” “Dune,” “Nightmare Alley” and “Licorice Pizza.” However the “CODA” crew has already visited the White House this week. It seems like a executed deal.
DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Automotive”
Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza”
Jane Campion, “The Energy of the Canine”
Steven Spielberg, “West Aspect Story”
Will win: Campion
Ought to win: Campion
Campion successful her first directing Oscar has lengthy felt as sure because the queen outliving us all. Her clapback towards actor Sam Elliott, who had crudely criticized her film on Marc Maron’s podcast, didn’t sit properly with some voters, and she or he later discovered that it’s all the time finest to not communicate off the cuff when accepting an award. However these misadventures additionally reveal a lady who isn’t slick or calculated, in her artwork or in dialog. She’ll win — and can probably have a speech on the prepared this time.
LEAD ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Olivia Colman, “The Misplaced Daughter”
Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Moms”
Nicole Kidman, “Being the Ricardos”
Kristen Stewart, “Spencer”
Will win: Chastain
Ought to win: Cruz
Might shock: Cruz
Three weeks in the past, I wrote that the “solely certainty on the subject of this 12 months’s lead actress Oscar race is that there isn’t any certainty.” Then Chastain gained the SAG prize, shedding some tears throughout a transferring acceptance speech, and had some fun on Twitter after receiving the meaningless Critics Selection award. Now, she’s a transparent front-runner. And why not? It’s her third nomination (she’s due!), her colleagues like her (Chastain acquired an enormous ovation on the Oscar nominees luncheon) and she or he’s up for a film through which she needed to sing, emote and put on a ton of appearance-altering make-up.
Cruz might pull off an upset, although. She’s in a greater film and offers, arguably, a career-best efficiency — although she has been great in each film she has made with Pedro Almodóvar. The academy’s worldwide membership has grown over the previous couple of years, and you’ll see their affect enhance yearly in each the nominations and the awards. This could be a spot the place they maintain sway.
LEAD ACTOR
Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”
Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Energy of the Canine”
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Growth!”
Will Smith, “King Richard”
Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Will win: Smith
Ought to win: Cumberbatch
From right here, the performing races lose any semblance of suspense. Like Chastain, Smith is a three-time Oscar nominee. (He’s due!) Like Chastain, his efficiency (as demanding tennis dad Richard Williams) includes a level of transformation. Like Chastain, he has charisma to spare, and he is aware of learn how to use it, each within the work and on the marketing campaign path. He’s a film star, a dying breed, and almost everybody desires to see him holding this Oscar.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, “The Misplaced Daughter”
Ariana DeBose, “West Aspect Story”
Judi Dench, “Belfast”
Kirsten Dunst, “The Energy of the Canine”
Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Will win: DeBose
Ought to win: DeBose
As soon as “West Aspect Story” started screening and audiences noticed DeBose put her personal electrifying stamp on a job that gained Rita Moreno an Academy Award six many years in the past, she just about had this gained. Taking each different award main as much as the Oscars would show that out. Some Oscar narratives are unattainable to derail, significantly ones centered on work that produces such viewing delight.
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ciarán Hinds, “Belfast”
Troy Kotsur, “CODA”
Jesse Plemons, “The Energy of the Canine”
J.Ok. Simmons, “Being the Ricardos”
Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Energy of the Canine”
Will win: Kotsur
Ought to win: Kotsur
Only a week in the past on The Instances podcast, I made a passionate argument for Smit-McPhee because the deserving winner, citing his masterful work because the frail younger man who involves personal “The Energy of the Canine.” Then I watched that scene in “CODA” once more, the one the place Kotsur touches Emilia Jones’ neck so he can really feel the vibrations when she sings and, wow, that’s the film, isn’t it? Plus, Kotsur’s story as a veteran Deaf actor lastly having fun with mainstream profession recognition is inspiring and delightful. I wish to see him give one other speech. Smit-McPhee, 25, will hopefully produce other probabilities to win.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“CODA,” Siân Heder
“Drive My Automotive,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
“The Misplaced Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Energy of the Canine,” Jane Campion
Will win: “CODA”
Ought to win: “Drive My Automotive”
Might win: “The Energy of the Canine”
If I’m Oscar producer Will Packer, I’m saving this class for late within the ceremony. Hold the uncertainty alive for so long as doable, Will. As a result of if “CODA” wins right here, a finest image victory will probably comply with. Identical if “The Energy of the Canine” prevails. And if it’s “Drive My Automotive,” then we gained’t know something past the truth that voters have distinctive style.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh
“Don’t Look Up,” screenplay by Adam McKay; story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
“King Richard,” Zach Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Individual within the World,” Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
Will win: “Licorice Pizza”
Ought to win: “Licorice Pizza”
Might shock: “Don’t Look Up”
Branagh has eight profession nominations unfold over seven classes, an Oscar document. Anderson has earned 11 nominations over time. Each are up for producing, writing and directing their respective motion pictures. Neither has ever gained. Which in all probability signifies that McKay will prevail, repeating his Writers Guild win for the buzzy “Don’t Look Up.” However I’m going to stay near dwelling and go along with the L.A.-set “Licorice Pizza.” (And sure, I’m ready to be disenchanted.)
ANIMATED FEATURE
“Encanto”
“Flee”
“Luca”
“The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
“Raya and the Final Dragon”
Will win: “Encanto”
Ought to win: “Encanto”
“Flee” made Oscar historical past, changing into the primary movie to earn nominations for worldwide function, documentary function and animated function. However Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s harrowing, heartrending refugee story might properly should content material itself with that badge of distinction, because it’s up towards fashionable titles in every of its nominated classes. Right here, it’s Disney’s sensational “Encanto,” which additionally earned nominations for track and rating, and is essentially the most broadly seen nominee. It gained’t want any magic to win.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Ascension”
“Attica”
“Flee”
“Summer time of Soul”
“Writing with Fireplace”
Will win: “Summer time of Soul”
Ought to win: “Summer time of Soul”
Might shock: “Flee”
Questlove’s “Summer time of Soul” mixes stirring social historical past with performances from Stevie Marvel, Nina Simone and Sly and the Household Stone. That’s probably an unbeatable mixture, although if voters wished to reward “Flee,” this may in all probability be the probably spot.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
“Drive My Automotive”
“Flee”
“The Hand of God”
“Lunana: A Yak within the Classroom”
“The Worst Individual within the World”
Will win: “Drive My Automotive”
Ought to win: “Drive My Automotive”
“Drive My Automotive” additionally earned a finest image nomination, so Hamaguchi’s delicate drama has this class locked.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Dune,” Greig Fraser
“Nightmare Alley,” Dan Laustsen
“The Energy of the Canine,” Ari Wegner
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Bruno Delbonnel
“West Aspect Story,” Janusz Kaminski
Will win: “Dune”
Ought to win: “The Energy of the Canine”
Might shock: “The Energy of the Canine”
Wegner might change into the primary girl to win the cinematography Oscar. Given the standard of her collaboration with Campion, she ought to be celebrating on Sunday. However voters don’t pay as a lot consideration to those sorts of distinctions as you may assume, so I’ll give a slight edge to Fraser’s trippy sci-fi worlds over Wegner’s western landscapes.
COSTUME DESIGN
“Cruella,” Jenny Beavan
“Cyrano,” Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
“Dune,” Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
“Nightmare Alley,” Luis Sequeira
“West Aspect Story,” Paul Tazewell
Will win: “Cruella”
Ought to win: “Cruella”
Emma Stone’s Cruella was an aspiring clothier, so it’s no shock that each gown on this film was immediately iconic.
FILM EDITING
“Don’t Look Up,” Hank Corwin
“Dune,” Joe Walker
“King Richard,” Pamela Martin
“The Energy of the Canine,” Peter Sciberras
“Tick, Tick … Growth!” Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum
Will win: “Tick, Tick … Growth!”
Ought to win: “Tick, Tick … Growth!”
Might shock: “Dune”
“King Richard” and “Tick, Tick … Growth!” gained on the American Cinema Editors’ Eddie Awards. “Dune” and “The Energy of the Canine” have nominations in sound, which a movie often must win this Oscar. (Martin Scorsese’s 2006 finest image winner, “The Departed,” was the final film to win enhancing and not using a sound nom.) So, sure, this can be a wide-open class. Given how voters are likely to equate “finest” with “most,” I’m going with the flashy fervor of “Tick, Tick … Growth!”
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
“Coming 2 America,” Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
“Cruella,” Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
“Dune,” Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
“Home of Gucci,” Göran Lundström, AnnaCarin Lock and Frederic Aspiras
Will win: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Ought to win: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
If Chastain goes to win, the workforce making use of all that mascara ought to as properly.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Dune,” manufacturing design: Patrice Vermette; set ornament: Zsuzsanna Sipos
“Nightmare Alley,” manufacturing design: Tamara Deverell; set ornament: Shane Vieau
“The Energy of the Canine,” manufacturing design: Grant Main; set ornament: Amber Richards
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” manufacturing design: Stefan Dechant; set ornament: Nancy Haigh
“West Aspect Story,” manufacturing design: Adam Stockhausen; set ornament: Rena DeAngelo
Will win: “Dune”
Ought to win: “Dune”
Might shock: “Nightmare Alley”
I’ve waffled between “Dune’s” imposing units and “Nightmare Alley’s” Artwork Deco/surreal carnival combo. (Each movies might stake a declare to “most” manufacturing design.) I’m touchdown on “Dune,” pondering it’s going to be this 12 months’s model of “Mad Max: Fury Highway,” cleansing up within the crafts classes.
SCORE
“Don’t Look Up,” Nicholas Britell
“Dune,” Hans Zimmer
“Encanto,” Germaine Franco
“Parallel Moms,” Alberto Iglesias
“The Energy of the Canine,” Jonny Greenwood
Will win: “Dune”
Ought to win: “Parallel Moms”
Might upset: “The Energy of the Canine”
Between “The Energy of the Canine,” “Spencer” and contributions to “Licorice Pizza,” Greenwood was the composer of the 12 months. However Zimmer has been cruising via the precursor awards. He final gained for 1994’s “The Lion King” and has been nominated 10 occasions since. It appears to be like just like the time is correct for the prolific composer to attain once more.
ORIGINAL SONG
“Be Alive” (“King Richard”); music and lyric by Dixson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
“Dos Oruguitas” (“Encanto”); music and lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Right down to Pleasure” (“Belfast”); music and lyric by Van Morrison
“No Time to Die” (“No Time to Die”); music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
“By some means You Do” (“4 Good Days”); music and lyric by Diane Warren
Will win: “No Time to Die”
Ought to win: “Dos Oruguitas”
Might shock: “Dos Oruguitas”
Robust name between Eilish’s Bond theme and Miranda’s candy people track. “Dos Oruguitas” was extra central to the movie’s story, however I feel Eilish’s star energy offers her the sting.
SOUND
“Belfast,” Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
“Dune,” Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Inexperienced, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
“No Time to Die,” Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
“The Energy of the Canine,” Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
“West Aspect Story,” Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy
Will win: “Dune”
Ought to win: “Dune”
How does this sound? “Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuune!”
VISUAL EFFECTS
“Dune,” Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
“Free Man,” Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
“No Time to Die,” Charlie Noble, Joel Inexperienced, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
“Spider-Man: No Method House,” Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
Will win: “Dune”
Ought to win: “Dune”
“Dune” has a finest image nomination (an enormous benefit on this class). Plus sandworms. That’s unbeatable.
ANIMATED SHORT
“Affairs of the Artwork”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Robin Robin”
“The Windshield Wiper”
Will win: “Robin Robin”
Ought to win: “Bestia”
Might shock: “Bestia”
Aardman’s “Robin Robin” has songs, plus Gillian Anderson. It’s essentially the most accessible of this eclectic group.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
“Audible”
“Lead Me House”
“The Queen of Basketball”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Had been Bullies”
Will win: “The Queen of Basketball”
Ought to win: “Audible”
Might shock: “Audible”
The poignant refugee story “Three Songs for Benazir” would even be a worthy alternative, however I feel voters will go for both Ben Proudfoot’s portrait of a groundbreaking feminine basketball star or Matt Ogens’ “Audible,” which memorably follows a Deaf highschool soccer participant.
LIVE ACTION SHORT
“Ala Kachuu — Take and Run”
“The Costume”
“The Lengthy Goodbye”
“On My Thoughts”
“Please Maintain”
Will win: “The Lengthy Goodbye”
Ought to win: “Please Maintain”
Might shock: “Ala Kachuu — Take and Run”
The searing Riz Ahmed-led “The Lengthy Goodbye” has the best profile. And it packs a robust anti-racist message into its 12-minute operating time.
Movie Reviews
Finally Dawn (2025) Movie Review: Fellinie-esque excess and coming-of-age meet the hollowness of Hollywood
You’ve seen this before. A young, unassuming person suddenly gets thrust into the Hollywood limelight as they realize the vanity and hollowness of all the glitter. Saverio Costanzo, who you may know from HBO’s beloved Italian drama “My Brilliant Friend,” is no stranger to the 1950s. “Finalmente l’alba (Finally Dawn)”, which is set in the same period and features an ensemble Hollywood cast, evokes a singular time in Italian movie history when Cinecitta (one of the prominent studios of the time) was known for hosting lavish, sword-and-sandals epics like Ben-Hur.
The young person in question here is Mimosa (Rebecca Antonaci), a doe-eyed movie lover whose love for the medium is quickly established as she, her mother, and a more conventionally attractive older sister Iris (Sofia Panizzi) come out of the latest War movie playing in their local theatre in Rome. As they exit the theatre, discussing the obsession of new-age directors with the futility of the war that they have just suffered, a crew member from Cinecitta spots Iris and invites her to audition for the latest epic about a female pharoah (a sort of Cleopatra parody on first look) played by Josephine (is played by Lily James in the movie). Now, Mimosa just tags along with her sister, but is quickly spotted by Josephine in a corridor and is offered one of the bigger roles in the film.
Now, “Finally Dawn” thereby turns into an endless loop of excess that the American actors and their consequent Italian hosts go on. Much like “La Dolce Vita,” the excess uncovers the hidden hollowness of the world of movie stars that Mimosa so dearly adores from a distance. We quietly follow her footsteps once the shot of the day is captured. However, the film’s more surreal edges keep pushing it further away from making a point.
James’ diva-like rendition of Josphine feels melodramatic to a point where you either feel nothing towards her, or you simply follow along. Her reasons for inviting Mimosa to tag along with them stem from some deep-seated insecurities and personal demons, but the film is never able to establish any of that. Making Josphie feel like a centre-piece that is given more attention than it rightfully needs, even in the movie-within-the-movie scenario.
I mean, it is quite right to establish Mimosa’s moral standpoint, who doesn’t accept being naked for her shot, but then the film also opens up the tragic death of Wilma Montesi — a real-life incident where an extra on a movie set was found dead on the beach; but never does anything about it except using it symbolically. Director Costanzo has said that he wanted to make the movie because of Wilma’s story, and while he is able to draw parallels through Mimosa’s coming-of-age, using Wilma’s story like that felt a bit exploitative to me.
The film also features an ensemble cast, including Joe Keery, Rachel Sennott, Alba Rohrwacher, and Willem Dafoe, but none of them feel like characters who bring something substantial to the table. It also doesn’t help that newcomer Rebecca Antonaci, who has a remarkable screen time, doesn’t evoke the kind of emotional connection the director is going for. Her character, although essential to the film’s proceedings, feels nudged down by the script’s many meandering tendencies.
Eventually, beyond the great production design that quietly brings back the 1950s and some smashing costume work, “Finally Dawn” is unable to elicit anything particularly interesting for the audience to pay heed to. The lion, for instance, is used as a broad metaphor, but much like its existence within the context of the film itself, the metaphor falls flat, and Mimosa’s story; instantly forgettable.
Read More: 20 Best Films from Italian Neorealism
Finally Dawn (2025) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd
Finally Dawn (2025) Movie Cast: Lily James, Rebecca Antonaci, Joe Keery, Rachel Sennott, Alba Rohrwacher, Willem Dafoe, Sofia Panizzi
We won! Or, at least those of us who were rooting for Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales to take home the prize on Season 7 of “Love Island USA.”
After a blockbuster season with its fair share of controversy, the 25-year-old nurse from New York City and the 28-year-old accountant, bartender and real estate agent from Boston, respectively, walked out of the villa $100,000 richer and became the first Latino couple to win “Love Island.” In a time when many Latinos in the U.S. are being inundated with threats to our safety and freedom, this example of a mutual, fun and respectful Latino love is an indulgent little triumph for us all.
The dating show became appointment viewing for millions of fans, including myself, with new episodes dropping almost nightly as the show airs in near real time. “Love Island” — which launched in the U.K. in 2015 and has since spawned several international versions — confines single hotties in a Fijian villa, where they must explore romantic connections and couple up with each other to remain on the show. Viewers and cast members known as “islanders” vote regularly to decide which contestants or couples must pack up their swimsuits and go home. As with most reality TV, there’s messiness, drama, silliness and sexiness that keeps viewers glued to their screens, and we clock in for our shift at the island mines with dedication.
Espinal, a self-described “Dominican Cinderella,” entered the villa as a “bombshell,” a cast addition meant to stir things up for the original couples. Meanwhile, her Prince Charming, Arenales, who is Puerto Rican and Guatemalan, came in during the Casa Amor segment of the show, when islanders are separated by gender and introduced to hot new cast members vying for their attention.
The two coupled up several episodes after meeting in Casa Amor, igniting a romance in large part over a shared understanding of their cultures. Being super hot probably didn’t hurt either, but it was seeing Arenales stand up for our sweet Amaya Papaya against a pile-on from his fellow male islanders that sealed the deal — not just for Espinal, but for the viewers, in particular Latinx ones.
Espinal’s rough start on the series reflected the cultural valleys that exist between Latinos and their non-Latino counterparts in the United States, which can generally make for a tricky dating experience. Three of the male contestants she coupled up with expressed discomfort with her personality and bold manner of expressing herself. It started with a blowup with contestant Ace Greene after he vocalized his discomfort with Espinal touching him and using terms of endearment, in particular the word “babe.”
The same issue came up when she coupled up with Austin Shepard and Zak Srakaew, who took issue with Espinal “moving too fast” by acting overly romantic (on a show called “Love Island,” mind you). This was despite her explaining that in Dominican culture terms like “mi vida,” “mi amor” and “babe” are common terms of endearment, and asking if it was OK that she use them. (Both agreed it was fine.)
Espinal certainly lost her cool — in most cases, I would argue, rightfully so — and regularly became emotional, struggling with feeling misunderstood and attacked. Still, she defended herself with confidence and strength from those who seemed intent on painting her as erratic, intense, pushy and aggressive. During a game in which islanders wrote letters to air out any grievances, she offered them a simple option: “I’m just not your cup of tea to be drinkin’, so don’t f—ing drink it.”
It was during that game in which Greene, Shepard and Srakaew went in on Espinal that Arenales stepped in to defend her, explaining what Espinal had long been saying: Those terms of endearment are common in Latino households. “You’re telling her to meet you halfway,” he said. “You gotta meet her halfway too.”
Arenales gallantly stepping up to support Espinal against a social firing squad sparked a flame between the two. Fan votes showed this moment to be a turning point for Espinal, who became a favorite. It doesn’t hurt that her nurturing personality and adorable zaniness make her very easy to root for.
Seeing Arenales voice his appreciation for who she is and understanding her background — and Espinal herself refusing to change parts of her personality that she views as the strengths of an “emotional gangsta” — made their coupling a powerful display of Latino love. Those two crazy kids just get each other!
“This is just a message to everyone out there who’s misunderstood: Nobody should be tamed and there’s always someone out there for you who’s going to love you for you and appreciate all your craziness,” Espinal told host Ariana Madix after their win was announced. “Don’t ever settle for nobody.”
This was an especially lovely and important win after this season was marred by a racism scandal in which two Latina islanders were found to have used racial slurs online and in a podcast.
As much as Espinal may have felt misunderstood, Espinal is not a difficult person. There’s no need to decipher her because it’s not that complicated, regardless of her cultural identity. From everything I saw on the show, she showed a tremendous amount of character and kindness. She just didn’t put up with B.S. from guys who were trying to diminish her, call her irrational and insinuate she was clingy. Amaya Papaya always stood on business.
I love that Espinal found someone who sees and appreciates her in Arenales. And judging by their win, she found that in innumerable people who voted for them as well. But there’s nothing anyone should struggle to understand about her.
Yes, parts of her behavior are informed by her culture — but yelling at a man who is trying to make you seem crazy is a universal experience we should all partake in.
Movie Reviews
‘The Scout’ Review: Modest but Accomplished Debut Brings a New York Location Scout’s Routines to Lovely, Low-Key Life
On paper, Sofia (Mimi Davila), the protagonist of Paula Andrea González-Nasser’s mellow debut The Scout, has an enviable job. She spends her days driving through New York, taking photos of building exteriors, cozy apartments and eclectic shops in service of her director’s vision. Sofia is a location scout, an occupation that conjures romantic images of one’s relationship to space.
The truth is that Sofia’s job can be taxing, and in The Scout, which premiered in June at the Tribeca Film Festival, González-Nasser, who was herself a location scout for six years, crafts a modest portrait of its complicated reality. The director reveals how location scouting involves an emotional deftness, a stultifying deference to a director’s vision and lots of patience. Sofia deploys these tools to broker deals between her team and the people from whom they want things. She must act with the urgency demanded by her bosses and be sensitive to the fact that these locations are homes to real people whose memories live in the furniture and on the walls. Often subsumed by other people’s needs and narratives, Sofia struggles to not become a background character in her own story.
The Scout
The Bottom Line
A discreet and confident debut.
Venue: Tribeca Film Festival (U.S. Narrative Competition)
Cast: Mimi Davila, Rutanya Alda, Max Rosen, Ikechukwu Ufomadu, Sarah Herrman
Director-screenwriter: Paula González-Nasser
1 hour 29 minutes
Working from a screenplay she wrote, Gonzàlez-Nasser structures The Scout around discrete interactions Sofia has throughout the day. The film confidently highlights the delicate relationship between people and their spaces, while also acknowledging the understated harshness of a job that requires you to assess, with a certain degree of remove, one of the more intimate elements of another person’s life. Parts of The Scout, in its contemplative tone and observational style, reminded me of Perfect Days. Like Wim Wenders’ poignant study of a middle-aged janitor’s routines in Tokyo, The Scout could find success in arthouse theaters and on the festival circuit.
When we meet Sofia, she is asleep in her own space — a compact, well-lit apartment somewhere in New York. The room resembles the dwellings of so many young people living in the expensive and bustling city. There’s the starkness of the walls, painted an impersonal white, and the minor touches — a standing fan, a gold framed mirror, a small drawing affixed to the wall — that suggest signs of a real life. Following this moment, the young location scout will almost exclusively occupy the shops and homes of other people.
Each space offers an opportunity for Sofia to remake herself. The transformations are subtle; the location scout tweaks her personality just enough to connect with the person living in the space so that they might be more amenable to letting a random crew of people take it over. Sometimes, as with an older woman (Rutanya Alda) who tells Sofia about her son who moved to London and rarely visits, the interactions are sweet and revelatory. It’s clear that Sofia’s presence — her kind eyes and encouraging responses — doubles as an invitation for lonelier people to share parts of their life with her. Other times, as with the pet shop owner (Matt Barats) who asks her to dinner or a father (Max Rosen) who follows her around the house with an air of menace, the encounters are fraught and a touch scary. Yet rarely does Sofia lose her cool.
The young woman, played with a quiet conviction by Davila (Problemista), navigates each situation with an understanding that her role in these people’s lives is merely temporary. Her approach differs from that of her colleagues, who barge into these homes with no consideration and much fanfare. They appraise each space with a callous indifference toward who lives there, commenting on ugly doors and unimpressive heirlooms.
Other elements of The Scout reinforce our sense of this transient atmosphere. Cinematographer Nicola Newton shoots each location — whether its Sofia’s room or a brownstone in Brooklyn — with the kind of attention reserved for places you know you’ll never return to. A spare score (composed by Dan Arnés) and the familiar melodies of a cityscape (birds chirping, engines running) soundtrack Sofia’s experiences.
Despite their meditative loveliness, low-key projects like The Scout can leave something to be desired in terms of narrative. The lure of a story built on vignettes can shortchange its principal characters and the constellation of supporting ones. As Sofia floats from one home to the next, I wondered about the texture of her life. Gonzàlez-Nasser offers some clues through an interaction between Sofia and her old friend Becca (Otmara Morrero), whose gorgeous apartment has been unexpectedly included on the list of the scout’s locations. Their reunion is brief but laden with the weight of history. Conversations about mutual friends and retired dreams are revealing of Sofia’s aspirations; Becca remarks on how Sofia always wanted to be behind the camera and how she, in a way, is a photographer now. The scout doesn’t completely agree and the ensuing silence suggests a history of compromise.
It also exposes a pattern in Sofia’s earlier interactions, underscoring how much the scout almost disappears into each story. When she finally has a moment of self-assertion, in a quiet moment on the beach, it’s a triumph I wish had come sooner.
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