Oscars 2021: Inside the best picture nominees - Good Morning America

Along with the film's best picture nomination and Yeun's history-making nomination, Yuh-Jung Youn, who plays the grandmother in the film, also received a nomination for best actress in a supporting role, while Chung received a nomination for best director.

\"Minari\" is also up for best original screenplay and best original score.

Read Peter Travers' review of \"Minari\" here.

\"Promising Young Woman\"

One of the most-discussed films up for best picture this year is director Emerald Fennell's \"Promising Young Woman.\"

In the thriller, Carey Mulligan plays Cassie, a woman seeking revenge after her best friend, Nina, is raped when they are in medical school.

Without giving too much away, viewers can see that Cassie's life is turned upside down due to events that transpire due to, and following, her friend being raped. Cassie has an unusual routine in which she pretends to be drunk in order to fool men who attempt to take advantage of her in that state.

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Merie Weismiller Wallace/Focus Features

PHOTO: Carey Mulligan in a scene from "Promising Young Woman."

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Many have described the film as \"triggering\" for its portrayal of survivors of sexual assault and displays of violence toward women. Others have praised the film for the way it portrays the lack of understanding of consent and the prevalence of men who might understand the subject but still choose to take advantage of women.

The controversial ending of the film in particular has provoked discussions on what message the film ultimately sends and how it is contributing to ongoing conversations on sexual violence and the justice system's impact on survivors.

The film is nominated for five Academy Awards, including best picture, Fennell's screenplay and director nominations, Mulligan's best actress nomination and best editing.

Read Peter Travers' review of \"Promising Young Woman\" here.

\"The Trial of the Chicago 7\"

Aaron Sorkin's historical drama \"The Trial of the Chicago 7\" is also nominated.

The film centers on the five-month trial of seven anti-war protesters accused of inciting riots at Chicago's Democratic National Convention in 1968: Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, Lee Weiner and John Froines.

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Nico Tavernise/Netflix

PHOTO: From left, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Jeremy Strong and Sasha Baron Cohen in a scene from "The Trial of the Chicago 7."

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Co-founder of the Black Panther Party, Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), was the final eighth original defendant, but after he was shockingly gagged and chained in court, at the judge's order due to his interruptions, his case was separated.

In Travers' review, published in October, he noted the film's cultural significance in 2020:

\"What does a half-century-old legal action against Vietnam War protesters have to say to millennials? Plenty. With 2020 voters grappling with systemic racism, violent clashes with the police and a dissent-squashing government, 'The Trial of the Chicago 7' burns with timely relevance that singes the screen,\" Travers wrote.

Cohen's portrayal of Hoffman, the co-founder of the Youth International Party, earned him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination.

The film is also nominated for best original screenplay, best film editing, best original song, best picture and best cinematography.

\"The Father\"

\"The Father\" is a film about an elderly man, Antony (Anthony Hopkins), who -- along with his daughter, Anne (Olivia Colman) -- deals with progressive memory loss.

While this isn't the first movie to depict dementia or Alzheimer's, what makes it unique is that it puts the viewer in the perspective of the person going through diseases such as these instead of telling the story through their loved ones' point of view.

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Sean Gleason/Sony Pictures Classics

PHOTO: Anthony Hopkins stars as Anthony in the 2020 film, "The Father."

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Having its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, the film has garnered praise for Hopkins and Colman -- who are nominated for Oscars for their performances -- as well as first-time director Florian Zeller, whose 2012 play \"Le Père\" provided the basis for the movie.

\"The Father\" is nominated for six Oscars, including best picture and nominations for Hopkins and Colman.

Read Peter Travers' review of \"The Father\" here.

\"Mank\"

\"Mank\" is about Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), the screenwriter for Orson Welles' debut and much lauded 1941 film \"Citizen Kane.\" The movie is directed by David Fincher, whose late father, Jack Fincher, wrote the script back in the '90s and didn't live to see his work finally come to fruition.

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Nikolai Loveikis/Netflix via AP

PHOTO: In this image released by Netflix, Gary Oldman portrays Herman Mankiewicz in a scene from "Mank."

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Amanda Seyfried, who plays legendary actress Marion Davies in the film, has also garnered massive acclaim for her performance.

While appearing on \"Good Morning America\" earlier this year, the \"Mean Girls\" and \"Mamma Mia\" alum said the role was \"a great honor but it was also a great responsibility.\" Seyfried called Davies \"such a wonderful woman\" and said \"it's been amazing to help restore her legacy.\"

LIVE ON @GMA: @AmandaSeyfried talks about her new film, #Mank! https://t.co/qk5WZF40Tl pic.twitter.com/ytAYhvbDL6
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 19, 2021

In total, \"Mank\" is nominated for 10 Oscars this year -- more than any other film in competition. That said, it was also the movie with the most nominations at the Golden Globes earlier this year but came up empty on awards night.

Read Peter Travers' review of \"Mank\" here.

\"Nomadland\"

\"Nomadland\" premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020, winning the coveted Golden Lion for director and screenwriter Chloé Zhao, and is the odds-on favorite to win the best picture Oscar this year.

It follows a woman, Fern (Frances McDormand), who leaves her home after her husband dies to live out of her van, nicknamed Vanguard, while traveling around the U.S. and taking on odd jobs.

Based on Jessica Bruder's 2017 book of the same name, one aspect that makes this film so special is that it features numerous real-life nomads as the supporting cast.

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Searchlight Pictures

PHOTO: Frances McDormand in a scene from the film "Nomadland."

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\"Nomadland\" won best drama at the 2020 Golden Globes and Zhao won best director, making her the second woman and the first Asian woman to do so. If she repeats that win at the Oscars, she will also become the second woman and the first Asian woman to win the best director prize.

When accepting her historic award for best director at the Golden Globes, she said movies \"give us a chance to laugh and cry together.\" The upcoming \"The Eternals\" director added that \"they give us a chance to learn from each other and to have more compassion for each other.\"

\"Nomadland\" is nominated for six Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actress for McDormand.

Read Peter Travers' review of \"Nomadland\" here.

\"Sound of Metal\"

\"Sound of Metal,\" which follows a drummer named Ruben (Riz Ahmed) who loses his hearing, actually had its world premiere back at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.

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Amazon Studios

PHOTO: Riz Ahmed stars in the 2019 film, "Sound of Metal."

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The film, directed by Darius Marder, featured a significant number of members from the deaf community. Though Paul Raci, who is nominated this year's Oscars for best supporting actor, is himself hearing, he was raised by deaf parents and is fluent in American Sign Language.

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Amazon Studios via AP

PHOTO: This image released by Amazon Studios shows Paul Raci in a scene from "Sound of Metal."

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Ahmed learned to play the drums as well as how to communicate with ASL for the role and told \"Good Morning America\" working on the movie was the \"most challenging, most immersive, just the most intense experience\" of his life.

Of how it affected him, Ahmed said it \"changed the way I look at life\" and \"opened me up in new ways.\"

\"(This movie) changed the way I look at life … so the fact that people that are seeing, let alone responding to it like this is the most mind-blowing bonus.\"— @rizwanahmed on receiving Oscar buzz for #SoundOfMetal. https://t.co/i9rZzYvW4s pic.twitter.com/4ngY90lHHB
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 5, 2021

\"Sound of Metal\" is nominated for six Oscars, including best picture and best actor for Ahmed.

Read Peter Travers' review of \"Sound of Metal\" here.

Visit Oscar.com for Oscar 2021 highlights and watch live Sunday, April 25, live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

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