Now that the BFI London Film Festival is over for another year, it has left us with a very good idea of which movies have a major Oscar buzz for the 2024 ceremony – be it incredible cinematography, iconic performances, or an amazing script. So, which movies came out on top from the festival to add to your must-watch list? Here’s are our top picks…
Saltburn
If you were a fan of Emerald Fennel’s Promising Young Women, then the director’s sophomore outing is one for you. This time, Emerald is delving into the world of high society, following an Oxford student who is invited to spend the summer at his incredibly wealthy friend. However, not all is as it seems at Felix’s stately home – and the summer soon unravels. Check out our full review here.
May/December
Oscar nominations are surely on the way for Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore in this creepy tale about a seriously taboo subject. In the movie, Julianne plays Gracie, a woman who met her husband when he was 13 and she was in the 30s with a husband and children. Elizabeth (Portman) is set to play Gracie in a movie about the scandal, and visits the family to learn more about them, leading them to question just how happy their family really is. See our review here.
© Rocket Science/ Francois DuhamelAll of Us Strangers
Andrew Scott quite simply wows as a forty-something screenwriter who discovers that his parents, who died in a car crash when he was a child, are living at his old home, frozen in time at the ages they were when he died. At the same time, he meets and falls in love with a man living in his building (Paul Mescal). The incredible film tackles themes of loneliness, grief, nostalgia and sexuality, and we think it’ll be sweeping up at the Academy Awards. Our review.
© Parisa TaghizadehOne Life
Grab your tissues, as Anthony Hopkins’ outing as the real-life hero Nicholas Winton, who saved dozens of Jewish children during the Holocaust, has been given the biopic treatment. The extraordinary tale is an absolute must-watch.
© Getty ImagesPoor Things
Emma Stone is incredible as a woman brought back from death who begins her childhood as an adult, leading to a totally bonkers and unbridled performance from the La La Land actress. With an all-star cast including Willem Defoe and Mark Ruffalo, everyone is going to be talking about this one!
Priscilla
Jacob Elordi takes the white flares from Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in this Sofia Coppola directed foray into the life of Elvis’ wife Priscilla, who she met when she was 14 and he was 24. Sharing an early reaction on X, formerly known as Twitter, one person wrote: “Can’t stop thinking about Sofia Coppola’s #Priscilla. A beautifully shot, sensitive portrayal of the woman behind the headlines. Hers was an isolated life with a lonely, controlling love where Elvis made the rules. Gorgeous sets, soundtrack with Cailee Spaeny shining.”
© Maria MorattiKillers of the Flower Moon
Will this hugely anticipated Martin Scorsese film lead to another Oscar for Leonardo DiCaprio? An early reaction reads: “Killers of the Flower Moon is one of Scorsese’s best. DiCaprio gives another stellar performance. Lily Gladstone is so captivating to watch. But De Niro is just masterful and this might be his best performance in years.” But what is it all about? The story follows the true story of how members of the Osage Native American tribute were murdered after oil is found on their land.
The Bike Riders
Sons of Anarchy meets the Swinging Sixties in this gritty drama with Oscar-worthy performances. Following a Midwestern motorcycle club, The Bikeriders kicks into gear with Kathy (Jodie Comer) – the wife of mischievous Vandals member, Benny (Austin Butler) – recalling the club's meteoric rise to power and subsequent demise. As the stakes get higher and higher, Kathy fights to take Benny away from the Vandals, but notorious leader Johnny (Tom Hardy) has other plans.
© Dimitrios Kambouris
