Three Early Films That Could Shine… or Fade This Awards Season
Dustin Chase
As the fall creeps in, so do the early award-season contenders. The end of September offers to change tea leaves for studios and award campaigners as major film festivals come to a close. Which films got great early reviews, had the most buzz, or won audience awards? The downside to those questions is which films didn’t fare so well. That’s what the end of September signals. On the one hand, the final Fridays of September can be the last chance for films that are right on the edge. Will dropping them in theaters or on streaming during a time when there isn’t much happening at the box office (unless you head back to see “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” again) push them back into the “maybe” category?
Three particular films fit the end-of-September mold. “Lee” is a by-the-numbers biopic about the groundbreaking war photographer Lee Miller starring Kate Winslet. “The Substance” is one of the smartest non-traditional horror films of the year, and it stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. The body horror film won best screenplay at Cannes. Netflix performance-driven trifecta “His Three Daughters” starring Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen. These three films are likely to be overlooked during award season for very different reasons. They are being shoved out front before the heavy hitters debut in the next three months and secure their positions.
These films have at least one major detractor that reduces their awards potential. “Lee,” for example, debuted at The Toronto International Film Festival last year. Which means it took this film an entire year to secure distribution. “Lee” has no box office or award potential in any category. Winslet’s performance holds the film up when the unenthusiastic filmmaking drags it to a bore: bland cinematography work and zero originality in the writing or filmmaking. There is nothing within the film that you can’t get from reading articles about Miller. Winslet’s determination and grit come through on screen, but it’s little more than a bullet-point picture.
"‘The Substance’ will easily be one of the most talked about, divisive films of the year."
“The Substance” has an international award to its credit and great publicity on social media; even those who hate it can’t stop talking about it. It is a film about how far one will go to retain one’s youth. It will easily be one of the most talked about, divisive films of the year. It needs mainstream horror fans to tune in more than it needs Oscar nominations. Demi Moore has and will make the rounds, likely garnering some critics’ awards, but it’s doubtful the more conservative learning awards bodies will embrace this film. It’s reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s early films like Bad Taste but with a modern, timely, and relevant underlying message. “The Substance” will appear on critic’s top ten lists at the end of the year.
Netflix always starts the award-season with more contenders than they intend to push towards the Oscars. Those get narrowed down across the season, and “His Three Daughters” is the first they will let go. It’s more of a traditional awards contender, three sisters, reuniting as their father slips away in hospice. It’s a performance piece for the three actors, Coon, Olsen, and Lyonne, who get equal moments and screen time, and therein lies its biggest problem. They will cancel each other out, not to mention, even with some of the film’s fantastic arguing scenes, more is needed to edge their way into an already crowded best actress field. The film already debuted on the streaming network and isn’t even in their top ten most-watched new releases. Which is too bad because it’s certainly worth your time.
“The Substance” is now playing in theaters, “His Three Daughters” is streaming on Netflix, and “Lee” opens in theaters this weekend.