Saltburn (2023)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Screenwriter: Emerald Fennell
Starring: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, Carey Mulligan

With the release of her debut feature film Promising Young Woman in 2020, Emerald Fennell established herself as one of the most exciting directors working today. Her candy-pop infused, #MeToo-inspired revenge thriller provoked challenging discussions and introduced the world to Fennell’s fresh voice and unique talents. With her sophomore effort Saltburn, can lightning strike twice?

The film opens at the beginning of the 2006/07 academic year as Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) enrols at Oxford University. Though Ollie struggles to make friends at first – hilariously summed up in the trailer by Ewan Mitchell’s great line “Did you know there was a college Christmas party tonight? NFI, me and you. Not fucking invited” – he quickly finds himself under the wing of charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). Before long, Catton invites Ollie to stay with him over the summer at his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, Saltburn.

The title card of the picture finds itself scribbled across the film’s 4:3 frame, like the graffiti you’d find sprawled over an old school textbook. Immediately, with this simple design choice, Fennell sums up the schoolboy immaturity of many of the characters; they think the world revolves around them but really their problems are the sort of issues you’d find on the playground, and they hold onto their grudges forever. What makes it so terrifying, as their placement as the elite in society shows, is that these are the people who hold power. The ones that make the rules for everyone else yet don’t abide by them (a very funny karaoke scene in the film seems to poke fun at a very real example of this in recent British politics), the kind of people who don’t need to worry financially. There is maybe even something to be said about the latter point with regard to the film’s setting in 2007, right before the climax of the 2007–2008 financial crisis. 

Making up this abhorrent and aberrant family are an unforgettable cast of characters made up of the airhead family patriarch Sir James (Richard E. Grant), the oblivious family matriarch Elsbeth (Rosamund Pike), Felix, his siren-like sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) and their cousin Farleigh (Archie Madekwe), a particularly mischievous jester-like character that entertains the whole family. Oh, and let’s not forget the ludicrously melancholic “Poor Dear” Pamela (Carey Mulligan). All of whom are portrayed wonderfully by each respective actor, often delivering hilarious comedic performances with such an immense depth to them that not only do they make us laugh but they offer a scarily accurate portrayal of the type of people we allow to control our world.

The loathsome behaviour and elitist thinking of each character is introduced very early on. This is perhaps best exemplified by Oliver’s first meeting with his tutor, in which he is essentially mocked for having completed the summer reading, rather than celebrated for his hard work. All the while Farleigh, who is twenty minutes late, gains the respect of the tutor due to his family name and the power that it holds. In this world, status beats out hard work every time. Equally so, the first time Oliver and Felix officially meet, Felix’s bike has a puncture and Oliver offers him his bike so that he can make it to class even though it is clear that Felix really wasn’t doing much to even attempt to fix his bike. Felix was raised to believe that all of life’s problems would be solved for him. 

In spite of all this, Oliver can’t help but to find himself seduced by their lavish lifestyles, just as we can’t help but to be tempted by the Catton family, leading to both us and Oliver finding ourselves entangled in their web. It is in the way that the film is shot that allows Fennell to seduce us so easily. Shooting the stately home as though it were a fetish object, Fennell captures the alluring nature of such a home in the most perfect way that it becomes clear why anybody who enters would never wish to leave again. 

Saltburn doesn’t produce a product that simply delivers a message of the evils of privileged high society, but instead delivers them as fully fleshed out humans of both good and bad doing. Just as Felix may be a spoilt brat he is also by far the most understanding of the family and the one who is constantly generous to Oliver for little reason other than genuine kindness. Jacob Elordi captures this in his layered performance as Felix, bringing a charm and charisma to the character as well as a childish nature.

Instead, Saltburn shows the evils of desire and the lengths that many will go to in order to get what they want. In the game that is Saltburn, everybody wants something and they are all playing against each other to get it. It’s like ‘Succession‘ for the ‘Skins’ generation.

Though it is certainly an ensemble piece and one in which each performer must be nothing short of brilliant in order to make the world of the movie work, the story really rests on the shoulders of lead actor Barry Keoghan. He, along with Fennell’s wonderful direction, brings Saltburn to life. As the film progresses and it is Oliver who becomes the desirable object, things begin to get interesting and Keoghan’s portrayal of this journey is nothing short of spectacular. Not only does he capture the growth and progression of his character with precision, but with each new scene he brings something a little different, making Oliver’s evolution all that more interesting. Come the end of the film, once Oliver has transformed into his final form, it is clear that what we have just witnessed is a special performance that will linger in the mind for years to come.

Deciding which of Fennell’s two feature films is better will inevitably come down to a matter of taste. For some, one message will hit harder than the other, but for others the pacing and structure will leave a lasting impact. It all comes down to the individual. What is clear, however, is that Emerald Fennell is one of the most exciting directors working today and Saltburn marks the second successive masterpiece in her short but impactful career.

Saltburn is a seductive odyssey of lust, desire and betrayal that plays out like a Shakespearean episode of ‘Skins’, with a slight dash of ‘Succession’. Perhaps just as importantly, it does for Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” what Promising Young Woman did for Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind”. Emerald Fennell has done it again.

Score: 23/24

It was an emotional moment, that first time back there in the dark, eyes locked on the screen, and cinema provided such a varied smorgasbord of filmic delights to gorge ourselves on it was almost like we’d never been away. Almost.

2021 has been a bumper year for all kinds of stories on the big screen. Distinctively-voiced auteurs have released their latest deranged experiments and profoundly moving pieces of art; curious documentarians have told us what we never knew about the things and the people we are passionate about; and a pack of show-stopping musicals about love and being yourself gave film fans their soundtracks to some of life’s normality returning.

2021 was no slouch on the blockbuster front either, with big-budget projects queuing for release like bank holiday traffic and studios having to adjust their profit expectations in a still uncertain world. Daniel Craig took one last mission as James Bond in No Time to Die; Marvel had to deliver films that not only followed on the slam-dunk of Avengers: Endgame but also matched their ambitious Disney+ series that had tided fans over during lockdown; DC was hard at work pleasing fans with The Suicide Squad and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and Godzilla well and truly versed Kong. If you were lucky, you watched him do it in IMAX.

Without further ado, here are my 10 Best Films Released in the UK in 2021 – those that affected me on the most primal level at the time and those that have stayed with me ever since.

Follow the author of this article, Sam Sewell-Peterson, on Twitter @SSPThinksFilm.

10. Godzilla vs Kong

Godzilla vs Kong Review

Were there many, many much deeper films released in 2021? Absolutely. Were there smarter, more polished and epic examples of blockbuster filmmaking over the past 12 months? That’s also a yes. But I still remember the feeling of indescribable joy I felt after being starved of big screen spectacle for months, of being back in front of an IMAX screen surrounded by excitable children who loved dinosaurs and monkeys (and plenty of adults who also still loved dinosaurs and monkeys), especially when they’re 300 feet tall and beating the crap out of each other on top of an aircraft carrier. That was the powerful allure of Godzilla vs Kong.

The latest, biggest and possibly final instalment of the Monsterverse from Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures saw Godzilla go full alpha predator and take on Kong, while human scientists used the gigantic gorilla’s natural homing instinct to guide them to the hollow Earth, the location from which the rampaging Titans first emerged.

Like all the movies in this series, humanity quickly gets lost in all the chaos and you’d struggle to claim any of them had more than one identifiable personality trait. And yet, this delivered exactly what kaiju movie fans wanted; unparalleled spectacle, massively-scaled destruction and Kong resetting his dislocated shoulder against a skyscraper.

Recommended for you: Shōwa Era Godzilla Movies Ranked

9. West Side Story

West Side Story Review

Steven Spielberg just had to present us with something that was different, but he went one better by in many ways improving on the original film version of the Bernstein/Sondheim musical. It might be set in the 50s, but “West Side Story” is a tale for our times and this smart new adaptation has only increased its impact. It’s also the last film of the year to make me have to take a few moments to wipe away tears before leaving the cinema.

In case you’ve somehow missed hearing what West Side Story is about over its six decades of existence, it’s “Romeo and Juliet” but with street gang warfare instead of noble house rivalry. Spielberg remounts this story of forbidden love between Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler) with verve and inventiveness, doubling down on the social commentary, modernising the character portrayals and staging the iconic musical numbers in fresh and high-impact ways.

West Side Story is one of the best-looking and sounding films of the year, good old-fashioned filmmaking craft bringing an old story to life for a new generation. Tony and Maria might be the story focus, but Ariana DeBose as Anita and Mike Faist as Riff completely steal the show, bringing it to a raw and emotionally honest place exactly when required.

In 2021, our team have reviewed over 150 films, judging no less than 15 to be 5 stars (21/24 and above – ie, Hall of Fame-worthy), and the very best of those 15 – those ranked 23/24 and above – have made this list of our Best Reviewed Films 2021.

In this list we will be sharing only feature films, so short films with high ratings such as If Anything Happens I Love You (24/24) will not be included. We will also only be sharing those that were released in the UK in 2021, so The Souvenir: Part II will not be eligible despite being rated 24/24 because it is not due for release until 2022.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter.

9. Pig – 23/24

“Pig is possibly better than anything else it could have been, and certainly better than anyone could have expected. With this debut 2021 release, Michael Sarnoski proves himself to be a seriously talented filmmaker to watch, Pig being one of the most beautifully cathartic cinema experiences of the year.” – Mark Carnochan

Pig Review

8. Nomadland – 23/24

“Like all great American road trips, Nomadland is a long and winding ride with a few unexpected turns and misdirection added in for the full immersive experience. It’s a road movie unlike any other and a masterful example of storytelling. The destination is unknown and far off into the distance, but the journey is one hell of a trip.” – Leoni Horton

Nomadland Review

Recommended for you: 2021 Oscars Best Picture Nominees Ranked

7. The Sparks Brothers – 23/24

“With The Sparks Brothers it is blatantly apparent that Sparks were the best subject matter for Edgar Wright to cover in his first foray into documentary filmmaking, and equally that Wright was the best director to make a long-awaited documentary about the Mael brothers. The passion of the director, and everyone else involved, never fails to shine through in The Sparks Brothers, just as the genius of Sparks themselves never seems to fade.” – Mark Carnochan

The Sparks Brothers Review

In 2021, no less than 4 of the 8 films nominated for the year’s biggest film award are directed by debut directors, indicating not only a shift within the industry, but hope that the artistry of prior years and decades can be maintained moving forward, and proving that filmmakers with strong ideas are always worth producers risking their money and reputations on.

The Academy’s selection of best feature films this year is an eclectic mix of the phenomenally written, movingly performed and surgically directed, and in this edition of Ranked we here at The Film Magazine are looking at each to judge the order in which these films excel, analysing each in terms of overall quality and cultural relevance.

Follow The Film Magazine on Twitter to never miss another list like this one.

8. The Trial of the Chicago 7

The Trial of the Chicago 7 Review

The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a timely and arguably powerful court room drama released during an era in which films of its type are few and far between, and those with high budget ensemble casts seem to have been absent from our screens for over 20 years.

It’s a film with tremendous upside, bringing attention to a historical US issue that can be applied to the nation’s struggles today, and it features effortless transitions from comedy to drama in easy to digest but moving sequences, the likes of which have become typical of writer-director Aaron Sorkin’s politically fused but Hollywood-leaning sensibilities.

Sorkin has long been considered a master of American drama, his work hugely respected and certainly recognisable. His characters quip, they talk over one another, tensions escalate through words alone, and then like the crescendo of his own orchestra they come to a boil, producing thought-provoking and often powerful moments. In The Trial of the Chicago 7 this is precisely what is offered, Sorkin making the real-life trials of the Chicago 7 (a group accused of conspiracy, riot and more for attending the 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago) one of his most authorial works to date.

Like many of Sorkin’s previous pieces, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is filled with statements but equally palatable, it is political but wholly agreeable and very much reinforcing of American exceptionalism and faith in the nation’s guiding principles and the ways in which they are enforced through law. Unlike some of his award winning work of years past, his writing isn’t directed by an expressionistic filmmaker but by himself, The Trial of the Chicago 7 thus lacking the touches of perspective-shifting cinematography, set design and blocking that are present in many of the other 2021 Best Picture Oscar nominees.

7. Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal Review

Sound of Metal is being correctly lauded as a technical triumph. Its sound design takes you inside the head of its punk rock drummer protagonist who suddenly begins to lose his hearing, loud crashes of drums and cheers from crowds replaced with dead silence, the ringing of his eardrum, muffled thuds and indistinguishable speech. For 2 hours, you experience what you believe to be an actuality of deafness, and you grow attached to the protagonist suffering to accept it.

Riz Ahmed is magnetic as the addict who feels his life is being ripped away from him, his character design from the ripped t-shirts and heavy boots of his wardrobe to the antagonistic designs and slogans of his tattoos and stand out bleach blond hair, and further still to the nuances of Ahmed’s own soft boil anger and inherent insecurity, make for a wholly believable character, an interesting and identifiable protagonist.

Away from the technical triumphs of sound design, costume design, hair and performance, Sound of Metal follows the fairly basic narrative structure of the nomad reacquainting himself with the world, albeit in a way that is forced by a disconnection from it, Ahmed’s Ruben substituting living in isolation with his partner in an RV to living around others in a commune, his hair being shaved into its natural colour, Ruben literally selling the products of his dream (and deafness) to try and find a new normal in a space closer to the “real world”, and thus finding himself in the process. It’s a structure that has little time for tackling issues of finance, and as such glosses over some of the biggest hurdles newly deaf people face, specifically in the United States. Here, Ruben conveniently passes over the obstacles of finding emotional support, finding financial help to access that support, and finding tens of thousands of dollars for surgery, and as such there is little by way of wider contextualisation of Ruben’s journey as a newly deaf man, Sound of Metal squarely focused on the played out formula of the on-screen addict, its text concluding with the apropos yet emblematic message of self-acceptance healing all wounds, physical and otherwise.

Some of Sound of Metal’s parts are the best around, and there’s no doubt that as a feature drama debut for Darius Marder it excels beyond all expectations and proves the first glimpse of a potentially prominent screen artist, but it’s not the nuanced, different and/or surprising offering that some of 2021’s other Oscars Best Picture nominees are.

Recommended for you: 21st Century Best Picture Oscar Winners Ranked

Shown across a combined 2 hours and 45 minutes of primetime weekend television, the EE BAFTAs celebrated the very best of cinema from 2020 and the early months of 2021, with Oscars front-runner Nomadland earning wins in a number of major categories including Best Film, and Bukky Bakray (Rocks) earning the EE Rising Star Award in a heart-warming moment that included the young actress receiving hugs from loved ones during her acceptance speech.

The broadcasted ceremony featured live performances from within the Royal Albert Hall by Celeste, who was performing her song “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7, as well as Corinne Bailey Rae who performed a duet of Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” with One Night In Miami star and Supporting Actor nominee Leslie Odom, Jr., who was performing from a studio in the United States. Liam Payne performed via augmented reality to begin the show.

With UK cinemas closed for most of the past year, the 2021 BAFTAs featured a preview for the films to come throughout 2021 and had a prolonged In Memoriam segment to celebrate the lives of the filmmakers and industry professionals who we’ve lost since last February’s ceremony.

Whilst the ceremony itself was stripped back and toned down, there were still a number of moments worth remembering, including a moving acceptance speech by Thomas Vinterberg when his film Another Round won the award for Film Not In the English Language.

The winners of the BAFTA Film Awards 2021 are: 

BEST FILM – NOMADLAND
The Father
The Mauritanian
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Calm with Horses
The Dig
The Father
His House
Limbo
The Mauritanian
Mogul Mowgli
Rocks
Saint Maud

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE – ANOTHER ROUND
Dear Comrades!
Les Misérables
Minari
Quo Vadis, Aida?

DOCUMENTARY – MY OCTOPUS TEACHER
Collective
David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet
The Dissident
The Social Dilemma

ANIMATED FILM – SOUL
Onward
Wolfwalkers

DIRECTOR – CHLOE ZHAO (NOMADLAND)
Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)
Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth)
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?)
Sarah Gavron (Rocks)

LEADING ACTRESS – FRANCES MCDORMAND (NOMADLAND)
Bukky Bakray (Rocks)
Radha Blank (The Forty-Year-Old Version)
Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
Wunmi Mosaku (His House)
Alfre Woodard (Clemency)

CASTING – ROCKS
Calm with Horses
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman

LEADING ACTOR – ANTHONY HOPKINS (THE FATHER)
Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)
Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger)
Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round)
Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS – YUH-JUNG YOUN (MINARI)
Niamh Algar (Calm with Horses)
Kosar Ali (Rocks)
Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Ashley Madekwe (County Lines)
Yuh-jung Youn (Minari)

SUPPORTING ACTOR – DANIEL KALUUYA (JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH)
Barry Keoghan (Calm with Horses)
Alan Kim (Minari)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (One Night in Miami)
Clarke Peters (Da 5 Bloods)
Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY – EMERALD FENNELL (PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN)
Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm (Another Round)
Jack Fincher (Mank)
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Rocks)
Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – FLORIAN ZELLER, CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON (THE FATHER)
Moira Buffini (The Dig)
M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani (The Mauritanian)
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Ramin Bahrami (The White Tiger)

CINEMATOGRAPHY – JOSHUA JAMES RICHARDSON (NOMADLAND)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
The Mauritanian
News of the World

PRODUCTION DESIGN – MANK
The Dig
The Father
News of the World
Rebecca

COSTUME DESIGN – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Ammonite
The Dig
Emma.
Mank

MAKE UP & HAIR – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
The Dig
Hillbilly Elegy
Mank
Pinocchio

EDITING – SOUND OF METAL
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7

ORIGINAL SCORE – JON BATISTE, TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS (SOUL)
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Promising Young Woman

SOUND – SOUND OF METAL
Greyhound
News of the World
Nomadland
Soul

SPECIAL EFFECTS – TENET
Greyhound
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION – THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT
The Fire Next Time
The Song of a Lost Boy

BRITISH SHORT FILM – THE PRESENT
Eyelash
Lizard
Lucky Break
Miss Curvy

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER – REMI WEEKES (HIS HOUSE)
Ben Sharrock, Irune Gurtubai (Limbo)
Jack Sidey (Moffie)
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Rocks)
Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman (Saint Maud)

EE RISING STAR AWARD – BUKKY BAKRAY
Conrad Khan
Kingsley Ben-Adir
Morfydd Clark
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO BRITISH CINEMA – NOEL CLARKE

BAFTA FELLOWSHIP AWARD – ANG LEE

Promising Young Woman (2021)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Screenwriter: Emerald Fennell
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Molly Shannon, Max Greenfield, Chris Lowell

Statistics vary depending on location, but, on average, one in every five women will experience some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. It’s a staggeringly high percentage, but one many people will not find surprising. Sexual assault is a pandemic in its own right. Yet, instead of reporting the daily figures on prime time news each day, or orchestrating a worldwide effort to bring it to an end, we allow women to walk home with keys clenched between their knuckles as we redundantly remind them not to invite unwarranted sexual attention through their personal fashion preferences – as if this will be enough to keep them safe. 

When it happens to you, it doesn’t happen how you thought it might, and the world doesn’t react how you assumed it would. Just look at somebody like Brock Turner, who, after committing a violent sexual assault on an intoxicated fellow student – a crime ordinarily punishable with a fourteen-year sentence – served only three months in prison: the lenient verdict a product of white privilege and the judge’s own feeling that Brock, a swimming champion, would be negatively impacted by lengthy imprisonment. We live in a world where an accusation or conviction of assault is now deemed just as brutal and life-altering as assault itself; a dynamic Emerald Fennell explores the hypocrisies of in her debut feature, Promising Young Woman. In one scene, a so-called ‘nice guy’ suggests to Cassie, our promising young woman in question, that it’s a guy’s worst nightmare to be accused ‘like that’. To this, Cassie replies: ‘Can you guess what every woman’s worst nightmare is?’.

Cassandra Thomas (Carey Mulligan), a thirty-year-old barista and med-school dropout, comes to a stalemate with life. Consumed by a seven-year-old ‘incident’ involving her childhood friend Nina, Cassie isolates herself from the possibility of functioning like a regular person. We never hear the specifics of this incident; what exactly happened to Nina is left vague in an attempt to mimic the experience of disregard felt by actual victims of assault. Do you remember the name of Brock Turner’s victim? Instead, Cassie, like Frances McDormand’s Mildred in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, dedicates her time to tactically seeking out a form of, not revenge, but justice – a way to do something material with the pain of her trauma. To highlight that people capable of assault can look like anyone, be of any age and from any background, Fennell has Cassie loiter inside nightclubs, using herself as inebriated bait, to which predatory men, in all of their forms, gravitate. Cassie frightens the boys when she reveals herself to be sober – a fact many of them find to be a turn-off anyway. However, no matter how many deviant men she teaches a lesson (a notebook she keeps as record speaks to a high volume of them), the catharsis she yearns for never arrives. That is until a chance meeting with a former classmate, Ryan (Bo Burnham), provides Cassie with an access route to a more exact and tenacious form of vengeance. 

We follow Cassie as she comes up against the guilty faces of her past. She confronts them with manipulation, fear and threat, forcing them to acknowledge their roles not only within the sexual assault of her friend but within the system of rape culture as a whole; a system that fails to hold men accountable for their crimes. Promising Young Woman does this with tact, slowly dismantling the layers of shame-culture and victim-blaming that normalise sexual violence. Cassie’s plot for justice highlights all those responsible: from the perpetrators themselves to disbelieving classmates, and education professionals who choose to turn a blind eye and disregard their duty of care. Cassie comes for all genders and ages; anyone whose silence, prejudice or failure to act has long enabled the cycle to continue. The film encourages self-introspection, too, forcing us, with its nuanced exploration of these themes, to ask ourselves if our own actions and opinions have a place in the ruling toxicity of normalised sexual violence.

Fennell and costume designer Nancy Steiner – who received acclaim for her work on Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides – use style and fashion to subvert the typical expectation of a woman on a mission such as Cassie’s: blood, gore and practical dress, the classic symbology of the ‘revenge’ narrative, is actively lacking. Instead, Steiner dresses Cassie in bubble-gum pinks and pretty florals, her hair neat, her make-up done, her nails painted, her outfits beautifully executed with details and accessories to match. Fennell weaponises Cassie’s femininity and the effeminate connotations of the colour pink; the aesthetically pleasing stylisation of Cassie’s wardrobe serving as armour against the weaponry and semantics of rape culture.

The effort to subvert genre continues through savvy casting decisions. Men we usually associate as loveable and, more importantly, harmless, crop up throughout the film: millennial treasure and stand-up comic, Bo Burnham; silly and eccentric Max Greenfield of ‘New Girl’; Superbad’s McLovin aka Christopher Mintz-Plasse; the puppy-eyed Chris Lowell of ‘GLOW’, and teen heartthrob of ‘The O.C.’, Adam Brody. With the presence of these much-loved, lusted after men, Fennell toys with our preconceptions of what we expect males in (and surrounding) sexual violence narratives to look like – they can be anyone, any age, or people we know and even admire. Other supporting actors feel complimentary of the film’s aesthetic in a variety of ways. The decision to cast Jennifer Coolidge as Cassie’s Mother feels like a particular stroke of genius: her comedic, chick-flick legacy gifts the film a glamorous and nostalgic tone. Laverne Cox, Alison Brie and Connie Britton bring a concoction of talent; they are the mixer to a perfect, pink cocktail, respectively adding sweet, sour, and bitter flavours into the mix. 

However, by far the most crucial player is Carey Mulligan. Known for her exquisite character work in independent film (Paul Dano’s Wildlife, Lone Scherfig’s An Education), Mulligan often gravitates toward complex female characters. As Cassie, Mulligan makes moves to untangle the knots of Hollywood’s perception of femininity. Her characterisation work isn’t as black and white as a hero looking for revenge upon a villain. Instead, Cassie is messy; she pushes the boundaries; she steps out of the acceptable space female characters usually operate within. Mulligan explores these shades of grey expertly, dark and threatening when she needs to be but comical enough to keep up with Burnham’s effortless wit. Mulligan’s work here highlights just how much a woman must sacrifice in order to bring rapists to justice.

Fennell filters every detail through a highly exceptional and boldly cinematic narrative, exposing the very real-world double standards and gross judgemental attitudes surrounding rape. Even the film’s soundtrack, which includes Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind’ and a sinister string version of Britney Spears’ ‘‘Toxic’’, works to exacerbate Fennell’s vision. Hilton and Spears have their sexuality and mental health discussed like cheap gossip on a global scale; the stories behind their music further highlights all women’s struggle for control over their agency. Fennell uses these details to rewrite the script and confront dismissive, ingrained attitudes to all things considered ‘girly’. 

Given the extent to which Promising Young Woman asks its audience to confront their beliefs and behaviour, the film will be a complicated watch for many. Yet, like it or not, it’s time we bring this conversation into the mainstream. Sexual assault doesn’t just happen to women as conventionally attractive as Margot Robbie; it’s an issue anyone can come into contact with. Let this film act as a means to silence dismissive voices and teach the importance of believing women.

24/24

The live announcement made from London via the Academy’s YouTube channel by Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Baywatch; The Matrix 4) and her husband Nick Jonas (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle), revealed Mank to be one of the Academy’s favourites this year, with the David Fincher directed Netflix Original landing nominations in the Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Best Actor and Supporting Actress categories, whilst Riz Ahmed drama Sound of Metal earned nominations across a number of major categories including Best Picture, Best Actor and Original Screenplay, and Emeral Fennell’s Promising Young Woman became a Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Original Screenplay nominee.

The delayed 2021 Oscars ceremony will take place live on Sunday 25th April 2021, with Academy president David Rubin guaranteeing that the ceremony will be held and attended in person live from both Union Station, Los Angeles and its usual home The Dolby Theater in Hollywood, making it the first major film awards show in the US to be held in person since the 92nd Oscars in February 2020.

Following the Golden Globes and the widely renowned choices made by the British Academy of Film and Television for the 2021 BAFTAs, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have followed in the British Academy’s steps to vote for diversity across its major categories, ensuring a better representation of the films made and released across the past 13-14 months, indicating that steps made to better representation within the academy are being proved successful.

The nominees for the 93rd Oscars 2021 are:

BEST PICTURE
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

DIRECTING
Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)
David Fincher (Mank)
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Erik Messerschmidt (Mank)
Dariusz Wolski (News of the World)
Joshua James Richards (Nomadland)
Phedon Papamichael (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)
Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
Gary Oldman (Mank)
Steven Yeun (Minari)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)
Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (One Night in Miami)
Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)
LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy)
Olivia Colman (The Father)
Amanda Seyfried (Mank)
Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Mazer, Jena Friedman, Lee Kern (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller (The Father)
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami)
Ramin Bahrani (The White Tiger)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will Berson, Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)
Darius Marder, Abraham Marder (Sound of Metal)
Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time

FILM EDITING
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet

COSTUME DESIGN
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio

VISUAL EFFECTS
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet

ORIGINAL SCORE
Terence Blanchard (Da 5 Bloods)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Mank)
Emile Mosseri (Minari)
James Newton Howard (News of the World)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste (Soul)

ORIGINAL SONG
“Fight for You” (Judas and the Black Messiah)
“Hear My Voice” (The Trial of the Chicago 7)
“Husavik” (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire Saga)
“Io Si (Seen)” (La Vita Davanti A Se)
“Speak Now” (One Night in Miami)

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes – People

LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

In a series of announcements made by Susan Wokoma and Aisling Bea via YouTube, the British Academy announced the first candidates of its new era, with Nomadland following its successful Golden Globes run with nominations in the Best Film and Best Director categories, and Netflix’s British Independent Film Awards winning drama Rocks picking up nominations in both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress as well as being included amongst the increased number of 10 nominees for Best British Film.

In 2020, BAFTA received a lot of criticism for nominating an all-male selection in its Best Director category for the 7th year running, and for selecting exclusively white nominees across its acting categories. In response, BAFTA made a number of voting and structural changes to their film awards in an attempt to combat any lack of diversity amongst its nominees in the future, introducing over 100 new rules and parameters, including the prerequisite that 50% of its longlist for Best Director now has to be made up of women (10 of 20) and that each of its acting category shortlists must now be made up of 6 nominees instead of the usual 5.

In 2021, 4 of the 6 nominees for Best Director are women, whilst 16 of the 24 nominees across the acting categories are people of colour, indicating that the new rules and parameters were successful in bringing new perspectives to the academy.

The winners of the 2021 BAFTAs will be announced in a ceremony held without a live audience on Sunday 11th April 2021.

The Nominees for the 74th British Academy Film Awards:

BEST FILM
The Father
The Mauritanian
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
Calm with Horses
The Dig
The Father
His House
Limbo
The Mauritanian
Mogul Mowgli
Promising Young Woman
Rocks
Saint Maud

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Another Round
Dear Comrades!
Les Misérables
Minari
Quo Vadis, Aida?

DOCUMENTARY
Collective
David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet
The Dissident
My Octopus Teacher
The Social Dilemma

ANIMATED FILM
Onward
Soul
Wolfwalkers

DIRECTOR
Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)
Shannon Murphy (Babyteeth)
Lee Isaac Chung (Minari)
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?)
Sarah Gavron (Rocks)

LEADING ACTRESS
Bukky Bakray (Rocks)
Radha Blank (The Forty-Year-Old Version)
Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)
Frances McDormand (Nomadland)
Wunmi Mosaku (His House)
Alfre Woodard (Clemency)

CASTING
Calm with Horses
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Rocks

LEADING ACTOR
Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal)
Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)
Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger)
Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round)
Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Niamh Algar (Calm with Horses)
Kosar Ali (Rocks)
Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)
Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Ashley Madekwe (County Lines)
Yuh-jung Youn (Minari)

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)
Barry Keoghan (Calm with Horses)
Alan Kim (Minari)
Leslie Odom, Jr. (One Night in Miami)
Clarke Peters (Da 5 Bloods)
Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm (Another Round)
Jack Fincher (Mank)
Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Rocks)
Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Moira Buffini (The Dig)
Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton (The Father)
M.B. Traven, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani (The Mauritanian)
Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)
Ramin Bahrami (The White Tiger)

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
The Mauritanian
News of the World
Nomadland

PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Dig
The Father
Mank
News of the World
Rebecca

COSTUME DESIGN
Ammonite
The Dig
Emma.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank

MAKE UP & HAIR
The Dig
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio

EDITING
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

ORIGINAL SCORE
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Promising Young Woman
Soul

SOUND
Greyhound
News of the World
Nomadland
Soul
Sound of Metal

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Greyhound
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
The Fire Next Time
The Owl and the Pussycat
The Song of a Lost Boy

BRITISH SHORT FILM
Eyelash
Lizard
Lucky Break
Miss Curvy
The Present

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
Remi Weekes (His House)
Ben Sharrock, Irune Gurtubai (Limbo)
Jack Sidey (Moffie)
Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Rocks)
Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman (Saint Maud)

EE RISING STAR AWARD
Bukky Bakray
Conrad Khan
Kingsley Ben-Adir
Morfydd Clark
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù

BAFTA will announce the BAFTA Fellowship Award and Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema award at the ceremony itself.