The 92nd Academy Awards were historic, thanks in part to the juggernaut film Parasite. Bong Joon-Ho's modern thriller took home the Best Picture Oscar, becoming the first non-English language film to win in the category. Parasite is also the first South Korean film to be nominated for and win Best International Feature Film.
With 11 nominations, Joker competed for the most Oscars that night, and composer Hildur Guðnadóttir became the third woman to win for Best Original Score. Greta Gerwig's Little Women became the fourth film adaption of Louisa May Alcott's novel to earn Academy Awards nominations. But, what were the best films of the year, according to Letterboxd?
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (3.79)
The fourth film directed by Quentin Tarantino to receive a Best Picture nomination, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned a total of 10 Oscar nominations. The 1969-set dramedy centers around a has-been TV actor and his stunt double as they try to adapt to their changing industry. Leonardo DiCaprio's Rick Dalton lives next door to Sharon Tate, a promising actress.
The threats of the Manson Family penetrate the picturesque views of Los Angeles, but Tarantino takes it upon himself to try and re-write history. For his performance as Rick's stuntman Cliff Booth, Brad Pitt won his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar. Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh won Best Production Design for their impressive recreation of Los Angeles in the 1960s.
Ford v Ferrari (3.85)
James Mangold's Ford v Ferrari was a surprise award season contender, beating out other films like Golden Globe nominees The Two Popes, Knives Out, and Rocketman to claim one of the 9 Best Picture slots given at the 92nd Academy Awards. Ford v Ferrari explores the friendship between race car driver Ken Miles and automotive designer Carroll Shelby.
The two friends join a team made up of designers and engineers with the mission to design a new race car to defeat Scuderia Ferrari, a dominant Italian racing team. Christian Bale earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Ken in the film. Ford v Ferrari earned a total of 4 Academy Award nominations, winning Best Film Editing and Best Sound Editing.
Joker (3.85)
Joker, Todd Phillips' divisive take on the super villain's origin story, received the most Oscar nominations of the night and ended up taking home 3, including Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix. Set in the 1980s, this psychological crime thriller follows Arthur Fleck, a struggling stand-up comedian who's driven to a life of crime. Throughout Joker, Arthur becomes the infamous Batman villain.
After the film won the Golden Lion at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, Joker became an award season frontrunner thanks in part to Phoenix's performance. Phoenix is the second actor to win Oscar gold for portraying the Joker, as Heath Ledger posthumously winning the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance in The Dark Knight.
The Irishman (3.89)
The Irishman is Martin Scorsese's ninth film to receive a Best Picture nomination, the historical crime epic earning a total of 10 nominations at the ceremony. Based on Charles Brandt's nonfiction book I Heard You Paint Houses, The Irishman stars Robert DeNiro as Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who becomes a Mafia hitman in Philadelphia. While the film subtly spoils its ending, The Irishman still manages to be compelling through its 209-minute runtime.
Even with 10 nominations, including both Joe Pesci and Al Pacino competing for Best Supporting Actor, The Irishman failed to take any Academy Awards home. At the Critics' Choice Awards, the film won Best Acting Ensemble. The crime drama also received 9 BAFTA, 4 Golden Globe, and 3 SAG Award nominations.
Marriage Story (4.00)
Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach's heartbreaking film about a bi-coastal divorce between two artists and the toll it has on their family, earned Scarlett Johansson 1 of her 2 acting nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards. Johansson plays Nicole Barber, a former teen actress who married Adam Driver's Charlie, a successful stage director in New York City.
The couple has been growing apart for a while, but agree to separate amicably after Nicole receives an acting opportunity in Los Angeles. Things get messy when Nicole hires Nora Fanshaw, a brash family lawyer, and the two parents fight for custody of their young son, Henry. The family drama is one of Netflix's best original films, earning 1 win out of 6 nominations when Laura Dern took home the Best Supporting Actress statuette.
Jojo Rabbit (4.05)
Taika Waititi became an Academy Award winner thanks to his impressive Jojo Rabbit screenplay, adapted from Christine Leunens's 2008 book Caging Skies. The World War II-set dark comedy-drama centers around a young Hitler Youth member so dedicated to the cause his imaginary friend is a comedic version of the dictator. Young Jojo's world is turned upside down when he discovers his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic.
Waititi's film balances heavy themes with touches of impactful and witty dialogue. For her turn as Jojo's secretly anti-Nazi mother Rosie, Scarlett Johansson earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actress and became one of the few women ever nominated in both categories in the same year. Johansson lost in the category to her Marriage Story costar Laura Dern.
1917 (4.08)
1917, Sam Mendes' World War I epic, centered around 2 young soldiers sent on a nearly-impossible mission to deliver a message across enemy lines warning British troops about an impending deadly attack. One of the film's most impressive feats was its "one-shot technique," something Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins implemented to make 1917 appear like it was filmed without cuts.
Deakins won his second Best Cinematography Academy Award for his impressive camerawork. 1917 also won Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects and earned Mendes nominations for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, along with Best Picture.
Little Women (4.17)
Greta Gerwig's non-linear take on Louisa May Alcott's novel put a new twist on the beloved story, and the seventh film adaption of Little Women is the first to earn a Best Picture nomination. Following the March sisters as they come of age in the aftermath of the Civil War, Little Women explores womanhood during the era and the often jarring loss of childhood innocence.
At the 92nd Academy Awards, Little Women received a total of 6 nominations, winning Best Costume Design. For her fiery lead performance as Josephine "Jo" March, Saoirse Ronan earned her fourth Academy Award nomination. Florence Pugh's layered portrayal of youngest sister Amy earned the rising star her first Academy Award nomination, though she lost to costar Laura Dern, who won for Marriage Story.
Parasite (4.59)
The Best Picture winner, Parasite is also the highest-rated film on Letterboxd with a score of 4.59 and 39,000 fans. Parasite follows the Kims, a poor family living in a semi-basement apartment in Seoul. One by one, they slowly infiltrate the lives of the wealthy Park family by posing as qualified employees. An unexpected revelation causes everyone's lives to become entangled.
Director Bong Joon-Ho uses Parasite to explore the impacts that greed and class discrimination have on human relationships. The film became an award-season powerhouse after winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. At the SAG Awards, Parasite became the first international film to win Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Along with Best Picture, Parasite won the Academy Award for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film.